Why They Lost: Green Bay Falls Short On “Favre Night”
By Kenn Korb
Nov 26, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb (18) makes a catch against the Chicago Bears during the second half for a NFL game on Thanksgiving at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Blown Dead
It was 3rd & 5 on the Green Bay 37, 9:16 left in the 4th quarter.
Aaron Rodgers, as he is wont to do, draws a defense offsides yet again, like he has done so many other times this season and throughout his career. He tosses the ball on the unprepared and frazzled defense, finding Randall Cobb for a catch and what looked to be an easy catch-&-run touchdown to give the team what could have been the final boost needed for a victory.
But…a whistle blows late.
The play had been blown dead.
Now, this didn’t exactly kill the Packers’ chances; they still got five free yards and a first down out of it, with plenty of time left for a comeback.
The thing is, it undoubtedly hindered a team that truly needs a spark. Due to a split-second judgment call, the rhythm the team seemed to finally be finding was yet again interrupted.
What adds to the annoyance is the lateness of the whistle; at least from my viewing, I didn’t hear any whistle until the ball was well on the way to Cobb.
This team is not as far off as we perceive, but they just haven’t been winning at the little things and the margins have stayed tight. It is bad enough when there are issues like bad routes and drops by receivers, but at least those issues are in the hands of the team.
Late, split-second, inconsistent judgment calls by the refs are not needed to make things tougher than they already are.
As I said before, it did not seal the game by any means. But it was yet another major point that massively affected the complexity of the game that yet again went against the Packers.
Right now, this team cannot afford to be on the wrong end of this type of instance.
Next: Final Four