The Cobra
01-29-2011, 12:46 PM
(Sports Network) - During a 16-game season -- and more if you're lucky -- a team is certainly going to face many trials and tests along the way.
The Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers did and passed each and every one, the biggest being a victory in Chicago on Jan. 23 that put the franchise into the Super Bowl for the first time since the conclusion of the 1997 season.
For Rodgers, the tests often came in a literal form. Twice this season, the 27-year-old was concussed, and the second caused him to miss his first game in three years.
The timing of Rodgers' second injury could not have been worse either. With Green Bay still fighting to get in the playoffs, he left a Dec. 12 meeting with Detroit in the first half and the Packers went on to drop a tough 7-3 contest.
Rodgers was then held out of the next weekend's game against the powerful New England Patriots, and though backup Matt Flynn threw three touchdown passes, the defense put up a rare stinker in a 31-27 defeat that dropped Green Bay to 8-6 and set up two straight elimination games against the New York Giants and eventual NFC North-champion Chicago Bears.
The Packers had come too far to blow this chance now, however, and Rodgers returned with a vengeance against the Giants, throwing for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Though Green Bay's offense struggled seven days later against Chicago, it was still able to lock down the NFC's sixth seed with a 10-3 home win despite ending the regular season with 15 players -- including six starters -- on injured reserve.
"Really, the way that our season went -- the trials and tribulations that we encountered, to me, that was how we were shaped," head coach Mike McCarthy said after his team's 21-14 win over Chicago in the NFC Championship Game. "I think it's made us a better football team. It's challenged our character. I think we've really grown through it."
But the end of the regular season wasn't the first time the 10-6 Packers had to stand tall in the face of adversity. Armed with thoughts of being a Super Bowl challenger during the summer, the Green and Gold won three of four to start the season, but lost starting running back Ryan Grant to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1 versus Philadelphia.
A Week 3 loss to the Bears was also the first of six Green Bay defeats this year by four points or less. A different outcome in that key matchup may have instead led to a division title for the Pack, given that the team finished just a game behind Chicago in the standings and its defense would go on to lead the NFC with just 240 points allowed.
Green Bay could also look back at a string of consecutive overtime losses to Washington (16-13) and Miami (23-20) in October, bringing the club back to the .500 mark following the 3-1 start that brought the club back to the .500 mark. Rodgers suffered his first concussion in the loss to the Redskins, but did play against the Dolphins.
Rodgers and the Packers did not let the season slip away from them and responded with four straight victories, the first a 28-24 triumph over Minnesota on Oct. 24 that was their first over former Packers legend and current Vikings signal-caller Brett Favre. While Rodgers struggled with two first-half interceptions, including one that ended his run of 173 straight red- zone pass attempts without a pick, the Packers defense was busy snatching three Favre passes out of the air.
An ugly, but still welcomed, 9-0 victory over the New York Jets on Halloween left a few wondering if the Packers had the offense to compete, a question that was answered seven days later with a 45-7 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. Rodgers threw three of his 28 touchdown passes on the season in that win, while running back Brandon Jackson scored twice on the ground.
A four-touchdown effort from Rodgers led to a 31-3 win in Minnesota two weeks later, following a bye that had Green Bay in good shape before the team began a 1-3 stretch with a 20-17 loss in Atlanta and also contained the previously- mentioned defeats to Detroit and New England.
Despite all the ups-and-downs, the Packers managed to make the postseason, where every team starts over at 0-0. Up first was a rematch with their Week 1 opponent, the Eagles, and they refused to be upstaged by the Mike Vick saga again.
Vick began his remarkable comeback campaign by replacing an injured Kevin Kolb during the season-opening loss to the Packers. However, Green Bay assured his storybook season would go no further with a 21-16 victory capped by Pro Bowl selection Tramon Williams picking off the Philadelphia quarterback in the end zone with 33 seconds left.
That set up a return trip to Atlanta to face the Falcons, in which Rogers officially buried the Green Bay ghost of Favre. In what was the best offensive playoff performance in franchise history, Rodgers threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in a 48-21 victory.
Ready to hit the road for a third straight game, the Packers continued their historic rivalry with the Bears in the NFC Championship at Solider Field. This time it was the defense that was tested, as Rodgers threw for just 244 yards and was intercepted twice one week after his 366-yard performance in Atlanta.
Rodgers did run for a score, but the eventual game-winning points came from a defender. Stamping yet another achievement this year for Green Bay's stop unit, 337-pound defensive lineman B.J. Raji picked off a pass and rumbled 18 yards for a score that gave the Packers a 21-7 lead with 6:04 remaining in the game.
Now it's off to Dallas for the SAT's of the season. As the first sixth seed in the NFC to reach the Super Bowl, the Packers should feel confident and ready to shine under the big lights.
"Our players truly believe that we will be successful in Dallas, just like how they truly believed that we were going to be successful [in Chicago in the NFC title game]," McCarthy said. "We had to [win] on the road, and that is fine, we are still going on the road to Dallas."
Just another test Green Bay expects to pass with flying colors.
The Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers did and passed each and every one, the biggest being a victory in Chicago on Jan. 23 that put the franchise into the Super Bowl for the first time since the conclusion of the 1997 season.
For Rodgers, the tests often came in a literal form. Twice this season, the 27-year-old was concussed, and the second caused him to miss his first game in three years.
The timing of Rodgers' second injury could not have been worse either. With Green Bay still fighting to get in the playoffs, he left a Dec. 12 meeting with Detroit in the first half and the Packers went on to drop a tough 7-3 contest.
Rodgers was then held out of the next weekend's game against the powerful New England Patriots, and though backup Matt Flynn threw three touchdown passes, the defense put up a rare stinker in a 31-27 defeat that dropped Green Bay to 8-6 and set up two straight elimination games against the New York Giants and eventual NFC North-champion Chicago Bears.
The Packers had come too far to blow this chance now, however, and Rodgers returned with a vengeance against the Giants, throwing for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Though Green Bay's offense struggled seven days later against Chicago, it was still able to lock down the NFC's sixth seed with a 10-3 home win despite ending the regular season with 15 players -- including six starters -- on injured reserve.
"Really, the way that our season went -- the trials and tribulations that we encountered, to me, that was how we were shaped," head coach Mike McCarthy said after his team's 21-14 win over Chicago in the NFC Championship Game. "I think it's made us a better football team. It's challenged our character. I think we've really grown through it."
But the end of the regular season wasn't the first time the 10-6 Packers had to stand tall in the face of adversity. Armed with thoughts of being a Super Bowl challenger during the summer, the Green and Gold won three of four to start the season, but lost starting running back Ryan Grant to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1 versus Philadelphia.
A Week 3 loss to the Bears was also the first of six Green Bay defeats this year by four points or less. A different outcome in that key matchup may have instead led to a division title for the Pack, given that the team finished just a game behind Chicago in the standings and its defense would go on to lead the NFC with just 240 points allowed.
Green Bay could also look back at a string of consecutive overtime losses to Washington (16-13) and Miami (23-20) in October, bringing the club back to the .500 mark following the 3-1 start that brought the club back to the .500 mark. Rodgers suffered his first concussion in the loss to the Redskins, but did play against the Dolphins.
Rodgers and the Packers did not let the season slip away from them and responded with four straight victories, the first a 28-24 triumph over Minnesota on Oct. 24 that was their first over former Packers legend and current Vikings signal-caller Brett Favre. While Rodgers struggled with two first-half interceptions, including one that ended his run of 173 straight red- zone pass attempts without a pick, the Packers defense was busy snatching three Favre passes out of the air.
An ugly, but still welcomed, 9-0 victory over the New York Jets on Halloween left a few wondering if the Packers had the offense to compete, a question that was answered seven days later with a 45-7 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. Rodgers threw three of his 28 touchdown passes on the season in that win, while running back Brandon Jackson scored twice on the ground.
A four-touchdown effort from Rodgers led to a 31-3 win in Minnesota two weeks later, following a bye that had Green Bay in good shape before the team began a 1-3 stretch with a 20-17 loss in Atlanta and also contained the previously- mentioned defeats to Detroit and New England.
Despite all the ups-and-downs, the Packers managed to make the postseason, where every team starts over at 0-0. Up first was a rematch with their Week 1 opponent, the Eagles, and they refused to be upstaged by the Mike Vick saga again.
Vick began his remarkable comeback campaign by replacing an injured Kevin Kolb during the season-opening loss to the Packers. However, Green Bay assured his storybook season would go no further with a 21-16 victory capped by Pro Bowl selection Tramon Williams picking off the Philadelphia quarterback in the end zone with 33 seconds left.
That set up a return trip to Atlanta to face the Falcons, in which Rogers officially buried the Green Bay ghost of Favre. In what was the best offensive playoff performance in franchise history, Rodgers threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in a 48-21 victory.
Ready to hit the road for a third straight game, the Packers continued their historic rivalry with the Bears in the NFC Championship at Solider Field. This time it was the defense that was tested, as Rodgers threw for just 244 yards and was intercepted twice one week after his 366-yard performance in Atlanta.
Rodgers did run for a score, but the eventual game-winning points came from a defender. Stamping yet another achievement this year for Green Bay's stop unit, 337-pound defensive lineman B.J. Raji picked off a pass and rumbled 18 yards for a score that gave the Packers a 21-7 lead with 6:04 remaining in the game.
Now it's off to Dallas for the SAT's of the season. As the first sixth seed in the NFC to reach the Super Bowl, the Packers should feel confident and ready to shine under the big lights.
"Our players truly believe that we will be successful in Dallas, just like how they truly believed that we were going to be successful [in Chicago in the NFC title game]," McCarthy said. "We had to [win] on the road, and that is fine, we are still going on the road to Dallas."
Just another test Green Bay expects to pass with flying colors.