Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks: NFC Championship Takeaways
By Erik Lambert
Jan 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) looks to throw the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter in the NFC Championship Game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks stole the NFC championship from the Green Bay Packers. Here are some takeaways from the epic comeback.
Aaron Rodgers is a world class passer but an Average Joe in the clutch
Is he likely the MVP of the league in 2014? Yes. Still, for all his incredible abilities, quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to come up short in big games. It wasn’t just his average showing in the conference title game either that validates this (178 yards passing, 1 TD, 2 INTs). For his career, Rodgers is 7-4 in the postseason. However, he’s 1-4 over the past four seasons. That includes two losses at home. Rodgers is just 23-22 in games decided by seven points or less with just 12 game-winning drives in seven seasons as a starter.
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Yes, part of that is because his teams often hold the lead, but the fact that he’s been one-and-done a lot in his career and been beaten by some inferior teams is telling. Add in the fact he couldn’t protect a 16-0 halftime lead with a chance to go to the Super Bowl at stake pretty much says it.
Rodgers will go to the Hall of Fame one day, but it won’t be for his late-game heroics.
Beast Mode and Legion Of Boom bailed out Russell Wilson again
Praise will be heaped on Russell Wilson yet again for pulling his team out of the fire to reach a second-straight Super Bowl. Little does anyone acknowledge: it was Wilson who put them there in the first place. He threw four interceptions in the game, which should’ve resulted in a runaway Packers victory. However, his good fortune to have the best defense in the league (held Green Bay to six points in 2nd half) and Marshawn Lynch (183 total yards and a touchdown) were the reasons that comeback ever happened.
Mike McCarthy hung Dom Capers out to dry
Dom Capers, defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, will be eviscerated for allowing the Seattle Seahawks to come back in that game, but it can’t happen without first acknowledging the fact that head coach Mike McCarthy hung him out to dry. Normally a coach driven by his aggressive tendencies, McCarthy was plagued by caution in the 1st half. Despite having momentum, he passed up two 4th and 1 situations with Eddie Lacy as his running back for easy field goal. What became a 16-0 halftime lead could easily have been a 24-0 lead.
Capers will take the blame for the loss, but it was all set up by McCarthy.