The Green Bay Packers will have no one to blame but themselves for their special season coming to an end on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game.
Missed opportunities and costly mistakes made all the difference in the 31-26 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Amazingly, the Packers got 346 passing yards from Aaron Rodgers and three interceptions of Tom Brady and still lost at Lambeau Field with a trip ro the Super Bowl on the line.
Two uncharacteristic turnovers handing the Buccaneers 14 points, two important drops in the first half, a drop on a two-point play and three failed chances to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter sealed the Packers’ fate.
Rodgers threw an interception before the half, giving Brady and the Bucs one more shot to score, and they did. Aaron Jones’ fumble on the first possession of the second half allowed the Bucs to take a commanding 28-10 lead. A chance to double up before and after the half for the Packers, who trailed 14-10 at the time, turned into a pair of touchdowns for the Bucs.
Earlier in the first half, Davante Adams dropped a back-shoulder throw from Rodgers in the end zone, and the Packers eventually settled for a field goal. Will Redmond dropped an interception on an overthrow following Rodgers’ interception, allowing Brady to find Scotty Miller behind Kevin King for a 39-yard touchdown with six seconds left in the first half. That’s an 11-point swing in three plays.
After cutting the lead to 28-23 on back-to-back touchdowns, Equanimeous St. Brown dropped the two-point conversion attempt, a costly error that helped change the dynamic of the final quarter.
And in the fourth quarter, the Packers had three different opportunities to score a touchdown and either take the lead or tie the game. The offense went three-and-out after both of Jaire Alexander’s interceptions, and Matt LaFleur decided to settle for a field goal on fourth down from the 8-yard line with his team down eight points.
The officials will be an easy target, especially after King was flagged for a questionable pass interference penalty on the Bucs’ final drive. But the Packers played a much bigger role in beating themselves than the officials.
Missed opportunities are always consequential, especially against great teams in big games. When the Packers have lost this season, they’ve either missed opportunities or made costly errors. The two forces coalesced against the Packers on the biggest stage.
LaFleur’s team knew they couldn’t turn the ball over or make game-changing errors and expect to beat the Buccaneers, who hammered the Packers 38-10 back in October.
The mistakes they made were critical. And opportunities to overcome the mistakes were squandered by missed opportunities.
How the Packers lost this game – and missed out on a chance to go to the Super Bowl – will require a full autopsy. Picking through the carnage to find all the missed opportunities will be enlightening.
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