Storming out to a 21-3 lead felt perfectly aligned with the way the Green Bay Packers have gone about winning football games in 2020.
Holding on for a 24-16 win provided a stark reminder of how the Packers had to win football games in 2019.
The Packers started red-hot but ended up winning ugly on Saturday night against a feisty bunch of Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field, creating what quarterback Aaron Rodgers described as a “disappointing win” for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Everything the Packers do must be superimposed on the playoff path ahead of them. This team is now 11-3, in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and capable of playing for a Super Bowl, but when viewed in the prism of the postseason, the overall performance from Matt LaFleur’s team on Saturday night probably wasn’t good enough, especially on offense.
After going up 21-3 early in the second quarter, the Packers managed just three more points the rest of the way, allowing the Panthers to claw their way back into the game.
The Packers finished with just 96 net passing yards and allowed the Panthers to make five trips into the red zone, but they still won by eight points, thanks in large part to the early offensive dominance and the defense’s ability to get stops in the red zone.
Rodgers said Teddy Bridgewater’s fumble on the goal line was the game-changing play, and he’s certainly right. Down 14-3 but threatening to make the game 14-10, Bridgewater attempted to leap and extend the ball over the goal line, but it got punched out and returned by Kevin King past midfield. The Packers scored soon after, turning a potential four-point lead into an 18-pount advantage. The game would have looked much different late in the fourth quarter without that big swing. And you can bet most playoff teams aren’t going to make a mistake that significant next month.
As opposed to 2019, the Packers have won most games comfortably in 2020, and in many ways Saturday night was another comfortable win. They led by two scores or more for most of the contest and the Panthers had exactly one possession in the second half with a chance to tie the game. It was the final possession, and the Panthers never came close to scoring. It wasn’t a pretty win by any means, but the Packers have enjoyed many pretty wins this year.
In the grand scheme of the season, the win was the most important goal of the night, and it was accomplished. If the Saints lose on Sunday, the Packers would need to only beat the Chicago Bears in Week 17 to clinch the No. 1 seed.
Will the overall execution level of Saturday night’s performance be enough to win a playoff game against one of the best NFC teams? Probably not. Not many teams are going to survive a lull as lasting as the one Packers slogged through for the final 2.5 quarters against the Panthers. Lulls happen, but the Packers have suffered through a few of these over the last two months. Viewed this way, the win was nothing if not disappointing, especially considering how well the offense has played for so much of 2020 and to start Saturday night.
The Packers will cherish the win and appreciate the processes that led to the 21-3 start. LaFleur’s team will also need to be critical of the individual and collective performances that led to the extended lull. Playoff football is coming, and the Packers are both perfectly positioned to get everything they want and in need of some reflection after a humbling finish to a 2019-like win.
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