As a Packers fan there are oh so many memes fit the occasion for the Lions. Some of my favorites:
First time blowing a double digit lead in the NFC Championship Game? |
Not gonna lie; they had me in the first half. Premature celebration? |
Lol |
If I had a heart I'd be heartbroken. The Packer's Cinderella season came to an end against the 49ers this past weekend. Thus it is time to wrap up my thoughts on this unexpected season.
Like many Packer fans I can admit this year's playoff run was unexpected and it felt like the team was "playing with house money". We squeaked into the play offs with the youngest team in the league in what was otherwise a "rebuilding years" so I am grateful for the extra games, but I am also disappointed in how it ended.
To summarize the loss to the 49ers: missed opportunities. For the majority of the game the Packers looked like the #1 seed and the 49ers looked like the intimidated #7 seed. In the end though the Packers couldn't close the game out and unfortunately just as a missed field goal by New Orleans early in the season helped us make it into the play offs; a missed field goal is also what helped see us out of the play offs. The field goal was not the only missed opportunity in the 49ers game. The Packers had multiple trips to the red zone and came away with field goals or gave the ball back on downs (tush push is stupid; stop trying it). The defense dropped multiple easy interceptions. Last, but not least, Jordon Love -- for all the praise he deserves for turning it around this season -- regressed back to his early season form on the potential game winning drive and threw an unexplainable game losing interception (I am still baffled on what he thought he was doing). We hadn't seen a WTF play off INT like this since Favre!
The season ended on a heartbreaker, but the future seems bright. The season was full of surprises from this team. We got to see Jordon Love prove he deserve the starting spot after a rocky stretch early in the season. The ownership of the Chicago Bears, including a season ending win-and-in game, remains intact. Young players on offense earned their spot on the roster. Most importantly: the team is playing as a team.
If there are any red flags from the season they are the defense and special teams units. I don't get how the Packers, over multiple decades now, have been unable to field a capable special teams unit. While we had Mason Crosby reliably making kicks for years the rest of the unit struggled in the return game and punts. Now the return game seems in good shape (mostly thanks to NFL rules changes), but the kicking game with a rookie kicker struggled and ultimately missed at the worst possible time in a play off game.
As far as the defense I don't want to be too much in the "FIRE JOE BERRY!" camp. Folks seem to forget early in the season when Jordon Love and the offense were struggling the defense kept us in many games we'd otherwise not have been. Eventually the offensive struggles flip flopped with the defensive struggles and the defense struggled through the end of year and ultimately gave up the go ahead score in the last play off game. With the full season in scope I am 50/50 on the defense. I like consistency in coaching staff but also don't think Joe Berry's track record is that strong. I would not be surprised with a change here. Oh and I am still pissed they ever got rid of Mike Pettine who did nothing but deliver top 10 defenses...
What started as a rebuilding year ended with the Packers going toe to toe with the best teams in the NFC. Through the season the front office's decision to draft Jordan Love has been validated should he keep his current trajectory into future seasons. The Packers are a team on the rise and the future is bright.
The Packers shocked the NFL world last week sending the Dallas Cowboys packing and moving on to the divisional round to face off against the 49ers. Here are some final thoughts heading into kick off.
The story of the 2023 Packers is a story of nobodies. If you asked the average NFL fan at the start of the year to name a Packers player they maybe could give you Aaron Jones or Jordan Love. Past that there really was no one. This is the youngest team in the league. Not even fans did we know the players even if we maybe knew a few more of the names.
And it is that team of "nobodies" that I feel is the strongest point in the Packers favor going into the game against the 49ers. There is a lot to be said for a team that doesn't know who they are or what they are supposed to be capable of. There is even more to be said for the team that showed up last week and declared they would not go quietly.
In fact this team of nobodies is becoming a team of somebodies and that should terrify the 49ers because the big question is who's night is it tonight to make their name known. Last week it was Love and Doubs (we already knew Aaron Jones owns Dallas). This week it could be any of the rest of the cast.
Let's go.
Alternate title: Sunday 1/14/2024 Post
The Packers surprise everyone, even me as one of their most diehard fans, and stomp the life out of the Cowboysgirls. The meme's even make themselves with the Cowboys fans reactions; my favorite below.
The Green Bay Packers are off to the play offs! The Bears Still Suck. Let's see what Bing's AI image generator has to say about it!
I can confirm that 2023 was a year and with it came some disappointments.
With that said the game we got is what we should probably have expected. It is the same game engine behind their other games, like Skyrim, and performs exactly the same. The challenge with Starfield is it's not a single terrestrial world and thus ends up with far more loading screens to get players between planets, ships, space, buildings, etc.
Add onto the loading screens a combat system that is lackluster, a story that is nonsensical, and a myriad of systems that never make sense when brought together and you have the biggest gaming disappointment of 2023 and possibly the last decade. How this game sold 10+ million copies is beyond me. Had I not gotten my copy with my new graphics card purchase I'd of hit refund on Steam within the first hour.
If you told me Rebel Moon was a movie about Starfield I would believe it. Story that makes no sense? Check. Every cliche under the sun (ha!)? Check. This movie doesn't deserve the words I've typed let alone more words. Such a disappointment. Do better Netflix.
Some may find this surprising considering 91% of my game time this year has been spent playing New
World, but I can't help but admit that the end of year really soured my mood on the game. We did get the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion which did bring amazing features like mounts, but it was very lacking in content. The five extra levels (cap raised from 60 to 65) were laughable as far as effort-required and the new story + zone lasted all of an hour. I hate to admit it but that was NOT enough to be worthy of the title "expansion". I'd rather have had this delivered as a seasonal update.
The lacking expansion would have been fine as it was coming right before a big set of new features that were listed on the road map. Then the road map was updated -- and this is why New World is on my disappointment's list -- they literally canceled the majority of the road map and delivered almost nothing. Instead of the expansion being a launching pad into the future it was a speed bump that most players were done with the first week it came out. I am still a huge New World fan but find myself less interested each update.
To cap it off we did not get a 2024 road map yet and instead have been asked to come back in May for "something big" which is mind boggling considering the number of items that were good enough to put on a road map before and are now many don't even sound like they are being considered. How does that happen? I can get a one off feature being dropped but the majority!? What the heck.
What can I say. We entered the year worried about whether Jordan Love was the future QB of the Packers. Little did we know the age-old Green Bay Packers "worst defense in the league.... again" was the real worry. If we make the play offs... it will be a miracle.
Can a defense play any worse when it matters more? Clock managmenet? Who needs it! Got any more gadget trick plays that don't work for that crucial 2 point conversion? Packers basically said "hold my beer" and "found out".
Uno reverse! Packers beat the Lions on Thanksgiving!
Also a poem...
Roses are red
Violets are blue
So are the Lions
And they lose too
This one... sucked. Young team to blame? Maybe. My view: bad coaching, bad execution, and no lucky breaks for the Packers. Raiders on the other hand were gift wrapped this one.