The Green Bay Packers gave it a valiant effort, but in the end the mistakes of youth were too much to overcome. Even though the most glaring mistakes were made by some of the Packers’ veterans. The Packers certainly had their chances to knock off the San Francisco 49ers but couldn’t hold up in the end on either side of the ball.
With a fourth quarter lead the Packers could not move the ball on offense and couldn’t get a stop on defense. It was reminiscent of the Packers’ early season 4-game losing streak. But this was by far the toughest team the Packers have played all year, and they showed they could play with them. Now they have to learn how to beat them.
You aren’t going to beat a team like the 49ers when you drop easy interceptions, miss field goals and throw two interceptions. It was a miracle the Packers were still leading late in the game. Aaron Jones and Keisean Nixon kept the Packers in it with big plays. Quarterback Jordan Love was under constant pressure and his young receivers were simply not getting open like there were against Dallas.
Like the New York Giants did last month the 49ers found a way to get to Love, especially late. And the young QB definitely looked rattled. No doubt Love will learn from this experience just like he has every other experience this year. So will his young pass catchers. They have to find a way to get open when come hell or high water.
Defense not championship caliber
People are lauding the performance of the defense again but I don’t see why. Once again with the game on the line they let the opponent go right down the field with the greatest of ease. This time the quarterback was a little more accomplished than Tommy Devito but that is no excuse. Another glaring failure was after the Packers went for it on fourth down and didn’t get it in the second quarter. Instead of bailing out the offense with a stop, the defense promptly let the 49ers drive 86 yards for a touchdown.
The Packers had an awesome year and should be right back in the conversation of the NFC’s top teams next year. And now they have some playoff experience to boot. They have the thrill of the victory over Dallas and the agony of defeat in San Francisco. It’s going to be a fun offseason for a change. No drama. A bountiful draft. And a quarterback to build around. Let ‘er rip!