Christmas weekend football! It doesn’t have quite the same ring as Thanksgiving weekend does, but as the penultimate weekend in the regular season, it is more consequential.
The Christmas Day itself is something of a disappointment. No doubt the NFL was counting on both the Cowboys and Cardinals to be playoff hopefuls at this point in the season. Both teams have been real disappointments, however -- especially to their fans! As the 2010 season winds down, however, they are two teams headed in different directions. I expect the rejuvenated Cowboys to continue their momentum and pick up the win on the road… not that it will matter to anyone.
For Packer fans, only one game really matters this weekend.
What the Bears do no longer matters to us, unless we want to dig into the psychological calculus about “if this” and “if that” pertaining to how much Chicago has to play for when they come to Green Bay in Week 17. The Eagles, the Saints, the Bucs, blah, blah, blah -- none of it really matters to us.
Instead, it has come down to this painfully simple calculation. If the Packers win their final two games, they’re in. At 10-6,they’ll claim the final playoff spot in the NFC. If they lose this Sunday to the visiting Giants, however, that’s it. They’re out. Cue the fat lady. The party's over.
Now, there are a number of interesting games on the slate this weekend for football fans. The Bears and Eagles are jockeying for position as the #2 seed, and so their games against the Jets and Vikings respectively should be good viewing. The Bucs-Seahawks and the Rams-49ers are both games with huge playoff implications for the teams involved. And, of course, the Monday Night tilt between the Saints and Falcons should be great!
But the piece de resistance in the NFL in Week 17 is also the game that matters most to us. It’s a classic scene that could have been carved out of the 1960s. The New York football Giants come to Lambeau Field at the end of December to play the Packers on the frozen tundra with the playoffs on the line. The stakes are huge. If the Giants win, they’re in. If the Packers lose, they’re out.
No definitive word yet about Aaron Rodgers. Regardless of the QB that starts, though, this is a game that will be won or lost in the trenches. Can our D-line slow down the Giants’ running game? And can our O-line protect against New York’s bloodthirsty rush? Neither Rodgers nor Flynn can win the game while on the bench or on their backs.
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