On New Year’s Eve 1967, Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys contested the NFL Championship in temperatures so cold that the referee’s whistle frozeNew Year’s Eve marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most remarkable American football matches in history. A game that almost certainly should not have been played on New Year’s Eve 1967, it remains as renowned for the hideously bitter conditions in which it was contested as its thrilling denouement.The Green Bay Packers, managed by the legendary Vince Lombardi, were aiming to make history by becoming the first team in the history of the play-off era to win three consecutive NFL titles. Similarly venerated Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry and his men had the difficult job...
No player is bigger than their team. But the Green Bay Packers quarterback, who broke his collarbone on Sunday, comes closeThe cruelest thing about the NFL is how quickly Super Bowl dreams can die. For five games and seven minutes the Green Bay Packers had to believe they were legitimate contenders to win the NFC and play again in the league’s championship game. On Sunday morning they walked into this season’s Super Bowl stadium – US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis – the leaders in the NFC North with a 4-1 record, a formidable defense and the player who may be the best quarterback in the NFL: Aaron Rodgers. Related: Why Aaron Rodgers is an even greater NFL quarterback than...
The Green Bay Packers quarterback is the finest of his generation: when he fails it’s often down to his supporting castIt’s long been acknowledged by NFL analysts, fans and coaches alike that quarterbacks take too much blame and too much of the credit. NFL statistics are usually created by the result of the play, which means they are decided by not only the quarterback but also by the receiver who catches – or drops – his passes. When Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Kurt Warner and Drew Brees had their historic seasons, they played with great team-mates, players who didn’t need to be elevated by their quarterback to be productive. That wasn’t the case with Aaron Rodgers last season – and...
Aaron Rodgers has had a great run but injuries will catch up with Green Bay, while the Patriots’ struggles against Houston do not bode well for Tom BradyJust like that, the end game is upon us. A starting field of 32 NFL teams has been whittled down to four. And of our 226 Pick The Playoffs contestants, a mere 12 are still in with a shot of a perfect score. Congratulations to bouncebounceprod, francaise, Mark Lewis, MisterHorse, mmmbop86, nbcnfl, Nick Young, ShadowWarrior, smjdublin, themagicman, waterhoose and, yes, me on calling every postseason game correctly so far. I’ll post the full standings in the comments section below shortly. But before that, here are my picks for the Conference Championship Games. Related:...
The Dallas owner resisted his base impulses in building a solid football team. But the Packers made sure the Cowboys suffered playoff defeat once againOn Sunday evening, in a scene that has become all too familiar, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stood in his team’s locker room and lamented another January gone awry. “There’s no moral victory here,” he said. Related: Green Bay Packers beat Dallas Cowboys on final play in NFL playoff thriller FACT: It doesn't get any better than this Jared Cook sideline grab.C-L-U-T-C-H. #GoPackGo #GBvsDAL #NFLPlayoffs https://t.co/N66Ir6sctr Related: Michael Bennett goes on expletive-laced rant after Seahawks lose to Falcons Time the F Out, shouts hoodie Belichickpic.twitter.com/3OTCWPcr7Y Continue reading...