Published: Dec. 24, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
GREEN BAY — Second chances don’t happen too often.
The Green Bay Packers have one.
Just hours after losing a hard-fought game to the Pittsburgh
Steelers, 38-31, on Sunday at Lambeau Field, the Philadelphia Eagles
gift-wrapped a dominating performance over the Chicago Bears, 54-11, for the
Packers. It sets up a winner- take-all battle for the NFC North Division title
between the Bears and Packers, while the loser goes home for the offseason.
“We thought the season was over,” Packers coach Mike
McCarthy said Monday, talking about the emotions after Sunday’s game. “We’re
excited about this opportunity.
“We’re playing for the championship. We looked at
yesterday’s game as a semifinal game. We were blessed to get help and now we’re
playing in the finals.”
Had the Bears beaten the Eagles, they would’ve clinched the
division and eliminated the Packers from the playoffs.
Now the Packers have new life. However, the Packers almost
didn’t have to hold their breath.
Trailing 38-31 with 1:25 left in regulation, Micah Hyde
returned a kickoff 71 yards to give the Packers hope, starting on the Steelers’
31-yard line.
“We knew if we got (the ball) on the 20, we were going to be
hard pressed, with no timeouts, to get a touchdown,” Packers quarterback Matt
Flynn said after Sunday’s game. “That return did spark us. ... We knew we had a
better probability of getting it in the end zone.”
In two plays, the Packers had first and goal at the 5.
On second and goal at the 1, the Packers’ Don Barclay was
called for a false start, moving the ball back to the 6. This after an offsides
on a field goal attempt by the Steelers helped set up the eventual game-winning
touchdown.
“Pre-snap penalties are unacceptable,” McCarthy said.
With less than 10 seconds remaining, the Packers were able
to get a last chance at a potential tying score. Flynn’s pass into the end zone
glanced off the fingertips of Jarrett Boykin and landed incomplete.
“They refuse to lose,” McCarthy said. “They have a lot of
fight in them. We needed one more play tonight.”
The look of heartbreak and disappointment was on every
Packers player and coach’s face as they walked down the tunnel to the locker
room.
Going into Sunday’s game, the Packers had to win their final
two games of the season to win the division or hope for a Bears loss if they
lost, which is what happened. However, the loss may have come at the expense of
two star players for the Packers.
For the winner-take-all showdown, which will be at 3:25 p.m.
Sunday in Chicago, the Packers may be without linebacker Clay Matthews, who
re-injured his thumb Sunday against the Steelers, the same thumb he injured
against Detroit on Oct. 6. The initial evaluation didn’t look good, McCarthy
said.
“His injury evaluation is still going on as far as gathering
all the information,” McCarthy said. “Training staff didn’t feel very good
about the injury. We’re still working through the process.”
Also injured Sunday was running back Eddie Lacy.
The Rookie of the Year candidate left the game in the third
quarter with an ankle injury and didn’t return.
Lacy rushed into the Packers’ record book. He finished with
84 yards rushing on 15 carries and had two touchdowns. Lacy has 1,112 rushing
yards this season, breaking John Brockington’s franchise rookie record for
rushing yards in a single season (1,105), set in 1971.
Flynn finished the game 21 of 39 passing for 232 yards, a
touchdown and an interception. In the first half, Flynn was 14 of 19 for 137
yards and a touchdown.
“I thought Matt did a lot of good things,” McCarthy said.
“We had some good moments there in the first half.”
The talk of the most important collarbone in the NFL quickly
ramped up Monday. It’s another week of will Aaron Rodgers miss another game or
will Flynn get the start? One thing is for certain regarding the former MVP.
“Hopefully we can get the question answered sooner than
later,” McCarthy said.
“After seeing Aaron practice for two weeks, this is
something (Packers general manager) Ted Thompson and I need to sit down and we
need to assess all the information and decide if it’s time for Aaron to play.
... This is a decision for Ted Thompson and I representing the organization.”
However, wide receiver Randall Cobb may get back just in
time. Cobb has been sidelined since being placed on short-term injured reserve
with a fractured right fibula in Week 7.
“Randall’s going to practice more,” McCarthy said. “We will
up his practice reps on Thursday.”
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