That was ugly. No, not just ugly – that was a disaster of epic proportions. This was a slaughtering. I feel like a broken record, but it has to be said yet again: the Green Bay Packers played the worst game of their season. This time it’s not even close. Adding insult to (multiple) injuries, the Arizona Cardinals gave Green Bay the beat down of a lifetime to clinch the #2 seed in the NFC, 38-8.
Yikes.
For those that did not watch the game, you are lucky. For those that watched the game, I empathize. The frustration mounting over several weeks is now reaching its peak. The panic alarms are blaring behind another helpless performance by the offense, who put up a total of eight points on 13 drives.
Oof.
The offense was incapable of moving the ball as a battered offensive line was no match for the Cardinals defensive front. Aaron Rodgers was sacked 8 times on the day, two of which resulted in fumble returns for touchdowns. Add on four costly turnovers that led to 28 points and you have yourself the ass-kicking of the year.
Ouch.
Carson Palmer and David Johnson shredded the defense in the first half and barely needed to make an appearance in the second half. Arizona scored all 38 of their points in dominating 2nd and 3rd quarters to run away with the game.
Green Bay’s character to be tested
Where do you go from here? One would think you can only go up after Green Bay received the gut-checks of all gut-checks in Glendale. The true test will be how they respond next week with an opportunity to win the division against Minnesota. Other than that, there isn’t enough coal left to power the engine.
At this point Green Bay looks like the team everyone wants to face in the playoffs. The Packers were riding a 3-game win streak with a chance to prove they really are as good as their record shows. They failed to live up to the challenge.
All hope is not lost, but it took a major beating. The Green Bay optimists that remained (myself included) are struggling to find something positive to take away. All that’s left is for the players and coaches to believe in themselves. Unfortunately, I’m not convinced the Packers truly do.
Green Bay, thankfully, doesn’t have much time to dwell on the loss as they prepare for the week ahead. The final regular season game will determine whether they get the #3 seed with a home playoff game or a #5 seed on the road at Washington in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.