# NFL Playoffs Wildcard weekend **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 4, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910 "2014-01-04T23:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/101 "2014-01-06T00:43:15Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Yes he has, but that was a good throw. > > Meanwhile, I feel like GB has missed some chances to put this away… Seriously? I feel like GB has been lucky to still be in this. The missed passes, the injuries, the great SF defense, the weather, I’m happy the Packers are in it to the end. Watching Mulumba hobble after Kaerpernick will be the defining image from this game. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/102 "2014-01-06T00:48:10Z")
Think I’m going to be pulling for a Niners vs Colts Super Bowl this year. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/103 "2014-01-06T00:48:36Z")
Actually better than I thought. At least GB made it a game. Wonder what the season would have been with Rogers (and a few less defensive players injured) Brian ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/104 "2014-01-06T00:48:49Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > …the weather… 😕😕😕 In what possible world can the weather been cited as a factor in Green Bay’s difficulties? I mean, i understand that the weather is bad, but both teams are playing in the same conditions, and there is basically no team in the league that has more experience with cold weather. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/105 "2014-01-06T00:49:18Z")
49ers - Panthers rematch next weekend! I feel like the 4 best NFC teams have advanced. Should be a great weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/106 "2014-01-06T00:49:59Z")
Oh well, good game. Making the playoffs was kind of a miracle. On to next year. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/107 "2014-01-06T00:50:51Z")
Better showing by the defense than I had hoped, and a much worse one by the offense. Happy the officiating let them play, not so happy that the Packers lost a couple defensive starters in the first quarter. This game could have been a blowout, but the Packers kept it close. Lacy dropping that pass and Mulumba being physically unable to chase Kaepernick to the sideline will be the images that stick in my mind from this game. Congrats to Niners. Well played. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/108 "2014-01-06T00:52:04Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > 😕😕😕 > > In what possible world can the weather been cited as a factor in Green Bay’s difficulties? Let me ask this, do you think that poor weather favors the offense or the defense? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/109 "2014-01-06T00:58:12Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > It’s Shovel Pass Weekend! Don’t you mean shuffle pass? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/110 "2014-01-06T01:10:51Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Oh well, good game. Making the playoffs was kind of a miracle. On to next year. Agreed. I’m disappointed, but at least they were in the game until the end. OTOH, I’m really getting sick of the Pack’s inability to stop Mr. Kapernick. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/111 "2014-01-06T01:16:35Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Let me ask this, do you think that poor weather favors the offense or the defense? If the sort of weather they played in today favors the defense (which is the answer i assume you are seeking), then let me ask this: why does the team that plays in the coldest, most miserable location in the NFL not pay more attention to compiling a better defense? While i am happy to concede that some weather conditions make things relatively more difficult for the offense, and therefore relatively more favorable for the defense, if this happens to favor one team rather than the other in a particular game, then it simply shows that one team hasn’t done as good a job as the other at a fundamental aspect of the game of football. If Green Bay made a trip to a defense-heavy team with a bad QB, and managed to win 35-28 on a beautiful sunny day, i wouldn’t the expect other team to blame the lovely weather for their loss, either. A balance of offense and defense is one of the keys to winning football games, not a balance of offense and defense except when it gets really cold. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/112 "2014-01-06T01:16:53Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > _“They got lucky”_ > “Things Loverboy sings about.” > _“We beat ourselves”_ > “Ummm…things self-flagellators say.” > "_They weren’t better than us."_ > “Oh! Things [whiny loser scumbags](http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sbnation/SBNation_20140105_Jason_Peters_says_Saints_got __lucky__ win_over_Eagles.html) say after blowing a big game!” > \ [This took less than a minute to find.](http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2010/09/we_beat_ourselves_says_ahmad_b.html) You had plenty of time to look for it since your team hasn’t been relevant since opening day. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/113 "2014-01-06T01:36:49Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > If the sort of weather they played in today favors the defense (which is the answer i assume you are seeking), then let me ask this: why does the team that plays in the coldest, most miserable location in the NFL not pay more attention to compiling a better defense? Because the changes in the rules clearly and unequivocally favor the offense. And because the Super Bowl is (until this year) played in favorable weather or in a dome, and winning the Super Bowl is pretty much all that matters. > [@mhendo](#): > > While i am happy to concede that some weather conditions make things relatively more difficult for the offense, and therefore relatively more favorable for the defense, if this happens to favor one team rather than the other in a particular game, then it simply shows that one team hasn’t done as good a job as the other at a fundamental aspect of the game of football. Yes. Which is completely different from saying that the weather has no outcome on the game, which seemed to be your original point. > [@mhendo](#): > > If Green Bay made a trip to a defense-heavy team with a bad QB, and managed to win 35-28 on a beautiful sunny day, i wouldn’t the expect other team to blame the lovely weather for their loss, either. A balance of offense and defense is one of the keys to winning football games, not a balance of offense and defense except when it gets really cold. Again, you’re now arguing things that you didn’t earlier. Before, you seem confounded at the idea that weather that favored defense would help a defensive team like the Niners than an offensive team like the Packers. I hope now that you understand my point. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/114 "2014-01-06T01:45:56Z")
> [@Jules\_Andre](#): > > [This took less than a minute to find.](http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2010/09/we_beat_ourselves_says_ahmad_b.html) You had plenty of time to look for it since your team hasn’t been relevant since opening day. “We beat ourselves” is very different from “we beat ourselves and they got lucky”. Sometimes winning teams do get lucky, but when you’re on the losing team it’s arrogant to say so. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/115 "2014-01-06T02:02:01Z")
I thought when it happened that GB almost blocked the last field goal, but it was even closer than I thought: > **[Vine](https://vine.co/v/hYpV6ubrV6J)** > > The entertainment network where videos and personalities get really big, really fast. Download Vine to watch videos, remixes and trends before they blow up. ---
**Author:** ![drgnrdr07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@drgnrdr07](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drgnrdr07)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/116 "2014-01-06T02:09:54Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > I thought when it happened that GB almost blocked the last field goal, but it was even closer than I thought: > > [Vine](https://vine.co/v/hYpV6ubrV6J) It was only that close because he jumped offsides. The officials threw a flag, but it was ignored by the commentators in all of the chaos. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/117 "2014-01-06T02:21:05Z")
Ah, thanks. It did look like offsides, but it was never mentioned on the broadcast as far as I heard. Still amazing the kick could get through his arms like that. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/118 "2014-01-06T02:30:49Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Again, you’re now arguing things that you didn’t earlier. Before, you seem confounded at the idea that weather that favored defense would help a defensive team like the Niners than an offensive team like the Packers. I hope now that you understand my point. I do understand your point. Maybe i should have been clearer: the thing that confounded was not the idea that weather can favor a defensive team; it was the notion that a Packer fan would whine about the weather when his team loses in Green Bay. Happy to help. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/119 "2014-01-06T02:43:53Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I do understand your point. Maybe i should have been clearer: the thing that confounded was not the idea that weather can favor a defensive team; it was the notion that a Packer fan would whine about the weather when his team loses in Green Bay. > > Happy to help. This. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910/120 "2014-01-06T02:47:19Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I do understand your point. Maybe i should have been clearer: the thing that confounded was not the idea that weather can favor a defensive team; it was the notion that a Packer fan would whine about the weather when his team loses in Green Bay. > > Happy to help. Glad you’re happy. I personally don’t find pointing out the realities of NFL football to be “whining”, but obviously YMMV. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoffs-wildcard-weekend/677910.md?page=7)