Instant Hippo Thoughts – Wild Card Sunday (2023 Season)

How mad do y’all think Jerral is, that he has to wait until after MLK Day to rage-fire Mike McCarthy?  How much iced cream do you reckon the latter ate after the game?

To infinity and beyond we goes.

I have often scoffed at notions of “momentum” and over-thinking things like the opening coin toss.  But the Packers wanted the ball, and their opening, 8-minute TD drive really did seem to break Dallas.  There’s no rational way to explain it away, they just shriveled up and blew away.

Not that Dak helped matters any, being off-rhythm, and gifting two of GB’s four first half TDs.  The ‘Persons were lucky to get a sort-of response score at the very death – and managed a field goal to open Q3.  27-10 was as close as they’d get, until the 2nd garbage time octopus closed the margin to its 48-32 final.  It was a manifest ass kicking, in every phase of play.  I’ve seen state funerals louder than JerralWorld yesterday.  On to the Santa Clara railyards for Jordan Love and his no-name men.  Saturday night, to be specific.

I very much WOULD bet against them, but I am wrong most of the time.

So…eminently satisfying emotionally, but we’d yet to see a really competitive fixture.  Fuck LioUns/RRRRRRRRRRAM IT!! fixed that, with various twists and turns along the way.  It looked like a shootout most of the first half, despite some gross injuries to The Gospel According to Fatthew (MOAR fat = MOAR blood, apparently).  Detroit led 21-17 at the break, with their last drive of the half stalling just outside of FG range.  One worried that such failure would cost them, when points seemed very much still on the table.

Our old pal OKC Bomber adjusted at the half, and Buster kind of shit himself a little.  And not just the play where he tried a shovel pass in the grasp to his unaware blocking TE, losing 15 yards and almost losing possession.  They just couldn’t do shit with the ball, now that the run was getting shut down.  Really the whole half only included one drive of note – when they got 5 yards on 3rd and forever to get JUST on the edge of their placement man’s range.  He made it, for 24-17 and the last points they’d get – or even ALMOST get.

Playinng through painToradol, Stafford put up almost 400 yards passing, about half to Pookie the Rookie.  Holy shit, did Dan Campbell’s defense bend.  But they didn’t quite break.  Two long drives ended in short FGs.  But Buster and company gave the ball right back.  Plenty of time, and with about 5 minutes left, the moment of truth.  3rd and 4 from teh DET 34, Los Angeles gets stuffed for a 2-yard loss.  But there’s also a BLEERGH for holding.  WHAT DO YOU DO?

RRRRRRRRRRRRRAM IT!! has a shaky kicker situation.  Very true.  I mean, perhaps they go for it on 4th and 6, but probably not.  Call it a 50/50 shot at the FG.  But either way, you at least know you want watch helplessly as Fatthew bleeds the clock dry if you give him 3rd and 14.  You think probably he at least picks up a chunk of it.  I’d make ’em try the FG.  The defense hadn’t shown me it could be trusted here.

Campbell said Hippo was wrong, and he was right.  SHOCK AND HORROR!  McVay went for a deep shot, and there was contact – but the refs had been letting them play on both ends (so long as actively going for the ball).  Despite only having one timeout, they did indeed punt.  No good options there.

Buster and crew needed TWO first downs, and I smarmingly predicted they wouldn’t even get one.  In my mind (i) you couldn’t really let a rattled Buster throw; and (ii) it would come down to a kick at the death.  So, so wrong.  Montgomery did his usual grinding to turn a safe pass into the first needed conversion, on 2nd and 7.  Short run takes us to 2:00, and I am doing the maths again.  As long as you get a good punt, it seems MOAR important to make sure you burn LA’s timeout and the 40 seconds for 3rd down.  That way, they need 45-60 yards in about a minute.  I don’t feel great about asking my defense to win things, but I don’t see the alternative.

Campbell does, dialing up a throw to the Sun God right out of the warning.  The route is perfect, Buster is right on the money, and they kneel out their first playoff victory in 32 years.  They’ll get a second home playoff game next weekend, which they well and truly earned.

PIT/BUF and Iggles/MRSA to close the round.  Can’t wait!