Final thoughts
Michael P:
Didn’t see this thrashing coming..Rodgers gets his second ring fer shure!
It was an impressive outing for the Green Bay quarterback, especially since he was playing without Jordy Nelson, maybe his favorite target, for much of the game. Before they think Super Bowl, they will have to face the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday. That should be a great game.
And that will do it from us here at the Guardian. Thanks for following along with all the NFL action over this weekend, especially those who contributed. (Sorry I couldn’t include everybody’s commentary.) Ciao!
Packers win!
Giants 13-38 Packers, FINAL
And Randall intercepts Eli Manning, takes it to the Giants 30 and that will be that. The Packers have won!
Giants 13-38 Packers, 1:00, 4th quarter
Manning’s 4th & 6 pass to King is complete, which means this game has to keep going. King picks up 18 yards to the Green Bay 37.
Jennings picks up a few yards, setting up a 2nd & 6 situation. Manning’s next pass is incomplete.
But he hits Shepard for a first down. The inevitable continues to be delayed.
Giants 13-38 Packers, 2:00, 4th quarter
And we’ve hit the part of the game where the Giants have to keep on playing even though a win is out of their reach. The two minute warning comes with the Giants at their own 45.
Touchdown (Packers)
Giants 13-38 Packers, 2:43, 4th quarter
Montgomery gets the ball to the Giants one yard line, causing the Giants to call a timeout mainly because they might as well at this point.
Out of the timeout, Ripkowski forces his way into the end zone for another Packers touchdown. Crosby’s extra point is good and this… this is over, basically.
Giants 13-31 Packers, 3:52, 4th quarter
Rodgers starts handing the ball to Michael, who gets them to the Giants 14 yard line. Green Bay takes their final timeout.
Giants 13-31 Packers, 7:03, 4th quarter
Packers start at their own 46. Rodgers finds Geronimo Allison for a 8 yard gain. Next time around, Rodgers finds Adams once again and he gets it to the Giants 28 yard line.
Fumble (Giants)
Giants 13-31 Packers, 8:44, 4th quarter
Clay Matthews sacks Manning for a 7 yard loss and it’s ruled a fumble on the field, recovered by Matthews. There’s a delay as they review it.
Yep it’s Green Bay ball!
Giants 13-31 Packers, 9:12, 4th quarter
Beckham returns Crosby’s kickoff to the Giants 33 yard line, a 24 yard gain. Giants are in the shotgun formation, Manning throws to King for a 14 yard gain.
Touchdown (Packers)
Giants 13-31 Packers, 9:19, 4th quarter
Rodgers picks up a yard all by himself. Then on 2nd & 9, he finds Adams yet again. He picks up 6 yards, taking them to the Giants 16.
And the very next play, Rodgers throws to Cobb who makes a two-handed grab in the end zone for his third touchdown catch of the game!
Crosby’s extra point attempts good! And the Giants are officially in trouble.
Giants 13-24 Packers, 11:31, 4th quarter
It’s 3rd and 9 for Green Bay. Rodgers finds Adams once again, this time for 12 yards. The Packers pick up the first down at the Giants 23.
Giants 13-24 Packers, 11:31, 4th quarter
Rodgers’s throw is incomplete and the Packers take a timeout.
Michael P:
Still a whole quarter to play. Wouldn’t count the Giants out just yet
Giants 13-24 Packers, 12:18, 4th quarter
Montgomery loses the ball after picking up a single yard, it looks like the Giants recover.. but the officials call the play dead. That’s the good news for Green Bay, the bad news is that Montgomery hurt himself on the play and is coming off the field.
Giants 13-24 Packers, 13:03, 4th quarter
The Packers start on their own 20, Rodgers finds Adams for a ten yard gain. After an incomplete pass and a stuffed Montgomery run, it looks like the Giants can get Green Bay off the field, but Rodgers connects with a running Montgomery who makes it to the Giants’ 36 yard line.
Giants 13-24 Packers, 14:52, 4th quarter
Manning’s next two throws are to Beckham, who *almost* makes a great catch but doesn’t. The Giants have to punt,
Giants 13-24 Packers, end of the 3rd quarter
is this the first touchback of the game? I believe so. The Giants start at their own 25, except they get a false start penalty. So make that their own 20. Rashad Jennings picks up four yards and that will be the end of the third quarter.
@HunterFelt the fourth quarter will be crucial. This will be one of the best quarters of football all season!
— Anthony Washington (@freedom_coach) January 9, 2017
Field goal (Packers)
Giants 13-24 Packers, :25, 3rd quarter
Rodgers finds Adams deep…he gets the Packers to the 14 yard line but the Giants manage to make a defensive stand. Green Bay can’t get any closer and settle for a 32 yard field goal, which is good.
Giants 13-21 Packers, 1:50, 3rd quarter
And Micah Hyde returns Wing’s pun all the way to the Giants 37 yard line. Oh wow, things are not looking great for the Giants here, momentum-wise.
Giants 13-21 Packers, 2:10, 3rd quarter
Crosby’s kick pins the Giants back at their 3. On 1st & 10, Manning throws to Tye for a gain of 7 yards. Manning’s next throw, is incomplete. His next is…. nearly intercepted, but the ball is ruled as down by contact.
And the Giants have to punt.
@HunterFelt the giants defense is good but i don't think it'll be good enough #Packers need another TD then let the clock run
— MsElectra__ (@MsElectra__) January 8, 2017
I don’t think they can quite run the clock out yet, but they decided the first part of this suggestion made a lot of sense.
Touchdown (Packers)
Giants 13-21 Packers, 3:00, 3rd quarter
Unbelievable. Rodgers finds Cobb for a 30 yard touchdown, and just like that all of the Giants’ momentum dissipates. Crosby’s extra kick is good and the Packers extend their lead.
Wow.
Giants 13-14 Packers, 3:42, 3rd quarter
Michael gets stuffed for no gain on 1st & 10. Rodgers targets Cook on 2nd & 10, and Cook goes off for a 13 yard gain. Packers are already at midfield.
Nope, now they’re at the Giants 30 after Rodgers connects with Adams for a 20 yard gain!
Giants 13-14 Packers, 5:09, 3rd quarter
Well that decision to go for it on 4th & 1 is going to haunt Green Bay if they lose today.
Michael is back on the field to receive the Giants kickoff, which he carries 31 yards to the Green Bay 37.
Touchdown (Giants)!
Giants 13-14 Packers, 5:23, 3rd quarter
On 1st & 10, Perkins gets… nothing. No gain.
On 2nd & 10, Manning finds Tavarres King for a 41 yard touchdown! The extra point is good! This is a one point game!
Turnover on downs (Packers)
Giants 6-14 Packers, 6:08, 3rd quarter
It’s 4th and . The Packers go for it on their own 42 and…
it’s for a loss. The Giants push back Montgomery for a one yard loss and they take over on downs! Huge, huge opportunity for the Giants here.
Giants 6-14 Packers, 6:42, 3rd quarter
Nelson has been ruled out for the rest of the game. Bad, bad news for Green Bay as Rodgers loses his favorite target.
Ripkowski gets the ball again and it’s looking like they are just short.
Giants 6-14 Packers, 6:42, 3rd quarter
And they keep feeding the ball to Michael. He picks up 9 for a first down, and then an additional 4.
It’s 2nd & 6 at Green Bay’s 37. Rodgers targets Aaron Ripkowski this time around. He picks up 5 yards.
It’s 3rd & 1, nd the Packers take a timeout.
Giants 6-14 Packers, 9:29, 3rd quarter
Christine Michael makes his first appearance of he game, and immediately goes off for 10 yards.
That seemed to work well for the first time, so the Packers go with Michael again. It’s for four yards, this time.
Giants 6-14 Packers, 10:17, 3rd quarter
The Packers start at their 10 after Hyde makes a fair catch. At this point, I recommend that they run out of time and throw a desperate heave into the end zone, since it seems like that works for them.
Giants 6-14 Packers, 10:21, 3rd quarter
It looks like there’s a danger that the drive is going to stall here. Manning can’t find Perkins on first down. On second down, Perkins picks up only four yards and on 3rd & *, Peppers breaks up a pass to Beckham.
And the Giants have to punt as well.
Giants 6-14 Packers, 11:27, 3rd quarter
Giants at their own 40. Manning and Beckham fail to connect once again. On 2nd and 10 they get on the same page on a catch-and-run. Beckham picks up 8 yards.
They decide to try that again on 3rd and 2, it’s a 7 yard gain. The Giants have a first down at the Green Bay 45.
Giants 6-14 Packers, 12:46, 3rd quarter
The Packers punt. The Giants start at their own 26 after nearly muffing a punt return. Perkins picks up 14 yards, immediately good for a first down.
2nd half begins!
Giants 6-14 Packers, 13:30, 3rd quarter
Packers get the ball to start the second half but they can’t make anything out of it. They go 3 and out.
This also feels more relevant now, unfortunately for Giants fans:
@HunterFelt I'm from NY but I still think the #Packers will take it (the little voice inside says #GoGiants)
— MsElectra (@MsElectra_TToTT) January 8, 2017
Michael P emailed this after the first Green Bay touchdown, but it’s probably even more relevant now:
Wow, that was unbelievable, no other QB could make that play!!! MVP, no question only Carr merits equivalent consideration, they both make their teams, are irreplaceable. Rodgers is simply the best ever.
Just so you know I’m not making this up:
Yup. @AaronRodgers12 just threw ANOTHER Hail Mary.
— NFL (@NFL) January 8, 2017
UNBELIEVABLE. #GoPackGo #NFLPlayoffs https://t.co/ou4kvnMITb
Halftime
I am still processing this.
Hail mary touchdown! (Packers)
Giants 6-14 Packers, end of the first half
On 2nd & 1, Rodgers’ s pass is incomplete. 3rd & 1, Montgomery goes off for 6 yards. The Packers have the first down but they’re running out of time.
1st & 10 at their own 35, Rodgers finds Cobb, who gets Green Bay midfield.
Rodgers’s pass to Adams is incomplete. 2nd & 10, Montgomery gets 8 yards. 3rd & 2, Rodgers throws incomplete.
It’s 4th and 2, with time expiring, and Rodgers throws a 42 yard Hail Mary attempt: and it’s grabbed by Cobb for a TOUCHDOWN. ARE YOU KIDDING?
Mason Crosby’s extra point is good and, somehow, the Packers have increased their lead!
Giants 6-7 Packers, 1:36, 2nd quarter
Hyde receives the Giants’ punt to the Packers 20. Packers are in shotgun. Montgomery goes off for nine yards.
Giants 6-7 Packers, 1:45, 2nd quarter
It’s a 3rd & 1 situation for the Giants. Manning hands off to Rainey, who gets stuffed by the Packers defense for no gain. Green Bay takes its final timeout.
Giants 6-7 Packers, 2:00, 2nd quarter
Perkins picks up a yard. Green Bay takes a timeout.
On 2nd & 9, Manning hands the ball off to Bobby Rainey who gets to the Giants 41 and takes us to the two minute warning.
Giants 6-7 Packers, 2:32, 2nd quarter
Harris receives the Packers’ kickoff to the Giants 32, a 31 yard gain. Green Bay CB Josh Hawkins is injured on the play.
Touchdown (Packers)!
Giants 6-7 Packers, 2:32, 2nd quarter
On 1st goal, Montgomery picks up two yards. On 2nd & goal, Rodgers dances his way out of contact, it’s like he has all day out there, before he eventually sees Adams and throws a beauty of a pass for the first touchdown of the game.
And Mason Crosby’s extra point attempt is good. The Packers have the lead.
Giants 6-0 Packers, 3:45, 2nd quarter
Wing’s 37 yard punt puts the Packers at the Giants 38. There Rodgers makes a pas to Adams AND THERE IS THE GREEN BAY OFFENSE. Adams gets brought down at the Giants 7. Biggest play of the game so far.
Giants 6-0 Packers, 4:38, 2nd quarter
On 2nd & 6, Manning throws incomplete to King. On the next play, Julius Peppers makes his presence known by sacking Manning for a loss of four yards and that will bring on the Giants’ punting unit.
Giants 6-0 Packers, 4:56, 2nd quarter
Perkins picks up four yards on 1st down and then play is stopped, because Packers linebacker Blake Martinez is injured on the play,
Giants 6-0 Packers, 5:06, 2nd quarter
Schum’s been the Packers MVP so far. His punt puts the Giants at their own 8 yard line after a one yard return from Harris.
Giants 6-0 Packers, 5:14, 2nd quarter
And Rodgers throws the ball away. In fact, so clearly that he gets an intentional grounding penalty that will push them back 10 yards. The Packers are going to have to punt yet again.
Giants 6-0 Packers, 5:57, 2nd quarter
Rodgers and Cook connect for 17 yards and just like that they’re at the Giants 40.
On 1st and 10, Rodgers is sacked but without a loss. On 2nd & 10, Cook gets 6 yards. Crucial conversion coming up.
Giants 6-0 Packers, 7:29, 2nd quarter
Janis returns Gould’s kickoff to the Packers’ 44 yard line. Not a bad starting point.
Currently in Kolkata, India and struggling to watch online,let alone on TV. Thanks for keeping the poor soul updated. #GoPackGo @HunterFelt
— Soumya Banerjee (@soumyaxbanerjee) January 8, 2017
Thanks, although the Packers aren’t currently in an ideal situation.
Field goal! Giants!
Giants 6-0 Packers, 9:13, 2nd quarter
At Green Bay’s 28, Manning finds Cruz for a gain of 6 yards. Manning’s next two passes are incomplete, so the field goal unit comes in again. Robbie Gould makes the 40 harder to increase the New York lead.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 9:13, 2nd quarter
Manning targets Beckham, who holds on this time around. He gains around 2 yards. In the next play, Jennings goes 11 yards for a first down.
And Manning throws deep to the tight end Tye, who breaks free for 51 yards before being taken down by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Huge gain!
Giants 3-0 Packers, 10:29, 2nd quarter
Schum with an excellent punt here. It goes 58 yards and Harris is able to return it just 3 yards. The Giants will be starting at their 8th.
Bad news for Green Bay, Jordy Nelson was injured after taking a big hit during the Packers’ last possession.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 10:29, 2nd quarter
Rodgers makes a short pass to Randall Cobb, who gets the Packers 13 yards. It’s 1st & 10 at their own 35, Rodgers targets Nelson, but doesn’t connect. On 2nd & 10, Montgomery picks up 2 yards. On 3rd & 8, Davante Adams can’t hold onto a Rodgers pass. The Packers will be punting once again.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 11:46, 2nd quarter
Manning attempts to find Shepard, but throws the ball out of bounds. The Giants punting unit makes a return appearance.
Micah Hyde returns Wing’s punt to the Packers 22 yard line, which is where they’ll start their next drive attempt.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 11:54, 2nd quarter
Manning finds Tye for a three yard gain. On 3rd & 6, the Giants take a timeout.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 13:30, 2nd quarter
Manning makes a short pass to Shepard, who picks up 15 yards and they’re almost immediately back in Packers territory.
Perkins picks up a yard and they’re officially at midfield.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 14:22, 2nd quarter
2nd & 14, Rodgers has to throw the ball away. On 3rd & 14, Romeo Okwara sacks Rodgers for a loss of 15 yards and here comes the punting unit.
Stellar defensive stand from the Giants. Schum’s punt puts the Giants at their own 34.
Email from Raymond R:
With the three home teams winning the Wild Card playoffs so far, what are the overall results since their inception ?
A very good question, one I wish I had the time to look up here.
Giants 3-0 Packers, end of the 1st quarter
Clutch sack courtesy of Kerry Wynn, who pushes Rodgers back four yards in the last play of the 1st quarter.
Giants 3-0 Packers, :40, 1st quarter
And the Giants’ Ereck Flowers gets called for a false start, that’s a 5 yard penalty.
On 1st & 15, Rashad Jennings picks up 3 yards. On 2nd & 12, Jennings only gets an additional yard. So 3rd & 11, Jennings bursts out and… almost makes the first down. About a yard shy and the Giants decide to punt on 4th & 1.
Wing’s punt only goes 35 yards, which means the Packers will start at their own 45.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 2:17, 1st quarter
Harris makes a fair catch of Jake Schum’s punt at the Giants 11.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 2:23, 1st quarter
On 1st & 10, Montgomery gets held for a one yard loss. On 2nd & 11, Coty Sensabaugh sacks Rodgers for a loss of 11 yards.The Packers are out of field goal range and they don’t get any yards back on the next play as Rodgers’s throw to Nelson is incomplete. The Packers have to punt.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 4:01, 1st quarter
Rodgers’ next two passes are incomplete. On 3rd & 10, he targets Nelson again… Nelson doesn’t map the catch but the play draws a flag on the Giants. Defensive pass interference. That will put them on the Giants’ 30 yard line. Automatic first down.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 4:59, 1st quarter
Rodgers hands off to Ty Montgomery, who rushes for a two yard gain. On 2nd & 8, Rodgers tap dances around contact and passes to Jordy Nelson who gets the first down and more, taking the ball to the Green Bay 38.
Giants 3-0 Packers, 5:44, 1st quarter
Jeff Janis returns the Giants’ kickoff 20 yards to the Packers’ 23 yard line, where they will start.
If you're a #NYG fan, this all looks very good. Rodgers doesn't chew D up, Giants move the ball on #GB. Yeah, yeah. It's early. @HunterFelt
— David Lengel (@LengelDavid) January 8, 2017
Eli’s also had a few pass attempts that were dropped by his receivers.
Giants field goal!
Giants 3-0 Packers, 5:48, 1st quarter
1st & 10 at the Packers 15. Manning’s first pass is to Shepard again, and why not, but it’s incomplete. 2nd and 10, Manning targets Cruz for the first time in the game, he picks up 7 yards.
On 3rd and 3, Manning passes to Shepard, who can’t hold on. The Packers hold the Giants to a field goal attempt. Gould’s 26 yarder is… good! And the Giants are on the board first!
Giants 0-0 Packers, 7:24, 1st quarter
Manning throws to Beckham, who drops his second pass of the game! On 2nd & 10, he targets Shepard again, and he picks up 13 yards. The Giants are at the Packers 15 yard line.
Giants 0-0 Packers, 7:58, 1st quarter
Perkins picks up 2 yards on 1st & 10. 2nd & 8, Manning passes to Perkins again, he gets to the Giants 46.
3rd and 2, Manning throws deep to Sterling Shepard for a huge 26 yard gain!
Giants 0-0 Packers, 9:30, 1st quarter
Jake Schum’s punt goes 48 yards, so the Giants will be starting their second drive at their own 38.
Giants 0-0 Packers, 9:39, 1st quarter
Packers start in the pistol formation. Rodgers hands off to Ty Montgomery, who gets about a yard. Rodgers pass to Jared Cook, who gets 7 yards. On 3rd & 2, Rodgers can’t connect with Cook, shadowed by the Giants’ Landon Collins. The Packers have to punt.
Giants 0-0 Packers, 11:01, 1st quarter
And Rodgers is on the field after a Brad Wing punt puts the Packers at their own 6 yard line.
@HunterFelt you might not bet against #NYG but with @AaronRodgers12 in such great form there's only 1 outcome @packers for the Win. #NYGvsGB
— Lewis (@lewis_done) January 8, 2017
It’s 100% true that he’s the most important player on the field today.
Giants 0-0 Packers, 11:05, 1st quarter
Giants are in no huddle. Manning hits Will Tye, who gets five yards, but Perkins can’t get anything going on 2nd & 5. Manning throws to Beckham who drops the pass. Giants will punt.
The Packers have to call a timeout to prevent a too many men penalty.
Giants 0-0 Packers, 13:32, 1st quarter
Eli Manning targets Paul Perkins, who loses two yards. 2nd & 12, Perkins picks up 6. 3rd and 6, Manning targets a wide-open Cruz who goes off for 17 yards that puts them a yard away from Packers territory.
Kickoff
Giants 0-0 Packers, 15:00, 1st quarter
Dwayne Harris takes the kickoff to the Giants’ 28 yard line.
Coin toss
Packers win the toss and, wisely, defer. The Giants will get the ball to start.
And we’re at Giant American Flag time, so kickoff is right around the corner.
@HunterFelt Can't imagine Lawrence Taylor partying with NKOTB or New Edition back in the day, The BoatGate guys street creed has taken a hit
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) January 8, 2017
I would just like to say that it’s unfair to lump New Edition in with the New Kids on the Block. Heck, it’s probably unfair to lump anything in with the New Kids on the Block.
Updated
Predictions
So now we can concentrate on our game. I’ll be honest: I don’t bet against the Giants in the playoffs. Every time I write them off, they end up dismantling the Patriots in the Super Bowl. So this time around, I’m just expecting them to run the table. The Giants will win today, probably on a last minute drive that really shouldn’t work at all but totally does. New York by a field goal.
Your predictions? Send them our way either via Twitter (@HunterFelt) or email (hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com).
Steelers win!
And Ben Roethlisberger takes a knee and that will do it. The Steelers have beaten the Dolphins 30-12 and will be heading to Kansas City to face the Chiefs.
Should the Giants lose today, certainly much will be blamed on BoatGate. Receivers Odell Beckham Jr, Sterling Shepard, Victor Cruz and Roger Lewis spent last Sunday chilling on a boat and hobnobbing with the likes of Justin Bieber.
This, of course, would be utterly ridiculous as the only blameworthy element of this whole “scandal” is the Bieber thing.
What hasn’t been a competitive game? That would be Dolphins vs Steelers. Pittsburg currently have a 30-12 lead over Miami, with a little over four minutes left in the contest. I’m going to go ahead and call this for the Steelers.
Preamble
It’s the fourth and final game of Wild Card Weekend, and, hey, it looks like it’s actually a worthwhile match-up. We have two successful NFL teams, both of which actually will be starting their actual starters at the quarterback position.
It wasn’t a given that we would see either of these teams in the playoffs. For the first half of the season, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers looked utterly lost and faced the very real possibility of missing the playoffs altogether. They were 4-6 and Rodgers looked nothing like his old self.
Then they won six straight games and clinched the NFC North, looking like one of the best teams in the NFL throughout that stretch. Rodgers once again looks like the most dangerous QB in the league.
Meanwhile, the New York Giants have once again quietly snuck into the postseason without much fanfare, which is when they tend to be the most dangerous (just ask New England Patriots fan about that).
How this game goes might depend on what kind of contest this ends up being. if it comes down to defenses, the Giants definitely have the edge over the Packers. If it comes down to which team makes the key offensive play at a critical point in the game, then this will be Green Bay’s game to win.
So this feels like it could be classic, or at least competitive. If you wish to contribute to this liveblog, we’ll post your takes through today’s game, just email them (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or tweet them (to @HunterFelt).
It’s the New York Giants vs the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in the last game of Wild Card Weekend. The winner heads to Dallas to play the Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff is scheduled at 4:40pm EST, but we’ll be back before then.
Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s how Paolo Bandini sees the game going:
In both 2007-08 and 2011-12, the Giants crept into the postseason as unfancied underdogs but finished up by upsetting heavily-favoured New England teams in the Super Bowl. On each occasion, their path to a title went through Green Bay. With the Patriots once again looking unstoppable in the AFC, plenty of commentators have already pointed to this matchup and asked whether the same story could play out a third time.
It is far from unthinkable. The Packers’ secondary is a mess, with Quinten Collins entering into the NFL’s concussion protocol and fellow cornerback Makinton Dorleant placed on injured reserve following injuries sustained in the week 17 win over Detroit. They are running out of bodies to cover Odell Beckham Jr with, but even if the Giants can exploit these weaknesses, can they truly keep up with Aaron Rodgers? He has now thrown for 15 scores and no interceptions over the past six games. The only teams that have beaten Green Bay since week three have all put at least 30 points on the board. Packers to win
