FanPost

Play of the Game - Playoff Edition

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Fronted, love the idea. -Kevin

Since the request was made for more FanPosts, I will give it a go.

While I love reading the MVP, WCHW, and Dud of the Week posts, I wanted to add a Play of the Week post for the playoffs. My list here is an attempt to single out not necessarily the best play, but the most important play in the game.

So without further ado: (play descriptions courtesy of ESPN.com)

Play #1 -- 2nd and 5 at GB 13A.Peterson up the middle to GB 15 for -2 yards (C.Woodson).

The Vikings were off to another quick start and things were looking eerily like the previous week. Then this play happened. Woodson, playing at the line-of-scrimmage, crashed hard and caught Peterson behind the line for a loss of two. This forced a 3 and 7, on which Webb skipped a pass to M. Jenkins, causing the Vikings to settle for a field goal. Keeping the Vikings out of the end zone was vital to avoid a start like last week.

Play #2 -- 3rd and 2 at GB 26G.Van Roten reported in as eligible. R.Grant up the middle to GB 28 for 2 yards (F.Evans; C.Greenway). PENALTY on MIN-K.Williams, Neutral Zone Infraction, 5 yards, enforced at GB 26 - No Play.

I was hesitant to put this play in here because I was at the game and never saw a good replay to know if Grant actually fumbled or not. Thankfully, the Vikings being offsides rendered that moot. Had the play been reviewable, certainly the Vikings could have had a very real shot at extending their lead. Instead, the Packers drove the field and put the ball into the end zone courtesy of Duwan Harris to take the lead for good.

Play #3 -- 4th and 5 at MIN 34(Shotgun) A.Rodgers pass short left to G.Jennings pushed ob at MIN 2 for 32 yards (M.Raymond).

With the game still close midway through the 2nd quarter, McCarthy chose to go for it on 4th and 5 instead of trying a 51 yard field goal. Rodgers threw a quick pass to Greg Jennings who turned it into a 32 yard gain. The drive ended up with only a field goal, but it was a much more make-able one, which Crosby did, to make the score 10-3.

Play #4 --

1st and 10 at GB 38 (Shotgun) A.Rodgers pass short middle to J.Nelson to MIN 40 for 22 yards (C.Greenway).
1st and 10 at MIN 40 (No Huddle, Shotgun) A.Rodgers pass short left to G.Jennings to MIN 26 for 14 yards (H.Smith).
1st and 10 at MIN 26 (No Huddle) A.Rodgers pass deep right to J.Nelson pushed ob at MIN 3 for 23 yards (A.Jefferson).
1st and 3 at MIN 3 (No Huddle, Shotgun) A.Rodgers pass incomplete short middle to J.Nelson.
2nd and 3 at MIN 3 (Shotgun) J.Kuhn right guard for 3 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

For the 4th and final play on my list, I included the entire 2-minute drill drive at the end of the 2nd quarter. This drive was the most impressive of the night for the Packers and put the Packers up 17-3 near the end of the first half. Combined with the opening drive of the 2nd half, this essentially put the game away.

I did not include any plays in the 2nd half, because by that point, it felt like the game was pretty well in hand and therefore those plays did not seem as significant.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. If this is well-received, I could be convinced to do it again!

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