Macca

How about the Rams today? Was that a choke even though they won?

So did the Rams choke (but still win)?

Kupp comes to the rescue ... Stafford hit him twice so credit where it's due But hell, you nearly gave the game back to them

And now Tampa draw level ... after trailing 6-27 Oh, the irony!!

There's that word again (choke) but this time it's more apt! haha Shades of the Falcons/Pats SB scoreline ... with Brady as the conduit again

So the coaching has been the issue post Shanahan? That makes sense Same deal with the Packers ... McCarthy just planned around Rodger's brilliance and LaFleur is following suit. But that doesn't work As good as Rodgers is, it's a team game and great 'teams' win big Green Bay's issues are structural and systems based One example is our running game ... Jones is too small to power through against good teams in critical moments. And Dillon is average And in previous years, our running game has been far worse So it all gets back to Rodgers again. And we telegraph our intentions So the Packers are obviously good enough (with Rodgers at the helm) to make the playoffs (from a weak division) but get found out in the playoffs And I'm not making excuses either .... on the contrary, my analysis is highly critical of how the Packers go about it

As someone else here said, what constitutes a clanger and who does the judging? e g If a midfielder has no other choice but to kick to a contest where his own player plays from behind which allows his opponent to win the ball, does that midfielder record a clanger against his name? If so, it's a farce. And what if the kick forward is primarily to gain ground for his team (under coaching instruction) We've seen teams deliberately kick the footy deep into the pockets to create a stoppage. Is that a clanger? Giving away a deliberate free kick in the back pocket can also be a tactic ... a long kick that sails out on the full then puts pressure on the opposition to manoeuvre the ball out of danger (this tactic is often used in soccer ... allow the opposition to have the ball and then pressure them to turn it over and then counterattack) A midfielder can't always see a free target but because of pressure from the opposition, he often must dispose of the ball in a risky way And apart from 2021 & 2018 our forwards would often play from behind ... a cardinal sin even in modern football I'd award clangers to forwards who play from behind. And then it's mugs to the backline time if they continue to transgress

At the time I remarked that I would split it 60/40 on the great play (Pats) vs Atlanta not performing up to scratch in crunch time 5 years have passed and my clear memory of the match was how good Tom Brady was in the 2nd half. The greatest 2nd half from a QB I've ever witnessed So my initial thoughts haven't wavered but there's no denying giving up a 28-3 lead is difficult to explain away The big question with Atlanta is why they haven't rebounded. They promised so much but we haven't seen much from them

Fanning was also a premiership player and won the league goalkicking 4 times ... of course, he is also remembered for kicking the league record amount of goals in a game (18) And for all of his career he played alongside another player who kicked a stack of goals - Norm Smith. A couple of handy targets! Fanning must have been some sort of player As for Hardeman, what a player! Footy was obviously a lot different back then and Hardeman would just mark the ball whenever it was in his vicinity. And could he take a mark! His ability to take a pack mark or flying high from behind to take a grab was a sight to behold Long torps to CHF was his forte ... so he kicked it to either Parke or Dillon. But a lot of key backmen back then were rebounding defender types. Gary was a bit like Bruce Doull (without the real dash) Paul Roos is another decent comparison A really well balanced footballer who also played a lot of State footy

There's an old saying that still rings true ... A Champion Team will beat a Team of Champions We see the Patriots as a champion team but the Packers? No way And the Packers aren't a Team of Champions either ... more so a team with a too-heavy reliance on one player (Rodgers) with a few other 'bit' players I don't know why that sort of analysis isn't widespread to all and sundry ... to me, the issues with Green Bay are quite obvious But such is the nature of competitiveness between supporter groups, jibes like chokers (and suchlike) are freely thrown about ... and others talk through their hip pocket It's lazy analysis and dumb analysis Without Rodgers, Green Bay would be lucky to win 4 or 5 games. And you take Brady out of the Patriots and the Pats break even straight after and then make the playoffs the year after

You're in the NFC Championship game and anything can happen from here on in ... today the game at Lambeau was turned on its head with a blocked punt. If that hand goes up 15 centimetres to the left or right the conversation may well be a lot different now That's the sport sometimes but the 49ers were the better team today anyway. Packers had their chances and didn't execute As for Jimmy, you could win 2 more games without him being a big factor but I thought his 2nd half today was quite good anyway But your defence is the key ... you've now gone on the road twice and beaten Dallas & Green Bay with a stellar, superior defence in both games And defence wins championships! Demons won in 2021 with the best defence in the league ... 3 years earlier our defence was led up by Oscar & Frosty The 49ers are in with a show Tampa or Rams? Which team do you prefer to play?

I'm only firing back in kind layzie ... mind you, 2 new-arrival cowboys here could well liven the joint up (we need more than just a tipping comp ... bit too quiet) Truth is I like watching Dallas play as there is nearly always some sort of caveat attached to most of their games They are a headline act and box office (America's team?) And Dak is a real talent

Where we disagree is the choke label ... the Packers certainly didn't play well I'll grant you that. But again, for a long time now (at least 5 years here on this thread) I've been banging on about the unhealthy reliance on Rodgers. DeeSpencer first pointed the issue out 7 or 8 years ago (on this thread) ... he's a Bears fan We keep getting found out and it's usually from teams that defend well Ironically, the Packers defence was the best part of our game today. By the Packers own standards, our offense was well below par ... we win by scoring heavily but today we only scored 10 points. And that ain't gonna get it done One long pass to Jones was the highlight but there are often a stack of connected long passes (not today) And in the playoffs, that reliance on that sort of play is flawed. So it was another accident waiting to happen in my view A really strong running game with multiple avenues and it's a different story. And a Gronk type? Green Bay don't do that

They've copped it for decades now (as underachievers) They'll never win big again as long as Jerry Jones is in charge. And the old boy has got at least another decade in him! He could even run BigD from the grave!

Misery loves company hey Betters Now it all makes sense ... the supporters of a team who are often called chokers returning serve I get it Hey, stick around BDA. The thread needs a bit of spicing up. haha

Never mind, you'll get over it *Cowboys* ha ha

And for what it's worth, the Titans didn't choke either ... they're simply not all that good (much like the Packers) and lost a close one against a team that isn't great either (Bengals) So does every team that loses a game become chokers for the day? If so, there's a hell of a lot of choking going on But when it comes to the Cowboys, they are the choking kings

Seriously, a hand goes up and connects with a punt and that's choking? Happens every day of the week in numerous games. I'd more call it dumb luck for the recipient team Go back and have a look at the replay ... that play happens another 20 times and there's no connection with the hand Who's your team?

Ha ha! Cowboys!! What a bunch of losers ... now there is a team that knows how to choke! In fact, did the word choke derive from the Dallas Cowboys organisation? I'm a Packers supporter

A strong argument could be had that the Packers wouldn't even be close to the playoffs without Rodgers, Dave The organisation known as the Green Bay Packers lost to the 49ers in those 4 playoff games. Not Rodgers alone Rodgers carries the team on his back but there lies the problem ... why is that so and why is it allowed to happen? If the team had strong leadership and strong coaching, Rodgers would be used for team purposes only. But again, would Aaron cop that? I doubt it Reckon Rodgers might be on the move after today's loss ... he nearly left last year as it was Looking ahead, the team needs to have an all round focus (like the Patriots) but that thinking is difficult to attain. Especially coming from a gunslinger QB type of game plan

Choking indicates hesitancy or freezing at critical moments ... I didn't see any of that However, I was at Waverley for the Prelim final in '87 - now that was choking! What I did see today was a team that was out of sync in conditions that were tough for both sides. Plus, the 49ers came to play with a real plan in place ... their defence was as good as I've seen this season. Bring that again and Goroppolo can be used in a non-risky way But hey, I can give as good as I get ... and no team will be spared This thread could easily turn into a bar-room brawl if we're all going to throw barbs Be careful what you wish for BDA!

You want to tell us who you support?

The Packers didn't choke, we came out rusty from the bye and were just outplayed And the Packers are a team that needs to keep playing ... that continuous play allows Rodgers to hit deep targets (which didn't happen today) There are no excuses but Green Bay's reliance on Rodger's magic is flawed. It works most of the time but against a decent team with all round skills, that style can come undone (as it did today) The Niners turned it into a grinding affair with strong defence. Credit to them. Once the bad weather set in it was always going to be a line-ball game. Nor do I reckon that the Titans choked ... in an even season gaining the 1 seed was nothing to get too excited about. One win here or there decided things And both games were decided by a field goal ... if either team were thrashed, you might have a point. But the choke jibe usually comes from the ill-informed cheap seats ... or from bad winners or bad losers And on this site, those types are everywhere

49ers win and well deserved too. Packers bog average especially on offense. The wide receivers couldn't create separation and Rodgers wasn't at his best But the Niners defence was the difference as well as their running game, run defence and pass defence. They played a good all round game and were the better team on the day Live Leaderboard Tipping Comp 13 - Go the Biff, Gorgoroth 11 - Dee Zephyr 10 - DemonDave 8 - layzie 7 - JV7, Clintosaurus 6 - titan_uranus, Macca

Scrappy game loaded with mistakes ... Packers have been way below average but the 49ers haven't been able to take advantage (so far) Niners defence has been very good and they get the ball to start the 2nd half