Playoff race makes odd allies of Packers, Seahawks
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Pay up, Seahawks.
The Green Bay Packers have put the Inaccurate Reception behind them, and they've done their best not to begrudge Seattle the win that really wasn't. But karma has a way of coming back around, and the Seahawks have a chance to put things right this weekend.
"Without looking in the past, we have to root for a team we fell short to," Clay Matthews said Thursday. "So that's how it goes. We'll control our own destiny by winning these out and hopefully we can get some help along the way."
See, San Francisco (10-3-1) is a game ahead of Green Bay (10-4) for the NFC's No. 2 seed and Seattle plays the 49ers on Sunday night. Beat the Niners and the Seahawks can essentially get the Packers back to where they would have been had replacement referees not blown that call back in September.
Which means that, providing they beat Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, the Packers will find themselves rooting for the Seahawks.
"Yeah, but we'd love to have that bye, be sitting there at the 1 or 2 seed," Aaron Rodgers said. "So at this point, we're trying to have a short memory, kind of rooting for the teams that you need to win."
The Inaccurate Reception, alternately known as the Fail Mary, was arguably the worst call of the NFL season. Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings appeared to intercept a last-ditch pass to Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate in the end zone only to have replacement referees rule it a touchdown, giving Seattle a 14-12 win. While the NFL said the next day that the reception call was right, it conceded that Tate should have been called for interference on the play, which would have given Green Bay the win.
The outrage was immediate, and came from every corner of the country. Fans were already fed up after several other questionable calls, and they were incensed one had actually affected the outcome of a game. By the end of the week, the league and its union referees had a new deal.
But many feared the game would cost Green Bay, and wondered what the league would do if it did. Turns out, all that angst was for nothing. The Packers have won eight of nine - only Denver has been better during the span - and last week clinched their second straight NFC North title.
"That's one thing you worried about at the time, if we're sitting here the last week of the season and have to win to get in, or maybe win and get some help. That would have been probably talked about more," Rodgers said. "It's going to probably affect (Seattle) more. They're in a position right now to, I believe, clinch a berth with a win this week. It's not on our minds anymore."
Yes, but if the Packers had that extra win, they, not San Francisco, would be sitting in the No. 2 spot right now.
"There's a lot of what-ifs," Rodgers said. "Nothing we can do about it."
No, but Seattle can.
The Seahawks are 6-0 at CenturyLink Field this year, joining Atlanta as the NFL's only teams with perfect home records. After winning three straight and five of their last six, Seattle can secure at least a wild-card berth with a victory Sunday.
"I don't know if they owe us anything - not them, in particular," Matthews said.
But if the Seahawks would like to wipe the karmic slate clean, who are the Packers to argue?
"We want home field," James Jones said, "so hopefully they get it done."
NOTES: With the winter's first big storm dumping more than a half-foot of snow on Green Bay by midday, coach Mike McCarthy cut practice short early Thursday. "I feel it's important to get our players home today before it gets dark," McCarthy said. "The bulk of the storm is coming between noon and 6 p.m. is my understanding. We do have a couple guys who haven't driven in snow before, so this is a little bit of an exciting introduction to say the least." ... Despite the weather, McCarthy said all of the players made it to practice on time. ... McCarthy is optimistic OL T.J. Lang (concussion) will be cleared for Sunday's game. Lang wasn't able to go through the concussion evaluation Thursday because he's got the flu. ... C Jeff Saturday (neck/shoulder) and G Greg Van Roten (back) also missed practice Thursday, but McCarthy expects they'll play Sunday.
The Green Bay Packers have put the Inaccurate Reception behind them, and they've done their best not to begrudge Seattle the win that really wasn't. But karma has a way of coming back around, and the Seahawks have a chance to put things right this weekend.
"Without looking in the past, we have to root for a team we fell short to," Clay Matthews said Thursday. "So that's how it goes. We'll control our own destiny by winning these out and hopefully we can get some help along the way."
See, San Francisco (10-3-1) is a game ahead of Green Bay (10-4) for the NFC's No. 2 seed and Seattle plays the 49ers on Sunday night. Beat the Niners and the Seahawks can essentially get the Packers back to where they would have been had replacement referees not blown that call back in September.
Which means that, providing they beat Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, the Packers will find themselves rooting for the Seahawks.
"Yeah, but we'd love to have that bye, be sitting there at the 1 or 2 seed," Aaron Rodgers said. "So at this point, we're trying to have a short memory, kind of rooting for the teams that you need to win."
The Inaccurate Reception, alternately known as the Fail Mary, was arguably the worst call of the NFL season. Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings appeared to intercept a last-ditch pass to Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate in the end zone only to have replacement referees rule it a touchdown, giving Seattle a 14-12 win. While the NFL said the next day that the reception call was right, it conceded that Tate should have been called for interference on the play, which would have given Green Bay the win.
The outrage was immediate, and came from every corner of the country. Fans were already fed up after several other questionable calls, and they were incensed one had actually affected the outcome of a game. By the end of the week, the league and its union referees had a new deal.
But many feared the game would cost Green Bay, and wondered what the league would do if it did. Turns out, all that angst was for nothing. The Packers have won eight of nine - only Denver has been better during the span - and last week clinched their second straight NFC North title.
"That's one thing you worried about at the time, if we're sitting here the last week of the season and have to win to get in, or maybe win and get some help. That would have been probably talked about more," Rodgers said. "It's going to probably affect (Seattle) more. They're in a position right now to, I believe, clinch a berth with a win this week. It's not on our minds anymore."
Yes, but if the Packers had that extra win, they, not San Francisco, would be sitting in the No. 2 spot right now.
"There's a lot of what-ifs," Rodgers said. "Nothing we can do about it."
No, but Seattle can.
The Seahawks are 6-0 at CenturyLink Field this year, joining Atlanta as the NFL's only teams with perfect home records. After winning three straight and five of their last six, Seattle can secure at least a wild-card berth with a victory Sunday.
"I don't know if they owe us anything - not them, in particular," Matthews said.
But if the Seahawks would like to wipe the karmic slate clean, who are the Packers to argue?
"We want home field," James Jones said, "so hopefully they get it done."
NOTES: With the winter's first big storm dumping more than a half-foot of snow on Green Bay by midday, coach Mike McCarthy cut practice short early Thursday. "I feel it's important to get our players home today before it gets dark," McCarthy said. "The bulk of the storm is coming between noon and 6 p.m. is my understanding. We do have a couple guys who haven't driven in snow before, so this is a little bit of an exciting introduction to say the least." ... Despite the weather, McCarthy said all of the players made it to practice on time. ... McCarthy is optimistic OL T.J. Lang (concussion) will be cleared for Sunday's game. Lang wasn't able to go through the concussion evaluation Thursday because he's got the flu. ... C Jeff Saturday (neck/shoulder) and G Greg Van Roten (back) also missed practice Thursday, but McCarthy expects they'll play Sunday.
The hawks smacked down the likes of the 49ers, packers, patriots, bears and more. how is that overrated? pfffft.Â
www.hawktawk12.com
Also no disrespect to anybody but it's ONLY the delusional Hawks fans that believe you guys deserved that win against Packers. That game was given to you guys. Oh and @imdk2 you guys are behind in the power rankings because of what i just said and because the Pats are just better. Hawks are a great team this year, but not that good. Over rated imho. Go Niners.
 @GMes206  @imdk2 Hawks Over rated? LMAO what planet you been. Probably the most under respected underrated teams in the NFL outside of WA state!
 @GMes206  @imdk2 How's that crow taste dweeb....oh, almost forgot - LOLOLOLOL!!!
We've got 5 super bowls and Seattle has none...history is on our side. Also imho the Niners are a superior team compared to Seahawks. I don't care about all that crap aboit.being unbeaten at home etc etc..seahawks are losing this Sunday. Period. Then i will be celebrating in downtown !!
 @GMes206 History is on your side?  Didn't realize Young and Rice were playing in this game.  The current team has not won a Superbowl and there are only 2 Seahawks that have even played in the Superbowl.  Point is all your success in the 90's means nothing this Sunday.
 @GMes206  You're an absolute idiot. The 49ers have been in existance 30 more years than the seahawks. I hope you don't breed.
Going to be a great game against the Niners, its probably coming down to turnovers that will decide the game.
Uncalled pass interference does not equal interception. Golden Tate clearly had the reception as the photos I've seen show. Wish the sports writers would get over it already.
 @theToucan not to mention the call for pass interference that wasn't pass interference that allowed the Packers to get a 1st down and score on the drive. Â
It all equals out. Â Packers shouldn't have scored on their drive, and Seahawks shouldn't have got the TD call, but either way the Hawks would have won. Â
The Hawks beat both GB & NE but they are still behind them in the Power Rankings. Why is that do you suppose ???
 @lmdk2 AZ beat NE but they are still behind them in the Power Rankings.  Wierd.
good gravy... yes it should have been a pass interference, but I am sick of listening to people still say it was an interception. Tate had full control of the ball while both feet were on the ground and Jennings was still in the air. that is a legal reception, so the only thing that was missed was the interference call.
All I want for Christmas is to see the Seahawks packing for Green Bay for a round 1 game. It would be Ugly with a capital U. And it's called karma.
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 @MVDad Karma doesn't exist.  And if it did a situation with more karma attached would be playing them for the NFC championship.  Also, why wouldn't you want a first round bye?  Beating the Hawks in the first round means nothing if you turn around and lose in SF the following week.  Not to mention that first round bye would essentially mean the week 4 game meant nothing.
go hawks,you can win to the end!!!
Funny thing is it's not just the Packers that still have a shot at a first round bye. The Seahawks do also. Here is what has to happen: Seahawks beat SF and St. Louis. SF also loses to Arizona at home (I know realistically not going to happen). Packers lose one of their remaining two games. In the end the "bad call" in the Seahawks-Packers game may not affect anyone adversly, because the Seahawks could easily have their record changed to 8-6 right now and be in control of their own playoff destiny. Whatever both teams deserve to be in the playoffs.
The Hawks are on fire right now. They are pumped, sharp, and have this rookie kid named Russell at the helm. Funny how this "rookie" is playing better, and has better stats than the "old school" boys out there. I think the East Coast sports prognosticators are getting nervous that they might have to concede the fact that the NFC West......IS a force to reckon with, and that the Seahawks are for REAL. Have a nice flight home Niners........we'll buy you a couple extra drinks to help you cope with the loss. GO HAWKS!!!
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 @Wolfen No one will argue the NFC West is strong. The 49ers are a great team, the Hawks are young and only getting better. The Rams are better than their record indicates, and the Cardinals have a pretty solid defense and have gotten some big wins this year (Pats for instance),
NINERS ALL DAY LONG! Should be a good game this Sunday but unfortunately it's not going to be in Seattles favor. Frisco baby!!
@GMes206 Probably not in Seattle, where the Hawks are undefeated this season. Thanks for playing though.
 @GMes206 keep on dreamin !!
Sounds like a win/win for all to me. I don't care who we help out as long as we beat San Francisco.
The only bad call was failing to call the offensive pass interference. The touchdown was a touchdown. Get it right. "begrudge Seattle the win that really wasn't." ?
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Its a win that really was a win! Don't try to discredit them hater.
 @253D Geez it seems like a lot of people don't know the NFL rules. It WAS a touchdown. Per the rule book when both an offensive and defensive player come down with the ball it is in possession of the offensive player.Â
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Golden Tate did commit Offensive Pass Interference (said as a loyal hawks fan) but it wasn't called. As a result the correct call of touchdown was made.Â
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Had the OPI been called then no touchdown.Â
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Its nice that for once the Seahawks got to do the screwing instead of the other way around. I only wish it would have been a more deserving team like the Steelers instead of the Packers.Â
 @seattleemt  @253D http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/shame-the-angry-mob-golden-tates-touchdown-was-legit/17706/
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But, there is an unwritten rule that you do not call pass interference on a Hail Mary at any level of football, whether you are a real ref or a replacement. It just does not happen.
NFL Network research said the last 87 times a team has tried a Hail Mary at the end of the game, not a single one of them were flagged for offensive pass interference. The Browns (go figure) were penalized for defensive pass interference in 2009, but never the offense.
Even calling DPI is frowned upon. When the Jaguars pulled off the Hail Mary over Houston in 2010, you can clearly see Mike Sims-Walker is knocked down with the ball in the air, and there was no flag for DPI." Â (picture below in article)
@253D I guess if the rule was that if you catch the defensive player that caught the interception then its a touchdown, then I guess it was a touchdown. The only people that actually think it was a touchdown is Golden Tate, Pete Carrol and a few token drunk Seahawk fans that never saw the play. The entire rest of the nation that saw it made sure that the real refs came back by the very next game.
 @Double Down  @253D http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/shame-the-angry-mob-golden-tates-touchdown-was-legit/17706/  Â
And even now in any game there is a missed call. Sure not as many but there still is. You are just mad because some underdog team from the west had a bad call go in they're favor for once and they beat the good ole cheese heads. What I said stands. The touchdown was legit and a pass interference call was missed. Either way the Hawks won the game. No more crying.
@253D If he would have been called for pass interference, there wouldn't have been a touchdown.Â
 @citizen kane  @253D how many times does pass interference get called on the last play of a game?? There was also a lot of contact on that play, so interference called have been called on either team. The ruling on the field was the correct call.Â
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http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/content/shame-the-angry-mob-golden-tates-touchdown-was-legit/17706/
@253D only bad call??...did you see the same game as everybody else?
let me correct the statement. "The only bad call during that play".