It’s tough to beat them for 60 minutes

Margeaux from Tallahassee, FL

Good morning, Wes. I swore I was done watching football after the latest Packer disappointment. I lied to myself. I watched this weekend anyway. I’m glad I did. It turns out that the Packers aren’t the only team capable of dumbassery!

I’m with you, Margeaux. I, too, lied. After everything I said last week, I ended up watching more playoff football over the past three days than I did the last three years outside of the Packers games I was covering. If crow is to be served this week, I shall bring my fork and knife.

This weekend had a little bit of everything, didn’t it? Dominance, division rivals, unexpectedly close games, a predictable nail-biter, a historic comeback, and more. Not bad! I’m sure the league is happy, although I could’ve gone for about five or six more touchdowns by the Giants.

This weekend was yet another reminder the NFL is king. Wild-card weekend had all the drama, suspense, and spectacular finishes you could ever want.

Laurie from Sheboygan, WI

Watching the wild-card games this weekend, I noticed a focus, intensity, and speed-to-the-ball I never saw with the Packers all season. I came away feeling as if we would not have beaten any of those teams. Is that just the playoff mentality, or were all those teams really that much better than us?

Those teams are playing for a reason. I think the Packers could play with most of them. Heck, they even beat some. But the six teams that won this weekend all played complementary, four-quarter football. Green Bay didn’t do enough of that this season.

For me the three biggest “ups” of the season were the OT win over Dallas, the destruction of Minnesota, and the rise of Keisean Nixon. Any chance we could see a story about how Nixon got the “tryout” for the return job? Just next man up? Did someone look at his past and recommend him? Did he ask for a shot? Did someone ask him if he’d be interested? It could be a great offseason story to tell, and surely the details aren’t a secret to be kept. After years of kick return mediocrity, inquiring minds want to know!

We’ll see about a longer story, but really it came down to practice. Nixon had a returning background and just showed Rich Bisaccia he could do it during the workweek. The most fascinating part of the whole deal is how Nixon emerged as the Packers’ punt returner. From the sound of it, Nixon pretty much went in cold against Dallas but owned that role and never looked back.

It seems like there have often been guys that either…