The Green Bay Packers showed what they were made of during their Super Wild Card Weekend matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. They are the first No. 7 seed in NFL history to advance to the Divisional Round and they did it convincingly.
Green Bay went into AT&T Stadium and blew out the Cowboys. They scored the first 27 points of the game and led by as many as 32 in the second half, never giving the home team a chance to get into the game.
For that victory, the Packers will now head on the road again, this time to face the No. 1 seeded San Francisco 49ers. This is another tall task for Green Bay, but they cannot be counted out. They have been overlooked all season and overcame several obstacles to be here as Matt LaFleur has his guys playing some excellent football.
NFL News & Rumors: Mark Chmura, Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers Updates
To defeat the 49ers, who have a talent advantage over virtually every team in the NFL, the Packers are going to have to think outside the box. Former tight end Mark Chmura gave a bold, dirty in the eyes of some, suggestion to get the job done.
During a recent episode of Jen, Gabe and Chewy on ESPN Milwaukee, Chmura suggested the Packers willingly take a penalty by laying a late hit on 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. It would be a way to intimidate their opponent and show they mean business.
“You guys are gonna think I’m crazy,” the ex-Packers tight end said on ESPN Milwaukee’s show, Jen, Gabe, and Chewy. “A 15-yard penalty—and I don’t condone this, but I kinda do in the playoffs—a 15-yard penalty for a late hit on Brock Purdy is not a bad thing, as long as it’s worth it,” Chmura said via ESPN Milwaukee’s official X account. (H/T Sports Illustrated)
Part of the reasoning behind Chmura’s suggestion to play dirty was because the Packers teams he played on did it. Back in 1996, Green Bay upset San Francisco in a similar situation to this one because they showed they were scared of their opponent.
“The reason we won in ‘95 when no one gave us a chance against San Francisco is because we intimidated them,” Chmura said. “Wayne Simmons kicked the crap out of Brent Jones. And then it got contagious, and it carried over.”
NFL News & Rumors: Mark Chmura, Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers Updates
Justifying the potential injury of an opponent is always going to be a tough look. Especially when you consider the 49ers’ playoff hopes were dashed last season when Purdy and his backup, Josh Johnson, were injured in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
There are ways to intimidate your opponent and flex your muscles without committing blatant personal fouls that put people in harm’s way. But, committing violations to set the tone is something that has been done for years, most famously by Patrick Ewing playing basketball at Georgetown.
He was encouraged to commit to goaltending violations, swatting the ball away from the rim, to show their opponents there would be nothing easy scored around the basket. If the Packers can find the equivalent of that on the football field, instead of laying blatant late hits, it would be a solid strategy to go with.
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