Could other teams replicate what the Packers did?
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| No one else is the Packers. (Tom Lynn/AP) |
Let's start off by identifying why the Packers played so well against the Patriots. First off, Aaron Rodgers. No quarterback in this league can do what he does. The threat of him taking off running, while still fearing his pinpoint accuracy and deep ball, make him a unique breed of quarterback unlike any other in this league. Secondly, their wide receiver depth is unparalleled. To have your third string wide receiver get six catches for 121 yards, while your top two receivers were blanketed by Revis and Browner, is something you won't see elsewhere in the NFL. Lastly, their coaching staff is the second best in the NFL behind the Patriots. They came up with specific route combinations on offense and defensive alignments to target exactly what the Patriots struggled with. These three things were what doomed the Patriots in Lambeau, and these three things are unique to the Packers.
As for the Denver Broncos, even though we saw what would happen if the two teams met, we likely won't see the same game twice. They do have deep receivers, arguably better than the Packers, but they are only as deep as their quarterback allows. Peyton Manning has done one thing consistently bad throughout his career, and that is force the ball to his favorite top targets. Unlike Rodgers, who is more than happy to throw to a checkdown, Manning loves to chuck the ball downfield to Demaryius Thomas with no regard for how many players may be covering him. Wes Welker is no longer the receiving threat he used to be, and Julius Thomas likely won't be 100% the rest of the year due to his ankle injury. John Fox is a good coach, but he isn't Mike McCarthy, and he has never really had continual success against Belichick and the Patriots.
The Seahawks have the prestige of being the defending Super Bowl Champions, but they too, aren't the Packers. Bolstering one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL with Russell Wilson, and a good defense, some would say that the Seahawks could be a bigger threat in the Super Bowl than the Packers. While that may be true, you cannot look at me in the eyes and tell me you are afraid of their wide receivers and their passing game. The Seahawks would need to run the ball to beat the Patriots, and that's not what the Packers did. The offense strengths of the Seahawks are much different than those of the Packers. Pete Carroll is a good coach, arguably a top five coach, but he isn't the professional offensive mastermind that allowed USC to win games in college.
The Saints have a decently athletic quarterback, a good head coach, and a decent number of weapons on offense; why can't they beat the Patriots? Because they have no defense. Their defense ranks 31st in total defense, ahead of only the hapless Atlanta Falcons. On offense, with losing Brandin Cooks to IR, Marques Colston playing as bad as he ever has, and Jimmy Graham not being included in the offense, the once unstoppable offense of Sean Payton has come back down to earth. All of these things have brought down Drew Brees as well, who is having his worst year in some time. Sean Payton and Rob Ryan are considered some of the best in the business at what they do, but they simply don't have the personnel to implement their brilliance.
The Colts aren't much different than the Saints, and after being blown away on their home turf by the Patriots, it is hard to see them being able to put up a fight against the Patriots. Andrew Luck is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but even at his best he could not beat the Patriots. Now, without Ahmad Bradshaw, they have no run game either, which would allow the Patriots to focus on the pass. Reggie Wayne, TY Hilton, and Donte Moncrief are good, but when they're your only viable options to pick up yards, the defense can key in on that. Chuck Pagano is a good coach as well, but like the other coaches mentioned, he simply isn't on the level that Belichick and McCarthy are on.
Simply put, no team can dream of having the dynamic offense that the Packers have. A mobile quarterback that can also make perfect throws anywhere on the field, with a receiving corps that is not only deep, but correctly utilized by their quarterback, and a coach who has the experience and knowledge to implement a great game plan: a formula that no other team can even come close to replicating. I have little doubt in my mind that the Patriots and Packers will play each other again in February, and it may be the best Super Bowl we have seen in the last decade.
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