For most of Sunday’s game in Seattle, it seemed that the Packers were destined to earn their sixth Super Bowl berth. But a late charge by the Seahawks resulted in overtime — and a win by the home team. After the game, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told reporters that the team that lost shouldn’t have…. “We were the better team today and we played well enough to win and we can’t blame anybody but ourselves,” Rodgers said, via Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee.
I have nothing but respect for Aaron Rodgers. He and his Green Bay Packers played a helluva game on Sunday, only to lose 28-22 in overtime to the Seattle Seahawks. As much as I hate the Packers (and I really, truly do), they played a great game and came out on the short end of one of the NFL’s all-time greatest late-game comebacks. It was easily one of the best fourth quarters I’ve ever seen.
That said, few things get under my skin more than a poor loser. Rodgers may be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but his team lost when all was said and done. They weren’t “the better team”…because they lost. When they needed to be able to shut the Seahawks down, they couldn’t do it. Seattle did what they needed to do in order to win…and Green Bay was powerless to stop them. So who’s the better team? And who’s being a crybaby about it?
Rodgers could argue that the Packers were “the better team” for three-plus quarters, and I’d have no problem with that. They couldn’t do what needed to be done to win, and so they lost…which means they weren’t “the better team.” At the risk of sounding like a cliche, a game is 60 minutes long, and the Packers couldn’t close the deal. That hardly makes them “the better team.”
I understand that Rodgers was probably hurting- the Packers had the game under control and they let it slip from their grasp. Seattle prevailed in overtime after trailing for all but the last minute and a half of regulation. This is the time when Rodgers should be the better man and admit that the Packers blew it. Congratulate the Seahawks, bemoan your team’s inability to maintain its momentum, but be big enough to model good sportsmanship and maturity in the face of crushing disappointment.
Instead, Rodgers played the “We were the better team; we just beat ourselves” card. Nice play, Ace; you look like a sore loser.
