Four Rams Make All-Rookie Team for First Time since 1964

By John Turney 

In 1961 United Press International (UPI) began choosing NFL All-Rookie teams and in 1974 the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) followed suit. For the most part, these are the only organizations that have had their annual teams used in NFL Publications, with some exceptions. 

Additionally, many publications covering the NFL have had All-Rookie teams - Pro Football Weekly, Sports Illustrated, Football Digest, The Sporting News, USA Today, ESPN.com and many more—including Chris Willis of NFL Films choosing one every year for us.

Today the PFWA announced its All-Rookie team and among the selections were four Los Angeles Rams—receiver Puka Nacua, guard Steve Avila, outside linebacker Byron Young, and defensive tackle Kobie Turner.

Using just the major teams (PFWA and UPI) 2023 marked the second time four Rams have been named All-Rookie. It happened in 1964 when UPI named quarterback  Bill Munson, receiver Bucky Pope, center Joe Wendryhoski and kicker Bruce Gossett to their team.

There has been one other year when the Rams had four players make someone's All-Rookie team. That was in 2014 when defensive tackle  Aaron Donald (PFWA, ESPN, Sports Illustrated), cornerback E.J. Gaines (PFWA, ESPN), running back Tre Mason (PFWA, Sports Illustrated); and tackle Greg Robinson (Sports Illustrated). Donald, Gaines and Mason made the major team (PFWA) and the others made either ESPN's list or Sports Illustrated's.  

Rams fans might bristle seeing that Greg Robinson made anyone's All-Rookie team but as a rookie but he was not terrible his first year but was not rated as highly as the players that made the PFWA team -- the Titans' Taylor Lewan and Ja'Wuan James of the Dolphins.

In 1962, 1971 and 1977 the Rams had three All-Rookie players if all sources are used. And if all sources are used for 2023 the Rams have a fifth All-Rookie player. Chris Willis picked Ethan Evans as the punter on our PFJ squad.

If you look at just the immediate impact of rookie classes it could be argued that 2023 is the best in franchise history with 2014 being close. 

The Class of 1971—Jack Youngblood, Isiah Robertson and Dave Elmendorf—had had the biggest long-term success if you don't look at it from just an immediate standpoint. In a handful of years we will see if the 2023 Rams rookies can build on what they've done in their first year.

Channeling John Madden—The 2023 'All-Madden Team'

By John Turney 

For two decades, Hall-of-Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden blessed us with his annual de facto All-Pro team. But they were not just All-Pros; they were "his kind of guys" -- players who caught his eye, players he thought were special and would like to have coached.

His All-Madden team was so popular that some players he picked said they'd rather have been All-Madden than All-Pro. That's how respected it was. 

This is our homage to the football legend, picking players whom we think might have been "his kind of guys" and doing in his unique style, his voice.

"Boom! Bang! Whap! Doink!

OFFENSE

Offensive line

That All-Madden team is about my guys, and my guys are the offensive linemen. They get nasty, dirty, sweat, and spit. You won't see them on the cover of magazines or making many commercials. They just get hard work done; the stuff that's gotta be done for a team to win games.

The center I like most is Jason Kelce. Yeah, he's older and has now announced that he's hangin' them up, but he was still a leader and could still run. And he can still lead sweeps and get downfield like Jim Otto used to. 

He's like a lot of those old centers in the 1970s who could run, Len Hauss of Washington or Rich Saul of the Rams. Kelce also sets the tone for that Eagles "Tush Push" that no one can seem to stop. I wish I would've thought of that. 

Yeah, he's All-Madden in his final season.

Trent Williams is like Art Shell: a man-mountain, that moves like a cat. Heck, I saw him do a pass set where he hopped back on one foot like he was on a pogo stick. He also can be nasty, and I love that about him.

The right-side tackle is Penei Sewell, and he can block the run ... he can pass protect ... you can line him up as an extra tight end or a fullback ... and, if you want, he can run a pass route from those spots, not just lead block.

Those are my tackles. The way they block makes their quarterback sleep easy. And speaking of sleeping easy, you can always get a good night's sleep at Ramada Inn. Ramada -- a very good place to be.

No one knows offensive linemen. They're anonymous, and guards are the most anonymous. They are the anonymous of the anonymous. No one knows who they are or what they do.

This year my guys are two with a common name, one that is nondescript. They are Tyler Smith and Trey Smith. Two guards named Smith. Perfect. Both are par'ful and but can be nimble, too.

But wait, you have to have a guy who can fill in, and be your third tackle in case someone goes down. That guy is Jason Peters. At 41 years old, he came back and started a couple of games. He's been a pro's pro. He reminds me of Jackie Slater, who also started a game at 41.

Peters was a guy who started his career as a tight end, so you could use him as a blocking tight end. You gotta have a guy like Jason Peters. Heck, he could probably play guard if one of the Smiths went down.

Tight end

I had a tight end named Dave Casper who was a tackle at Notre Dame. The Steelers had a tight end named Larry Brown whom they converted to tight end. Down the coast from me, in Los Angeles, the Rams had a guy named Bob Klein, who became a dentist. But there was a serious conversation about him being moved from tight end to tackle. 

They won't do that with George Kittle, but they could. He fits that mold of a player.

George reminds me of All-World tight end Russ Francis who played tight end in a running offense in New England. He was a 4.5 guy who liked to surf big waves in Hawaii, and could catch anything you threw to him. 

The problem was: The Patriots didn't throw much, and, when they did, it was deep to guys like Stanley Morgan and Harold Jackson and ... God rest his soul ... Darryl Stingley. So that made Russ more of a decoy.

Later in Big Russ's career Bill Walsh traded for him but used him more as a blocker than a receiver. But Russ did as he was told and blocked like Casper, like Brown, like Klein.

But boy, oh, boy if that guy got a chance to play today he'd be like George Kittle. He'd run wide-receiver routes. He'd run the pipe and split cover-two defenses. He blocked defensive ends, and he'd be just like George Kittle is now.

Oh, yeah, there are tight ends with bigger numbers than Kittle. And they are great, great players who will be in the Hall of Fame with Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez someday. But I want a throwback tight end. I want a tight end who blocks like a tackle and catches like a receiver. 

That's George Kittle.

Not only that but after this year's Thanksgiving game, he was offered a turducken leg for his performance. George took the whole thing into the locker room to share with his teammates ... and even shared it with the fans. 

Anyone who would share his turducken with fans and his teammates has to be an All-Madden.

Receivers

Today's game is a passing game, and you have to have the sleek, fast guys that can get chunks of yards against any kind of coverage the defenses throw at them. You got man and zones, shells and quarters. You can have run dime and nickel packages, penny fronts and every coin in your change purse, but Tyreek Hill is one of those guys who can take all your money. 

His nickname is "Cheetah," and it's perfect. He has the speed of a Cliff Branch, and the Dolphins use him in a variety of ways. Short, deep, in the slot, on the move, on sweeps. Just everything.

I also am going to go with CeeDee Lamb of the Cowboys. You can line him up outside, inside, motion him, it doesn't matter. He just gets open and makes plays. 

And breaks records. 

He's the latest in the Cowboys' tradition of a receiver wearing number 88. And now he holds the club records for receiving. His stats are better than Drew Pearson's. Better than Michael Irvin's. Better than Dez Bryant's. When you're the top number 88 in Dallas you're All-Madden.

Terry McLaurin of Washington reminds me of Gary Clark, who played for the same team. Just a tough guy who plays wide receiver. You always have to have a third wide receiver like him. 

No, he does not have eye-popping statistics, but he does get you 1,000 yards every year And when you watch him, your eyes pop. He's been stuck in a poor situation in the nation's capital but if he could be on a good team with a consistent quarterback he'd be a household name.

You also need a guy as a wide receiver who can play running back and who can throw it, and that's Deebo Samuel of the 49ers. I need him on my team.

Quarterback

There is one guy that stands out right now and that's Lamar Jackson. He leads the Ravens, and he's someone who would be fun to coach. He can throw for 300 yards on you or, if he wants, run for 100 yards. 

He can be a pinpoint passer with a quick release or throw it deep. I'd love to match him up with Tyreek Hill and CeeDee and Deebo. 

But what Lamar does most is win. Thirteen games this year in 16 starts. I know, I know, with teams in the NFL today there are analytics people who run all sorts of fancy numbers and such, and part of what they will try to tell you is: "Quarterback wins are not a stat." And that's all fine; maybe they aren't a stat. 

I'll tell you what they are: They are the object of the game. Winning is why we all got into playing and coaching.

You could go back decades and ask Johnny Unitas or Otto Graham or Joe Montana what they wanted most -- good stats or their championship seasons.

My old boss, Al Davis, said it best, "Just win, baby." Did Al care if Kenny Stabler or Jim Plunkett had good numbers or if they threw interceptions? 

Heck, no. 

Al wanted Super Bowl rings. And that is what Lamar Jackson is trying to get done -- bring another Lombardi Trophy for the city of Baltimore. Forget the stats. Forget the MVP. Forget the Pro Bowl. I guarantee you, my All-Madden quarterback wants to win it all. That's why Jackson plays the game, and this year might be the year he does it.

Running back

This year Christian McCaffrey is my running back. He runs. He catches. He blocks. He passes. He does everything, and that is what I need on my team if you haven't noticed.

Versatility. 

My team has to have a fullback, and maybe more than one. So that is what I'll do. I know, I know people say the blocking back position is going the way of the dinosaurs. Extinction.

The Ravens' Patrick Ricard not only plays fullback; he plays tight end, he's played defense, he lead blocks and blocks on the edge as a wing or tight end, and, if you want, he can play defensive line.

Kyle Juszczyk is not as big, but he does all those little things, too I have to have both of them. Juszczyk is a Swiss Army knife. Like Ricard, he plays fullback, but he can carry the ball and catch passes better. He can motion into the quarterback position and take a snap and sneak for a first-down in short yardage. I bet he could throw a pass if he had to. He currently is the emergency quarterback for the Niners and had to play it last year when all of 49ers passers went down.

DEFENSE

Defensive tackles

In 1985 I picked seven nose tackles for my All-Madden team. On my team, I can pick whoever I want as many as I want -- of any position. 

This year I'm going to pick extra guys who play inside. They all are my kind of guy. Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence are both tearing up Gotham City for the Jets and Giants.

Sexy Dexter is a member of B.U.B.B.A.—the Brotherhood United of Bad Bodies of America. He's 6-foot-4, and weighs 342 pounds (so the roster says, but he looks bigger than that), and he's a rock in the middle of the Giants' defense. 

Big Dexter is a throwback to Michael Carter, one of the seven nose tackles I chose in 1985. An immovable object. And people forget that Carter had seven sacks that year. Big Dex also has seven, so he does a pretty good job as a pass rusher.

Quinnen is like that, too. He just messes up blocking schemes and frustrates opposing offensive coordinators by messing up their game plans.

You have to have a guy who can rush the passer from the inside, Dexter and Quinnen can do it, but it's not their forte. Rushing the passer is Aaron Donald's forte, and, boy, is he good at it. He's done it every year since he came out of Pitt a decade ago. Teams cannot stop him. They put one guy on him, two guys on him, three guys on him, and it doesn't work. So, then they try and hold him, and that doesn't work, either.

I have seen a lot of great defensive tackles in my time-- Joe Greene, Bob Lilly, Alan Page, Merlin Olsen -- and Donald is as good as any of them. In fact he might be BETTER, the guy may be the G.O.A.T. -- the greatest of all time.

Defensive ends

Yeah, I said defensive ends; not edges. Edges are for shaving. And for shaving, I like Gillette™. Smooth, safe, and comfortable. That's an edge I can understand.

As I was saying, I like defensive ends who can rush and play the run. Maxx Crosby is that guy. He has sacks and also has tackled the running back 11 times for losses. He's blocked a kick and gets held about 10 times a game. His nickname is "The Condor" because of his long arms or wingspan, and when he gets a sack, he flaps his arms like one. Hey, my team needs a little flair.

In today's game, some people think defensive linemen don't need to stop the run. Lemme tell you: They still do. In these 4-2, 5-1 or even 3-3 fronts with six guys in the box you have to have linemen who are conscientious about stopping the run, and Mad Maxx is one of those kinda guys. He could be one of two guys entering Thunderdome and be the one who leaves.

Nick Bosa is like Crosby, but he moves around more. He's a speed guy. He's a power guy. He's a hands guy. He's a good-looking guy, and his stomach has what they the call a six-pack. We used to call that a washboard stomach in the old days. 

But he's like Howie Long, and you have to have that around. You can't just be a bunch of big uglies. You need a PR guy, someone that says, "Hey, we look good." That's Bosa.

He still gets a lot of pressure on the quarterback but didn't have as many sacks this year. But what people didn't notice is how many times he stuffed running backs in the backfield. He has more of those this year. He was last year's Defensive Player of the Year, and he's hoping to get a Super Bowl trophy this season. Speaking of hardware, when you have a tough job to do, make sure you go to your local Ace Hardware™ store. They make your hard work a little easier with the right tools for your job.

Linebackers

As you can tell, I like guys who can do more than one thing, and Micah Parsons is that kind of guy. He plays outside linebacker, inside linebacker, defensive end and defensive tackle. Heck, he could probably play defensive back. In that way, he's like Bobby Bell, the Hall-of-Fame linebacker for the Chiefs. We could never do anything against that guy. We'd think he's covering, and he'd blitz. We'd think he's going to blitz, and he drops into coverage. Parsons also reminds me of Lawrence Taylor because sometimes he's simply unblockable.

Fred Warner of San Francisco is my inside linebacker. We didn't have guys like them in my day, not playing inside, that is. There were a few guys like them playing outside. Tall, rangy, fast, but Warner could play power forward in the NBA. They run, get their hands up so you can't throw over them and cover so much ground you can't run around them. You can't do anything. Both are like heat-seeking missiles . . . they hone in on their targets and close fast and smack you.

Secondary

The safety I like is Antoine Winfield, Jr. Today's safeties have to do a lot. There are no strong safeties and free safeties anymore. Teams have to have safeties that do everything. Cover, blitz, tackle ... and that's Winfield. He made tackles, sacked quarterbacks, intercepted passes, knocked balls loose and fell on them once they were loose.

As my other safety, I'm going with the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu of the Saints. I love the way he plays football. He can play like a ball-hawk type safety. He can play slot, linebacker, whatever you want, he can do it.

You gotta have guys who can cover. Sauce Gardner, he's going to cover you with sauce. The kind of sauce I like is the special sauce on a Big Mac®, and, boy, is that stuff good. And remember, people, nobody can get you a great hot meal faster than McDonalds™. Anyway, Sauce is a lot like my Willie Brown was-- just stick him out on the other team's best receiver and leave him alone, and you can be sure that guy will be covered.

My other corner is the Cowboy whose name is Bland, but he's anything but. DaRon Bland is spicy, hot, exciting -- all of that. He stole nine passes and took FIVE back for touchdowns. I've had offensive players that didn't have that many touchdowns in a season. GOOD Players! 

All-Purpose player

Another guy who can do a ton of things is Taysom Hill. He can run the ball, catch it, throw it. He plays special teams. He could probably drive the team bus if you asked him to. I woulda loved having him on my team. I would wonder, though, how can a tough guy be so nice? I mean, he probably teaches Sunday school in the off-season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kickers

The Ravens' kicker, Justin Tucker, didn't have his best year, but he's still a kicker who belongs on my team any day. He can kick darn near a 70-yard field goal or sing an aria, whatever that is, I guess it is some kind of opera, but you have to have some culture and Tucker brings that to the All-Madden team to go along with his big leg and a knock for avoiding "doinks".

Johnny Hekker of the Panthers is like Ray Guy. He nails teams inside the 20-yard line more than anyone, which creates long fields. He's a good athlete, can throw a pass for you on a fake punt or as a holder on a fake field goal. And though there may be guys with a better gross average, what we looked at when I was coaching was the net average and hang time. 

That's what matters, and that is what Johnny Hekker brings you. Like Justin Tucker, Hekker may not have been the best statistically this year, but he's still the punter I want on my team.

Returner

It's too bad KaVontae Turpin does not get more chances to return kickoffs. Teams make sure he doesn't get his hands on the ball. They avoid him because he's the best kickoff returner in the game. So even though he didn't qualify for the league leadership, he's who I want standing at the goal line waiting for a kickoff.

To be honest, Gunner Olszewski is not the best punt returner. The top guys averaged 16 yards a return, and my pick only averaged 12. But he took one back for a touchdown. Plus, I need a guy named "Gunner" on my squad.

Coverage guy

The Patriots always have a good specialty-team guy going way back to Bob Gladieux, Mosi Tatupu, Larry Whigham, Larry Izzo and, recently, Matthew Slater. All of them were great.

We used to call them the suicide squad or the bomb squad, and they'd run down and bust wedges. But that was then. Kickoffs are being taken out of the game now.

The guy they have now is Brenden Schooler. Talk about going to school. Brenden taught us something new when he motioned from the outside to the kicking formation and blocked a kick. I've seen a lot of blocked kicks -- I coached the best ever at it: Ted Hendricks -- but I never saw anyone do what Schooler did.

Schooler got down and made tackles in kick coverages. He tied for the NFL lead in solo tackles by a special teamer. Schooler fits perfectly with the Patriots' legacy of gunners, wedge busters and kick blockers.

       ******************************************************************

Well, that's my 2023 All-Madden Team, and I think I can coach them to a few wins. We can run the ball down the opponent's throat and throw it around the field. We can rush the passer and stop the run. We can kick it ... block your kicks ... we've got guys who can play multiple positions. So you never know who is going to do what.

We're versatile, we're smart, we're tough and ornery. We got a Cheetah and a Honey Badger, a Condor and a G.O.A.T. We have an opera singer and a "we-look-good guy". We've got throwbacks and keepers. We have it all.

They're my kinda guys.

After the game, we'll sit down and have a Miller Lite©, which tastes great and is less filling than your regular beer. Everyone will enjoy that, I think. Well, except Taysom, he'll have a Sprite© or something.

Jason Kelce—First-ballot Hall of Famer?

By John Turney 

One of the things that NFL fans enjoyed over the past decade was watching a center snap the ball, then lead his running backs ... or recipients of screen passes ... to the outside, and not only do it a lot; but do it effectively.

In other words, one of the things they enjoyed was watching Eagles' center Jason Kelce.

Granted, what he did wasn't all that unusual. Some centers do it, though not regularly. But with Kelce, it was routine. It happened often, and it happened in this era ... which is rare ... and which made him unique.

But it made him more than that. Now that he's retired after 13 seasons, it made him someone who will be missed.

So what's next? Perhaps a second career in broadcasting, taking the path of other notable football players, but that's not a sure thing. What is, however, is a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Guaranteed, Jason Kelce winds up in Canton someday.

But that's not the question. This is: Will it be as a first-ballot member Class of 2029?

I ask because centers historically aren't elected immediately. Since the Hall's initial class in 1963, only two pivots have been first-ballot inductees -- Jim Otto and Jim Langer. Bruce Matthews, who played a lot of center but was also a guard, was a first-ballot choice, too. But that's it.

Mike Webster wasn't. He played 17 years, was a multi-year All-Pro and had 4 rings. But another great center -- Dwight Stephenson -- was competing with Webster, and there was considerable debate over which was better. As it turned out, Webster was elected in his second year of eligibility and Stephenson the year afterward.

So would history affect Kelce? I'm not sure, but I don't think so.

First of all, his case is too strong. And, second, there won't be the competition in five years that Webster and Stephenson faced. Basically, Kelce checks too many of the desired boxes for enshrinement not to be elected on his first try. 

Aside from passing the "eye test" for a center blocking outside zones or even leads, he's a central part of the controversial Philadelphia "Tush Push," the highly effective quarterback sneak that could be outlawed in the future. The play involves Kelce snapping to freakishly strong-legged quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is then aided by two players pushing him from behind.

It's a four-plus-man operation, but Kelce's role can't be minimalized. It wouldn't have worked without him, and don't take it from me. Take it from Kelce, who actually tells opponents it's coming ... just before it's successful.

It was invented in Philadelphia, and, if outlawed, constitutes a legitimate role in "changing the game" -- an all-too-often claim by supporters of Hall-of-Fame candidates. But in this case, the "Tush Push" already changed it by compelling other teams to copy it (less successfully) and provoking debate to eliminate it.

But that's not all. Kelce checks the usual boxes like team success (he has a Super Bowl ring) and individual honors (multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams). The Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017 beating the Patriots and fell short last year, losing to the Chiefs on a last-second field goal. Now, compare to the first-ballot guys. Otto never won a ring, while Langer was a big part of two.

That puts Kelce is right in the middle.

Among the 14 Hall-of-Fame centers, including the two-way guys, only four played more games than Kelce's 193. He also started every game that he played in, and only Otto and Mick Tingelhoff can make that claim. Plus, Kelce started the last 175 games of his career.

He was voted to seven Pro Bowls. Otto, Webster, Jim Ringo and Kevin Mawae were, too. So was Chuck Bednarik, though some of his selections were in seasons where he was more a linebacker than a center.

But Kelce's greatest achievement is that he was a consensus first-team All-Pro six times. Only Otto, Mel Hein and Bulldog Turner were named more, with Ringo and Tingelhoff (along with special-case Bednarik) tied with Kelce.

Now, remember: Otto was technically All-AFL for most of his selections and Tingelhoff All-NFL. It wasn't until the late 1960s when the media and players began to have combined All-AFL/NFL teams, that the term "All-Pro" was devised.  Had voters had a choice among Otto, Tingelhoff and Ringo, they probably wouldn't have chosen the same player year after year. In fact, in the early 1960s, it would have been hard for any AFL player to supplant someone like Jim Ringo on a combined All-Pro team.

All that means is that Kelce's selections came during a more competitive era. Now there are 32 teams with 32 centers, rather than in a league with 16 or 10 teams. Plus, six consensus All-Pro selections are a lot.

For ANY era.

Kelce was not voted to an all-decade team, but there's an explanation: His career overlapped two decades. He was dominant from 2014 (his first Pro Bowl) through 2023 (consensus All-Pro), so his era was really mid-2010s to mid-2020s. If there were a 2015-2024 all-decade team, he'd probably be a unanimous choice.

Also, keep in mind that he was snubbed for the 2010's all-decade team after having been first-team All-Pro more often than Maurkice Pouncey and Alex Mack -- the centers who made it.

"You can't watch film of (Kelce) and try to emulate yourself after him," Buffalo center Mitch Morse told NFL100, "because there are just certain things he's doing that you can't do."

Other players marveled at his speed.

"You don't see an offensive lineman keep up with running backs," said Cleveland guard Wyatt Teller. "He's awesome."

But there was more to Jason Kelce than his speed. He wasn't just a fullback-converted-to-center guy. He could move people, as his peers explained:

-- "He's the only one I've seen get Dexter Lawrence outta there", said running back Jamal Williams..

--"He's got the ability to displace a defensive lineman," said Morse, "who is, on paper, bigger than he is. He's just a remarkable football player."

-- "Kelso is the best center in our game," said Cam Heyward, the Steelers' All-Pro defensive lineman.

--"He's by far the best in the league," said Tennessee center Ben Jones. "He's done it on a high level for 12 years."

Kelce was a do-it-all center. Block the guy in front of him. Get the linebacker on the next level. Or the safety on the next. Get to the outside. Make the right adjustments in pass protection. Battle with the guy right in front of him.

All of it. 

Simply put, Kelce has a case that few others, at any position, have -- a ring, multiple All-Pros, Pro Bowls, a role in changing the game and glowing testimonials from peers that show he was not just one of the best at his position; he was THE best.

When you watch the NFL Honors show in February 2029 it would be surprising if Jason Kelce's name is not read. There may have been snubs of centers in the past, but that was then. This is now. Jason Kelce was a cut above.

Red Zone Struggles Cost Packers in Loss to 49ers

 By Eric Goska

Head Coach Matt LeFleur and General Manager Brian Gutekunst
oversaw a Green Bay team that exceeded expectations in 2023.
(photos by Eric Goska)

Coming up short is a given for all but one team in the NFL each season.

Saturday night in Levi Stadium, the Packers became the latest to drop out.

Green Bay battled the 49ers from the start, holding the upper hand on the scoreboard more than twice as long as their playoff rival. Only in the closing minutes did the Pack blink, surrendering a touchdown and an interception that allowed San Francisco to escape with a 24-21 win.

With the loss come the what-ifs. What if Darnell Savage had come away with an interception on the 49ers’ first possession? What if Keisean Nixon had done the same late in the third quarter?

Jordan Love

Even better, what if Green Bay had done more in the red zone in the first half?

Jordan Love and the offense ran eight plays inside San Francisco’s 20-yard line in the opening two quarters. While there, they came away with a net of zero yards and had to settle for a pair of 29-yard, Anders Carlson field goals.

Three trips inside the red zone.  Field goals instead of touchdowns.

More was needed if the seventh-seeded Packers hoped to dethrone the top-seeded 49ers.

Green Bay muscled its way into the red zone on each of its first three possessions. It chewed up 175 yards on 24 snaps, a healthy 7.3 yards per play, in getting there.

But each time, San Francisco halted the proceedings.  Each time, the 49ers prevented the Packers from getting even one first down.

• Trip No. 1: A 13-yard pass interference call on cornerback Ambry Thomas gives the Packers a first down at the SF 13. Javon Kinlaw and Chase Young throw Aaron Jones for a 2-yard loss, Deommodore Lenoir halts Ben Sims after a 4-yard reception and Charvarius Ward denies Romeo Doubs in the end zone. Carlson’s field goal puts Green Bay up 3-0.
• Trip No. 2: Jones’ 9-yard burst on second down sets up third-and-one from the SF 14. Young drops Jones for no gain and on fourth down, Love is stuffed by Dre Greenlaw and Arik Armstead. The 49ers turn around and drive 86 yards to go up 7-3.
• Trip No. 3: Love’s 22-yard pass to Doubs brings a first down on the SF 9. Lenoir holds Jones to no gain, Love’s pass to Jones loses two, and No. 10 fails to connect with Tucker Kraft on third down. Carlson’s field goal pulls Green Bay to within one at 7-6.

This lack of success differed from what went down in Dallas. When closing in on the Cowboys’ goal line, the Packers scored four touchdowns while amassing 79 yards on 15 plays.

Those 79 yards were the second most by the Green and Gold in the red zone in a postseason game. Only in dispatching Seattle 42-20 in January 2008 did the team (84 yards) gain more.

Love and Co. improved in the second half, coming away with 24 yards on three red-zone plays. Love collaborated with Bo Melton on a 19-yard TD pass and Jones set up a 2-yard Love-to-Kraft touchdown with a 3-yard run.

Kraft’s TD and Love’s pass to Jones for a two-point conversion put Green Bay ahead 21-14 with five minutes, 23 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Packers then stayed on top until Christian McCaffrey’s 6-yard run with 1:07 left closed out the scoring.

Love’s interception on an ill-advised throw sealed the deal 33 seconds later.

Until McCaffrey’s touchdown, Green Bay had kept San Francisco out of its red zone. The 49ers first two TDs were long-distance affairs, Brock Purdy to George Kittle for 32 and McCaffery at right guard for 39.

Despite its first-half struggles, Green Bay led for 37 minutes. The 49ers were on top for 15:22.

Seeing Red in the Zone
The five first halves (playoff games only) in which the Packers gained fewer than five yards in the red zone despite running at least three plays there.

   Yards     Plays     Date                       Opponent          Result
      -2             7            Jan. 16, 2016           Cardinals              GB lost, 20-26
       0              8           Jan. 20, 2024          49ers                     GB lost, 21-24
       1              4           Dec. 17, 1944            Giants                   GB won, 14-7
       1              6           Jan. 10, 2010           Cardinals              GB lost, 45-51
       4              4           Jan. 8, 1995             Cowboys               GB lost, 9-35

Predicting 2023 AP NFL Awards

 By John Turney 

Most Valuable Player—Lamar Jackson, Ravens

Offensive Player of the Year—Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (edges Tyreek Hill, Dolphins)

Defensive Player of the Year—Micah Parsons, Cowboys

Offensive Rookie of the Year—C.J. Stroud, Texans

Defensive Rookie of the Year—Jalen Carter, Eagles (edges Kobie Turner and Will Anderson)

Coach of the Year—DeMeco Ryans, Texans 

Comeback Player of the Year—Damar Hamlin, Bills

Assistant Coach of the Year—Jim Schwartz, Browns

There are not many clear-cut choices and the voting for most of the awards will be close. The only run-away winner will be Lamar Jackson. 

Five Choices for Hall's Class of 2024

 By John Turney 

Predictions for each year's Pro Football Hall of Fame's class are always hard, and always fun. These are my guesses for the Class of 2024. The voters are meeting today to present cases and discuss. The Hall's 

I think the players with the best chances are ….

1. Julius Peppers -- who is in the upper echelon among defensive ends in longevity, sacks and Pro Bowls – should make the Hall in his first year of eligibility.

2. Tight end Antonio Gates should also be a first-ballot selection. He caught more touchdown passes than any of the three wide receivers in the Final 15.

3. Of the three wide receivers, I think Andre Johnson jumps to the front of the queue. He was just different physically and was harder for defenses for defenses to find an answer for. He made it to the final 10 last year, surviving the first cut.

4. Patrick Willis, the 49ers’ linebacker, was a first-team All-Pro more than any of the finalists despite having his career cut short by injury.

5. The final slot is the toughest. Will it be a second wide receiver … Holt or Wayne? Like Johnson, both were in last year’s Top 10, surviving the cut from 15. A second pass rusher? Jared Allen was in the final 10, too. But I will go with a sleeper: Right tackle Willie Anderson. There has been an emphasis lately on looking at blockers and tackles, and Anderson has been the blocker most talked about in recent years.

6. Broncos inside linebacker Randy Gradishar, I think, will garner the necessary 80 percent of the votes to  finally get

7. Art Powell, one of the AFL's top receivers, was a surprise in the senior's category but he'll be voted in but there is no sense that he's a lock like McMichael and Gradishar. 

8. As one of the best 4-3 defensive tackles in history -- 95 career sacks -- Steve McMichael won't be snubbed. He'll get a Gold Jacket.

That's it. The coach candidate will have a tough time. Lions and Steelers head coach been snubbed all these years (he's been out of coaching since 1964) and probably will be snubbed again.

Who servives first cut? Jared Allen was in it last year, so would go with him. Torry Holt should repeat in the top ten. Dwight Freeney should move up. So should Devin Hester. Guessing they will go with a defensive back, but who? Darren Woodson edges Eric Allen and Reggie Wayne in my opinion. 

That's my best projection. 

TUESDAY TIDBITS: "We Have a Chance to Repeat"

By TJ Troup 

1989 NFCCG Rams at 49ers

Since the Packers proved they are a team to be reckoned with on the road, the significance that every year since the merger there has been at least one road victory in the NFL playoffs remains. 

We all can state our opinions on the six playoff games from this past weekend, and though was entertained by the Bills and Steelers, for me there was only one game that would be considered gripping drama. 

Are the Lions for real? Tampa Bay will be able to answer that question very soon, as the game last night demonstrated they can beat a team in freefall. 

The Buccaneers' victory over the Eagles brought out a historical stat that is riveting; 55 teams since the merger had won 10 of their first 11 games and only two did not make it to the divisional round! Norm Snead has left us, and he piloted the '68 Eagles—which for my money is the worst Eagles team in the last 75 years, but as bad as that Philadelphia team was in '68, the team that took the field last night could be called a "toxic dumpster fire".

 Are there going to be changes in the city of brotherly love? Will the sun come up tomorrow? When the Eagles beat the Bills in overtime on November 26th no one, repeat no one could have foreseen that Philadelphia would go 1-6 the rest of the season, and Buffalo would go 6-0. 

Are the Bills a team of destiny? The ghost of Tom Sestak lives! 

Bills great Tom Sestak

Since I mentioned the Rams losing on January 14th, that is a date on the calendar that has not been kind to Los Angeles, since they lost on January 14th, 1990. Our historical journey for today will take us back to the game played that day between Los Angeles and San Francisco for the right to go to the Super Bowl, yet first there is going to be a background story. 

Many summers from 1974 till 1990 was able to go to Rams camp to watch them practice, and while all of them were fun, and educational there is one that stands out. Summer of '89 and arrived at Rams camp wearing my Riverside City College coaching shirt, and as per usual there were no restrictions for me. 

Jim Everett, Norv Turner and John Robinson

Stood about 30 feet from the receiver drills conducted by Norv Turner, and watched one of my favorite receivers of that era demonstrate his all-pro ability; Mr. Henry Ellard. Later walked over to watch 7 on 7, and there sitting on the ground lotus style is Ernie Zampese. He has his #2 Ticonderoga pencils sharpened to a fine point in his plastic pocket protector, and his long legal pad to take notes. 

Jim Everett had a powerful arm and did not shy away from showing off. The Ram quarterback would take his 5-step drop and pat the ball for an extended amount of time, in fact so long that coach Zampese would start yelling, "Let it go" "let it go" and then verbally berate Everett for how long he held the ball before throwing. 

Quoting Peter King in Sports Illustrated, "Jim Everett has happy feet, as he was a confident 65% passer in the first five games. Now he's jittery; he's throwing off his back foot and is not seeing all his receivers. 

During the slump, he has completed only 46% of his throws. The key to beating Everett is pressure, even if that means single coverage on wide receivers Henry Ellard and Flipper Anderson". Los Angeles after the 5-0 start lost four straight, but rebounded to win six of seven to earn a wild-card berth. 

The Rams beat the Niners in San Francisco for the 6th time in the decade but lost the re-match on a Monday Night Game that was one of the most entertaining games of the year. Two impressive road victories in the playoffs and Los Angeles gets rewarded with another trip to the Bay Area to play their bitter rivals. 

Can Los Angeles beat San Francisco again and earn their first Super Bowl trip in a decade? The team they face has handled the transition from Walsh to Siefert very well, and quoting Joe Montana we have the title to our narrative. 

Lengthy film study of this 49er team tells us that this is one of the best teams from Steve Sabol's remarkable series "AMERICA'S GAME". The Niners have no weakness and if somehow they could have scored two more touchdowns during the year against the Rams and Packers they would have been the first 16-0 team. 

Remember the game like it was yesterday, and as per usual had my Dr. Peppers chilled and a big bowl of Smokehouse Almonds right in front of me on my coffee table. San Francisco goes three and out, and here comes Los Angeles quickly moving 44 yards in 10 plays as Lansford drills home his kick. The Niners' next possession ends on one of those strange plays where Wilcher of the Rams forced a fumble, yet guard McIntyre recovers, only he fumbles and Kelm falls on the ball at the thirty-three. 

Many people believe the key play of the game happens in this next series as Everett on 2nd and three at the Forty-Niner Forty has his pass to Anderson knocked away by all-pro safety Ronnie Lott. We see that Mr. Lott had the instincts and range to take the proper angle and deflect the ball away. Rams punt after another incompletion, and late in the first quarter, the Niners drive to the Rams forty-five. 

The impressive drive continues into the 2nd quarter and ends with Montana finding Jones open in the end zone for the 20-yard score. San Francisco mixed run and pass to go 89 yards in 13 plays, but more important was the systematic attack that had one of the best defensive coordinators in Fritz Shurmer looking for a way to stop Montana. Nine seconds remained in the half when Montana delivered an 18-yard timing strike to Taylor in the end zone for a 21-3 half-time lead. 

So much has been written about the 49er offense of this era, but for me, the stat that stood out in the first half is Greg Bell carried 7 times for 20 yards rushing with a long run of 5 yards, and since no one else carried the ball. 

You must ask yourself that one fateful question; where is the balance in the Ram offense? San Francisco gained 54 yards rushing, and Mr. Montana gained 198 on his 18 completions. Los Angeles must answer to begin the second half, and after three plays, punts the ball to John Taylor. His flashy return of 29 yards is negated by a penalty, thus the Niners begin at their own twenty-eight. 

The Niner offense is still balanced and results in a field goal, the first of three that Helton will boom through the uprights. When a team wins the right to go to the Super Bowl 30-3 against their most bitter rivals no doubt an already confident team feels they are invincible. Paul Lionel Zimmerman in his write-up of the victory over Minnesota in the divisional round has a quote from offensive tackle Harris Barton on a well-run counter play that picked up 10 yards."A key-breaker as we hadn't shown that".

 Offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick designed most of the running schemes and rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he watched the carnage "I mean, you expect some of the things to work, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect anything like this". Against Los Angeles, the scheme continued to produce yards on the ground as San Francisco gained 125 rushing in the second half. 

Bobb McKittrick

We all have players that we enjoy watching play, and for me, the man that stood out for the Niners was Tom Rathman as he gained 63 rushing, including his longest run of the season of 17 yards, his blocking for Roger Craig, ....yet his receiving skills were simply awesome, as he latched onto 6 Montana passes. Earlier in the season Rathman had a game where he caught 11 for 103 yards! 

Defensively every Niner contributed as they might have gotten only one sack, but pressure again gave Everett happy feet, and you saw proper pursuit angles, and a mixture of zone and man that limited Ellard and Anderson. 

Harry Kalas in doing the narration for the season highlight film stated that San Francisco had "balance and precison". This Saturday we will see if the Niners can stop a red-hot Packer team and continue on their journey to the Super Bowl.