In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Mike Lucas and Tom Oates go over the Green Bay Packers’ playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Oates says the Packers outplayed the heavily-favored 49ers most of the game. Even so, mistakes were made.

“The missed opportunities later in the game really hurt. The fourth-and-1. The missed field goal. The two interceptions, one of which was a bad throw and one of which was a bad decision,” says Oates, the former Wisconsin State Journal sports columnist. “Those hurt the most because the game was being decided at that point.” 

Lucas just wishes the NFL would figure out how to spot a ball correctly.

“This still boggles most people’s minds, that we’re in 2024 and they don’t have a better system or measurement,” says Lucas, a Cap Times sports freelance writer and former radio color analyst for the Badgers. “Couldn’t they set something up like Wimbledon? Where they have the technology so you know if the ball is in or out. Then show it on the screen. Wouldn’t that be the same thing?”

Lucas and Oates also think the Packers are in need of a coaching shakeup next season. 

“If it was my choice, I’d say thank you (to Joe Barry) for the way his defense played late in the year,” says Lucas. “And then I’d find another defensive coordinator.”

Finally, the veteran journalists give their Super Bowl picks. Neither think Kansas City will make it but they both like Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

“He’s a difference maker like Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers in their prime,” says Oates. 

“He’s the Max Klesmit of the NFL!” declares Lucas.” 

The Wisconsin Sportscast is a Cap Times podcast featuring two of the state's most experienced sports journalists. It’s produced by Dylan Brogan. Find The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.