GREEN BAY, WI – JANUARY 08: Randall Cobb #18 of the Green Bay Packers catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter during the NFC Wild Card game against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field on January 8, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

NFL Wild Card weekend provided plenty of material to choose from for This Weekend in NFL Stupid.

With a column like this, you’d think we’d have less to work with during the playoffs. There are fewer games, and the teams playing in said games are presumably kind of smart. But not this past weekend. In fact, we could have written the entireThis Weekend in NFL Stupid column based on one team’s stupidity. That’s where we’ll start…

Everything New York Giants

But specifically…

The defense’s complete lack of understanding regarding how to defend a Hail Mary: Put your hands in the air, guys! Consider jumping! And I know you’re a rookie, Eli Apple, but is this your first year playing football altogether? You don’t let a guy get behind you there.

The defense not letting Jared Cook catch a pass that would have ended the first half: I know it doesn’t feel right allowing an opposing player to make a play that on the surface seems successful, but the Packers made a huge mistake by throwing to Cook in the middle of the field on the penultimate play of the first half.

When Giants defenders saw that throw, they should have backed off and positioned themselves to make an easy tackle. With Green Bay out of timeouts, the clock would have run out a few seconds later, and the Packers never would have had the chance to attempt that Hail Mary.

I know that seems a little complex, but these players and their coaches are paid a lot of money to be aware of these types of things in big moments. You have to account for everything.

Bobby Rainey forgetting how kick returns work: I’ve been watching football a long time, and before Sunday I’d never before seen a returner casually field a kick and voluntarily step out of bounds inside his own five-yard line.

About Brad Gagnon

Brad Gagnon has been passionate about both sports and mass media since he was in diapers -- a passion that won't die until he's in them again. Based in Toronto, he's worked as a national NFL blog editor at theScore.com, a producer and writer at theScore Television Network and a host, reporter and play-by-play voice at Rogers TV. His work has also appeared at CBSSports.com, Deadspin, FoxSports.com, The Guardian, The Hockey News and elsewhere at Comeback Media, but his day gig has him covering the NFL nationally for Bleacher Report.