The Dallas Cowboys had the league’s best offense and a top-five defense. It didn’t matter to the Green Bay Packers as they shocked the home team during their Wild Card Round victory. The result wasn’t even close in favor of the team that needed to win their regular-season finale to enter the playoffs.
While the Packers entered AT&T Stadium as the heavy underdog, they landed the heavy punches early after establishing an insurmountable first-half lead. The Cowboys tried to mount a run by scoring ten unanswered points to bridge the first and second half, but Green Bay always had an answer.
The FIRST seventh seed to EVER win a playoff game.#CreateHistory | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/fUxtPy4ONV
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 15, 2024
The 48-32 score did not reflect the dominance of Matt LaFleur’s crew against the second-seed Cowboys. The game was out of reach when Romeo Doubs caught a touchdown pass to make the count 48-16. Dallas scored two touchdowns and a couple of two-point conversions in two minutes, but the lead was too massive to overcome.
Jordan Love was sensational in his first postseason appearance, finishing with 16 completions for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He became the first quarterback in league history to finish with a perfect passer rating in his playoff debut.
Meanwhile, Doubs led the Packers’ air game with six catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. Aside from his fourth-quarter scoring grab, his earlier catches helped Green Bay keep their drives going after facing third-and-long situations.
The Packers also got massive contributions from running back Aaron Jones, who had three rushing yards and 118 yards on the ground. More importantly, Green Bay didn’t turn the ball over while Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had two interceptions, including a pick-six to Darnell Savage to stretch their lead to 27-0.
Conversely, the Cowboys got 403 yards and three touchdowns from Prescott, but most came after Green Bay had established the momentum. First Team All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb finished with nine catches for 110 yards but didn’t mesh with Prescott during the game’s earlier minutes.
The defeat worsened Mike McCarthy’s playoff record with the Cowboys to 1-3, raising speculations about his job security. Likewise, the Cowboys are left searching for answers after another disappointing end to a promising season.
As for the Packers, they will travel to California to face the top-seed San Francisco 49ers. After becoming the first seventh-seed to win a postseason game, another upset victory gets them into the NFC Championship Game.
-Lance Fernandez