Jordan Love and Aaron Jones combined for six touchdowns, as the Green Bay Packers tied a franchise record for points in a postseason game with its 48-32 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas on Jan. 14.
“It feels fine, to be in that locker room, it is a great environment to be in,” said Love, after the victory. “I can’t say enough about how proud I am of everyone in the locker room. It has been a long season. We have been counted out a lot of the season – just the way everybody keeps battling, keeps competing, keeps getting better and putting on great performances like tonight. It is a great feeling.”
Love certainly looked the part of a franchise quarterback in his first playoff start, as the fourth-year pro completed 16-of-21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns. In total, Love finished with a 157.2 passer rating.
As has been the case for most of his career, Jones continued to gash the Cowboys defense on the ground. Jones finished the game recording 21 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Those three rushing touchdowns tied Ryan Grant’s mark for most rushing touchdowns in a playoff game in Green Bay history.
“I think that was the key for us coming into this game was to run the ball well. and I think we did that,” said Love. “Getting started, the O-Line, like I said, played great and Aaron Jones had an awesome night. I think the run game – the way we were running the ball – opened up everything else, and I think it was able to keep the pass rush down a little bit. It was a great game by the O-Line and the running backs.”
As for the receiving game, Romeo Doubs was the main benefactor of Love’s big day, as the Nevada alum recorded 151 yards and one touchdown on six receptions. In another historic performance for Green Bay, this was Doubs’ first career 100-yard game.
Rookies Luke Musgrave and Dontayvion Wicks rounded out Love’s three touchdown passes.
“We are playing all together as one,” said Jones, on his success against Dallas and the past few weeks. “The blocking unit – they are doing their thing up front making it easy for me to pick and choose what hole I want to run through.”
Aside from 16 points from the Cowboys in garbage time, the Green Bay Packers defense once again was at the top of its game. The vaunted Dallas offense was held to just seven points in the first half, as there seemed to be a major disconnect between quarterback Dak Prescott and star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb, who led the NFL receptions, was held to just 18 yards on two receptions. The Oklahoma alum was able to get back to that All-Pro form in the second half though, as he finished the game with 110 yards on nine receptions.
As for Prescott, he totaled 403 yards on 41-of-60 passes, adding three touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Cowboys though, two of Prescott’s passes were intercepted.
Up 7-0 late in the first quarter, Prescott dropped back and threw a pass intended for Brandin Cooks. Packers defensive back Jaire Alexander, who was battling an ankle injury late in the week, made an incredible play on the ball and came up with a diving interception. Three plays later, Jones scored his second touchdown of the day.
The Packers’ second interception of the day came late in the second quarter, as during Dallas’ march, Prescott threw a pass intended for Lamb. Packers defensive back Darnell Savage made a great break on the ball, jumped in front of Lamb and intercepted the pass. With an open field in front of him, Savage returned the interception all the way back for a touchdown.
“I was just watching the play develop and he obviously jumped the route, so I don’t know if he knew what was coming,” said head coach Matt LaFleur, on the interception. “It was obviously a critical play in this game. That just kind of allowed us to pile it on at that point.”
Dallas’ only first half touchdown came late in the half, as Prescott connected with tight end and former Wisconsin Badger Jake Ferguson for the first of his three touchdown receptions.
The Cowboys opened the second half with a field goal, but as was the story for the entire game, anytime Dallas showed any momentum, Green Bay immediately responded. In this case, after Dallas made its field goal, Green Bay faced a first-and-10 from its own 37-yard line. Love dropped back to pass and connected with Doubs, who after a catch and run, picked up 46 yards. Two plays later, Jones capped off his trifecta of touchdowns with a 9-yard rush.
The Cowboys responded with an 11-play drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown rush from running back Tony Pollard. More than just giving up the touchdown, Green Bay lost Alexander for the game as early in the drive, he went down with what appeared to be an injury to his already injured ankle.
On Green Bay’s next drive, Jones continued to dismantle the Cowboys’ defense, picking up 37 yards on the first two plays. With the strong run game, Green Bay dialed up a play action pass that saw Musgrave wide open down the right side of the field. When he caught the pass, the closest defender to Musgrave was 16 yards away. With the lack of the defense near him, Musgrave had a straight shot to the end zone.
“Like I said, when you are able to run the ball, it opens everything else up,” said Jones. “I think we were able to set them up pretty nice on Luke’s (Musgrave) touchdown, you know, they have been seeing a lot of outside zone all game, and we hit them with that.”
After turning Dallas over on downs, Green Bay’s final touchdown and dagger in the game came as Love and company were faced with a fourth-and-two from the Cowboys’ 3-yard line. Love took the snap, rolled to his right and threw a dart to Doubs, which after a made extra point, put the Packers up 48-16.
“Guys are out there making plays,” said Love, on his receivers being open all game. “The one to Luke (Musgrave) was a great one dialed up by Matt (LaFleur) to get him wide open. The one to Wicks – just go back and look at his route – it was a great route all around, and then he was able to finish the play. I mean, guys are making plays, the O-Line is giving me time to get the ball off, so all around, a team effort.”
With 10:23 left in the game, the game was not completely over, as Dallas ripped off 16 straight points and was in position to make the contest a one-score game with 2:06 remaining. Prescott and company marched down to the Packers 29-yard line. From there, the drive stalled, as on third down Packers linebacker Preston Smith sacked Prescott to set up fourth down. On the ensuing play, Prescott threw up a prayer, which landed incomplete, allowing the Packers to take back over and kneel the clock out.
The season ended sour again for the Dallas Cowboys, as it now marks 28 years since the Cowboys have made it past the Divisional Round in the NFC playoffs. In fact, since AT&T Stadium in Dallas was completed after the 2009 season, the Packers and Cowboys both have two playoff victories there.
As for Green Bay, it became the first seven seed in NFL history to win a playoff game. With the victory, Green Bay will now take a flight over to Santa Clara to take on the San Francisco 49ers.
The Packers have struggled in the Aaron Rodgers era playing at San Francisco, but with a new quarterback at the helm and a multitude of offensive weapons, can Green Bay exercise its demons on the West Coast?
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