Following Green Bay’s 48-32 victory against Dallas in the NFC wild-card round, Packers coach Matt LaFleur was full of praise, which he expressed in a passionate locker room address that was recorded by the team’s official Twitter account.
He noted that, although the playoff format has only included No. 7 seeds for the past four years, the Packers are the first seventh seed in NFL history to win a postseason game. They had been 0–6 prior to the Packers’ victory on Sunday (now 1–7 after the Steelers lost to Buffalo).
The players applauded that detail, but LaFleur was far from finished. Here are the people who received shout-outs in case you missed it.
The kickoff team
Green Bay folded as time expired in the first half after Cowboys kick returner KaVontae Turpin returned a kickoff 47 yards to the Dallas 45, giving the Cowboys a touchdown.
The subsequent post-kickoff drives for Dallas began from the 24-yard line (Isaiah McDuffie tackle), the 12-yard line (due to a penalty), and the 25-yard line twice (touchbacks). Zayne Anderson stopped Turpin at the 14-yard line during a drive that resulted in a punt from midfield earlier in the first half. Following Green Bay’s first touchdown, McDuffie hauled Turpin down at the 23.
‘J-Reed and Musgrave recovering those onsides’
One of the standout players of 2023, Jayden Reed, had 112 receiving yards and two touchdowns the previous week versus the Bears in the regular-season finale. And he had, on three targets, zero catches against the Cowboys? Don’t believe, however, that Reed didn’t contribute. With 3:24 remaining in the game, he not only made room for other weapons to enter the field, but he also leaped on an onside kick as Dallas players gathered, expecting it to travel 10 yards.
With 5:52 remaining, Luke Musgrave also stopped an onside kick that had squibbed past the Packers’ first line of defence. Both required difficult recoveries.
‘Daniel Whelan three punts inside the 10’
The three times the rookie punter from Ireland booted it away, the Cowboys were fair-caught in bad field position: two at the 8-yard line and one at the 9. Of those drives, the Cowboys only scored on one.
”Sav’ with the pick-6′
Of course, it would be Darnell Savage, who skillfully read a pass from Dak Prescott just before the two-minute warning and returned it 64 yards for a score. The safety’s first interception of the year put the Packers ahead 27 points to zero.
‘Ja-Money setting it up with a pick’
It was also Jaire Alexander’s first interception of the season, and it carried a great deal of difficulty. When the game was still early in the second quarter, his diving reception at the Dallas 13-yard line set up a quick touchdown drive for the Packers, giving them a two-score lead.
‘(Preston Smith) finishing it off at the end’
With 46 seconds remaining, Preston Smith’s sack of Prescott at the Green Bay 27-yard line left the Cowboys in a fourth-and-eight position. Although the game was probably over at that point, Packers supporters are aware that you can never count your chickens in a postseason game. With time remaining, Dallas might score there and the game would be tied at one.
‘Offensive line, no sacks’
Keeping a quarterback upright against Micah Parsons, the top pass rusher in the league, is no easy task. However, the offensive line did more than just that; they created wide lanes for Aaron Jones, who ran for his fourth consecutive 100-yard game.
‘Musgrave stayed on his feet!’
The speech’s high point was undoubtedly when LaFleur enthusiastically acknowledged the tight end, who was still recovering from a kidney laceration. Musgrave was about as open as a football player can be when he grabbed all three receptions thrown his way, going 52 yards for a gain and a 38-yard score. Despite his propensity for tripping or decking the ball on first contact, the gifted rookie managed to stay on his feet and complete the last 15 yards this time.
There were many memes.
‘Wicks with the tud’
Dontayvion Wicks only caught two passes for 25 yards, but in the first half, one of them was a beautiful “tud” (touchdown) ball from Jordan Love.
‘Whoever this Romeo Doubs guy was … 6/150 and a tud’
Romeo Doubs hurt his chest against the Bears, so it wasn’t obvious going into the week if he would be available. In addition to playing, he had a fantastic postseason debut, hauling in six passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, including a diving reception of a Love seed on a fourth-and-two at the 3-yard line. Since the merger, it is the eighth-highest receiving yardage for a rookie in the NFL playoffs.
‘How about Aaron Jones with three tuds today?’
In addition to his three touchdowns, Aaron Jones ran for 118 yards, but it seemed like more. With nine touchdowns in just four games, the 29-year-old, who is experiencing the finest run of his career, dominated the game and recorded his fourth straight 100-yard running effort and his fourth try at 100 yards in as many attempts against the Cowboys.
‘This guy finished with the highest QB rating in Packer (playoff history)’
That would be Love, of course, whose rating was on the verge of perfection until a late incompletion brought it down to 157.2. This is the highest score since Lynn Dickey’s 150.4 against St. Louis early in 1983.
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