One team’s victory against the other during the opening weekend of the 2023–24 NFL Playoffs stands out above all others. With an outstanding 48-32 victory over the 2-seed Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers became the first 7-seed in NFL history to progress during Super Wild Card Weekend, which saw five of the six home teams win, most by sizable scores. It’s true that some teams play their greatest football in the postseason, and Green Bay is doing just that at the moment.
Jordan Love is receiving a lot of well-deserved recognition for his effort against Dallas on Sunday. To be honest though, every player on the team performed admirably in every aspect of the game. Dak Prescott was intercepted twice by the defence, one of which resulted in a pick-six touchdown. Additionally, they made him try 60 passes, which indicates that they were quite successful in stopping Tony Pollard and the Dallas running game.
Against what was thought to be a top-tier Dallas defence, the previously mentioned Love spearheaded a powerful offence. Love contributed to the team’s seven score day by completing 16 of 21 throws for 272 yards and three touchdowns. With the exception of a failed extra point in the second quarter, the youngest player in the NFL put on an almost flawless performance.
I have to take a big bite out of this here because, as you may have noticed from reading any of my previous posts, I was the biggest “Debbie Downer” when it came to the Packers. I wrote during the season about how Love and LaFleur had to worry about their jobs in the real world, and I even wondered if it was better to aim for a quality draft pick or to get a wild card bid. These theories were influenced in part by the team’s inconsistent play throughout the season as well as my genuine disbelief in Green Bay’s chances of making the playoffs at all, much less going past the first round.
Nevertheless, this shouldn’t mean that the Packers are a lock to be a serious Super Bowl candidate. It’s still quite feasible that they lose handily to the San Francisco 49ers, the best team in the NFC, in the divisional round. Another possibility is that they disappoint the next season, especially given the high expectations for 2024. If the NFL is recognised for anything, it is for its parity and unpredictable nature.
However, there is a common idea among sports fans that the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers are both rising clubs, and their playoff victory this past weekend only served to validate that notion. Both
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