Unsettling trend: Quinn is against offenses coming from the Kyle Shanahan tree. Though he worked under Quinn in Atlanta, Packers coach Matt LaFleur learned his offense under Shanahan, who is currently the 49ers coach. Shanahan has defeated the Cowboys in all three of the previous seasons, most recently at San Francisco 42-10 this season. Quinn was defeated by Mike McDaniel of Miami, who coached under Shanahan in San Francisco in December. Whether the Cowboys were playing coverage, blitzing, or man-covering, LaFleur had Quinn’s defense hammered all day. — Todd Archer
The Packers led by 20 points at the half and never looked back en route to a 48-32 triumph. They scored on their opening possession.
Now, Green Bay travels west to play the 49ers, who are ranked first, next week in the divisional round.
The Cowboys head into the summer with uncertainty surrounding the futures of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, quarterback Dak Prescott, and coach Mike McCarthy after finishing 12-5 in the regular season and missing out on the playoffs.
These aren’t the same youthful Packers. These are the Packers of Jordan Love.
Surrounded by the NFL’s youngest collection of pass-catchers, the first-year starting quarterback put on a show fit for a king on Sunday, defeating the Cowboys in his first-ever playoff game.
If Love’s 32 touchdown passes during the regular season, which ranked second in the NFL behind Prescott, weren’t enough to thrill a team looking to win three straight quarterback championships (Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre), then Sunday’s overwhelming dominance should do the trick.
Love finished with a 157.2 passer rating, going 16 of 21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns.
The young Packers are not the same ones anymore. These are Jordan Love’s Packers.
Encircled by the NFL’s newest group of pass-catchers, the rookie starting quarterback defeated the Cowboys in his very first playoff game on Sunday, putting on a spectacle befitting a monarch.
If Love’s 32 touchdown passes in the regular season—which came in second to Prescott in the NFL—were insufficient to excite a squad hoping to win three straight quarterback titles (Bret Favre, Aaron Rodgers), then Sunday’s utter dominance ought to do the trick.
Love completed with 16 of 21 passing for 272 yards and three touchdowns, good for a 157.2 passer rating.
Trend worth watching: Had Aaron Jones played for the Packers the entire season, they may have been hosting playoff games. The running back went into the playoffs on a three-game winning streak of 100 yards rushing after missing six games during the regular season (three due to a hamstring ailment and three for a knee injury).
Jones maintained his winning streak against the Cowboys on Sunday by rushing for 118 yards and scoring three touchdowns, including the first two of the game. Currently, he has four career games with nine touchdowns against Dallas.
Second encouraging trend: Who requires an obvious top receiver? Not love, it seems. Romeo Doubs became the third different receiver to reach the 100-yard mark in as many games. Against the Cowboys, Doubs reached that milestone in the first half and went on to finish with six catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. Jayden Reed (112 yards) did it last week against the Bears. It was Bo Melton (105), against the Vikings, the previous week.
Crucial play(s): Darnell Savage and Jaire Alexander had neither recorded an interception this season prior to Sunday. Everything altered throughout the first part. Due to an ankle injury, Alexander looked doubtful, but he picked off Prescott deep in Cowboys territory, setting the stage for Jones’ second touchdown, which gave the team a 14-0 lead. With 1:50 remaining in the second quarter, Savage then caught one and returned it 64 yards for a 27-0 advantage on the first play following the two-minute warning in the first half. The Packers have not scored a defensive touchdown in a postseason game since Sam Shields’ pick-six in the divisional round against San Francisco in 2012.
astonishing NFL Next Gen stat: Savage’s pick-six had a top speed of 20.82 mph. This season, that was the third-fastest speed on a Packers touchdown. — Rob
With two games at AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys went 8-0 during the regular season, the season finished with such a thud that only doubts remain. It was a season that appeared full of promise, with a third straight 12-5 finish, an NFC East title, and a path to an NFC Championship Game.
The Packers used every trick in the book to destroy the Cowboys.
This raises concerns about the future of head coach Mike McCarthy, the sustainability of quarterback Dak Prescott, and the possible exit of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. This is what occurs when a team puts on such a horrible show that it ends up being the biggest home playoff defeat in the team’s history. The worst was a 38-14 defeat in the 1969 Eastern Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns.
Eight one-and-done playoff visits by the Cowboys have occurred since their final conference championship game appearance in 1995. Twice (in 2007 and 2016) as the top seed, and now as the second seed, they have accomplished it.
Two words to sum up the game: Very sorry. The Cowboys played poorly in the first half, behind 27-0 at one point, while having the opportunity to advance to the NFC Championship Game through two home games.
QB breakdown: In the first half, Prescott threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, extending Green Bay’s advantage to 27 points. The last time a quarterback for the Cowboys handed up a pick-six in the playoffs was Troy Aikman in the NFC Championship Game of 1994.
During the regular season, Prescott had one game with multiple interceptions (three vs San Francisco). In the previous two years, it was his second multi-pick playoff game. With 36 touchdown throws, Prescott led the league, but he never seemed at ease against a Packers defense that wasn’t regarded as the best at any time during the season. He was not connecting with receiver CeeDee Lamb, particularly in the first half, as they were unable to connect on four passes. In the regular-season finale, Prescott was 13 of 13 on throws to Lamb; on Sunday, he was 9 of 18.
Crucial play: Let’s revisit the game’s third play. With no pressure applied, Jordan Love found receiver Romeo Doubs for 22 yards through a massive hole in the Dallas defense as the Cowboys had Green Bay in a second-and-13 situation. The Packers gained a lead they wouldn’t give up nine plays later. The Cowboys were unable to contain the Doubs throughout the game, thus his catch was a portent of things to come. His catches in the first three quarters were for 22, 26, 39, 15, and 46 yards. This season, the Cowboys have nine games where they have allowed no more than four pass plays of 20 yards. That was all Doubs had on his own in three quarters.
Unsettling trend: Quinn is against offenses coming from the Kyle Shanahan tree. Though he worked under Quinn in Atlanta, Packers coach Matt LaFleur learned his offense under Shanahan, who is currently the 49ers coach. Shanahan has defeated the Cowboys in all three of the previous seasons, most recently at San Francisco 42-10 this season. Quinn was defeated by Mike McDaniel of Miami, who coached under Shanahan in San Francisco in December. Whether the Cowboys were playing coverage, blitzing, or man-covering, LaFleur had Quinn’s defense hammered all day. — Todd Archer
