Packers Beat Cowboys In Wild-Card Round, 48-32
Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes, Aaron Jones ran for three more, and Darnell Savage returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown as the Green Bay Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in a wild-card game Sunday.
A week after being hospitalized with a chest injury, Romeo Doubs had a career-high 151 yards receiving as the Packers won Love’s playoffs debut after closing the regular season 6-2 to secure the NFC’s last playoff spot.
Next weekend, Green Bay (10-8) will play top-seeded San Francisco in the divisional round.
In another playoff flop for Dak Prescott and the No. 2 seed Cowboys (12-6), quarterback tossed two picks before three relatively empty touchdown throws.
Dallas had won its previous 16 regular-season home games, but has now allowed the most points in a postseason game in the club’s history. The previous record was 38.
The Cowboys, who haven’t won an NFC crown since the last of their five Super Bowl triumphs 28 years ago, never trailed by more than eight points at AT&T Stadium this season before falling down 27-0 in the first half.
The loss calls into question Dallas coach Mike McCarthy’s future after the Cowboys lost their playoff opener at home for the second time in three postseasons under the former Green Bay coach.
Dallas is the only club to win at least 12 games in three consecutive playoff seasons while failing to reach the conference championship game.
The Packers have never lost at AT&T Stadium, including a Super Bowl victory over Pittsburgh in 2010. They now have two playoff triumphs over the Cowboys, including a 34-31 divisional victory in 2016 when Dallas was the NFC’s top seed.
The Packers blew a 21-3 advantage. With a 48-16 fourth-quarter advantage before two late Dallas touchdowns, the Packers with the four-time MVP’s replacement left little question.
Green Bay tied its Super Bowl-winning club from 2010 for the most points in a postseason game against the NFL’s fifth-best defense. That came on the road as well, with a 48-21 win over top-seeded Atlanta in the divisional round.
Doubs had 102 yards at halftime after returning to the Green Bay sideline before the end of last week’s 17-9 home victory over Chicago that secured a playoff spot. It was seven more than the previous best for the second-year player.
Love got things going with first-half catches of 22, 26, and 39 yards, and the fourth-year quarterback finished 16 of 21 for 272 yards as the Packers scored touchdowns on seven of their first eight possessions in their highest-scoring game since 2014.
One of them was set up by Prescott’s first interception at the Dallas 19-yard line, which came from Jaire Alexander, who was doubtful coming in after spraining his ankle earlier in the week.
Doubs’ 46-yard grab early in the second half helped finish off the Cowboys, who had scored 10 points on either side of the half. Doubs, Luke Musgrave, and Dontayvion Wicks all recorded touchdown receptions.
Jones carried for 118 yards and nine touchdowns, putting him over the century mark in all four games versus the Cowboys.
When Prescott attempted to throw a slant to top receiver CeeDee Lamb on a freezing day in Dallas, the fans under the retractable roof had already been stone-cold silent.
With 1:50 left before halftime, Savage, who went without an interception in the regular season for the first time in his five-year career, stepped in front and ran unimpeded for a 27-0 lead.
Prescott finished 41 of 60 for 403 yards, scoring three times to tight end Jake Ferguson.
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