Upstart Packers pull off wild card stunner by routing Cowboys 48-32

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Jordan Love threw for 3 touchdowns, Aaron Jones ran for 3 extra and Darnell Savage returned an interception 64 yards for a rating and the Inexperienced Bay Packers handed the Dallas Cowboys their first residence loss for the reason that 2022 opener in a 48-32 wild card stunner Sunday.

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Romeo Doubs had a career-high 151 yards receiving per week after being hospitalized with a chest damage because the Packers gained in Love’s post-season debut after ending the common season 6-2 to seize the NFC’s remaining playoff spot.

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“We got here in right here with a mindset of we’re going to dominate,” Love mentioned. “Lots of people had been counting us out and we didn’t care about that.”

Inexperienced Bay (10-8) will go to top-seeded San Francisco within the divisional spherical subsequent weekend.

Dak Prescott threw two interceptions earlier than three principally empty landing passes in one other playoff flop for him and the No. 2 seed Cowboys (12-6).

Dallas had gained its earlier 16 regular-season residence video games, however now has allowed essentially the most factors in a recreation within the membership’s post-season historical past. The earlier excessive was 38.

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The Cowboys, who haven’t reached an NFC championship since the latest of their 5 Tremendous Bowl titles 28 years in the past, didn’t path by greater than eight factors at AT&T Stadium this season earlier than falling behind 27-0 within the first half.

The loss will increase questions on the way forward for Dallas coach Mike McCarthy after the Cowboys misplaced their playoff opener at residence for the second time in three post-seasons underneath the previous Inexperienced Bay coach.

Dallas is the primary workforce to win not less than 12 video games in three consecutive seasons with out making a convention title recreation.

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The Packers have by no means misplaced in six journeys to AT&T Stadium — together with the Tremendous Bowl over Pittsburgh in the course of the 2010 season. They now have two playoff victories over the Cowboys after Aaron Rodgers led a 34-31 divisional win when Dallas was the NFC’s prime seed in 2016, Prescott’s rookie 12 months.

These Packers let a 21-3 lead slip away. These Packers, with the four-time MVP’s successor, left little doubt with a 48-16 fourth-quarter lead earlier than two late Dallas TDs.

Dealing with the NFL’s fifth greatest defence, Inexperienced Bay matched its Tremendous Bowl-winning workforce from 2010 for essentially the most factors in a playoff recreation. That was additionally on the street, a 48-21 victory at top-seeded Atlanta within the divisional spherical.

Doubs, who returned to the Inexperienced Bay sideline after his hospital journey earlier than the tip of final week’s 17-9 residence victory over Chicago that secured a playoff spot, had 102 yards at halftime. It was seven greater than the second-year participant’s earlier greatest.

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First-half catches of twenty-two, 26 and 39 yards helped get Love going and the fourth-year QB completed 16 of 21 for 272 yards because the Packers scored touchdowns on six of their first seven offensive possessions of their highest-scoring recreation since 2014.

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Considered one of them was arrange by Prescott’s first interception on the Dallas 19-yard line from Jaire Alexander after he was questionable coming in when he sprained an ankle in the course of the week.

A 46-yard seize by Doubs early within the second half helped end off the Cowboys after they’d scored 10 factors on both aspect of the break. Doubs, Luke Musgrave and Dontayvion Wicks had TD catches.

Jones rushed for 118 yards, placing him over the century mark in all 4 profession video games in opposition to the Cowboys with 9 touchdowns.

The group underneath the retractable roof on a frigid day within the Dallas space had already been stone-cold silenced when Prescott tried to throw a slant to prime receiver CeeDee Lamb. Savage, who went with out an interception within the common season for the primary time in his five-year profession, stepped in entrance and run untouched for a 27-0 lead with 1:50 left earlier than halftime.

Prescott completed 41 of 60 for 403 yards with all three of his touchdowns to tight finish Jake Ferguson.

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