It’s playoff time and the first postseason experience for the new version of the Green Bay Packers. The team is scheduled to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium for a spot in the divisional round.
I try not to post Jordan Love every week because I’m too lazy, but it’s impossible. This game should be celebrated as it is his first playoff game as a starter and the start of a new era in Packers football.
Plus, Love led the Packers most of the regular season, and the team wouldn’t be where it is without him. But there are other key pieces, and Green Bay will need all of them to beat the favorites. Let’s take a look at five players to watch this week.
Jordan love
The Packers rookie quarterback finished the season fifth in EPA/play and 14th in completion percentage. He is second only to Dak Prescott. But from week 9 onwards, the numbers became even more impressive. Love ranked third in EPA/Play and fourth in wins. In his last eight games, he has 18 tackles and one interception.
He is one of the best defenders in football.And the Packers will need it on Sunday. They’ll need his outstanding production, but they’ll also need something they didn’t expect before the season: his ability to avoid bad mistakes and turnovers. Aaron Jones
Jones has a great record against the Cowboys. Do you remember the match from 2019? Davante Adams didn’t play, so Matt LaFleur had a complete game plan for the entire game. And he had 19 carries for 107 yards and four touchdowns and seven receptions for 75 yards.
The Packers, who won last year 31-28 in overtime, opened the game with 7 points. Aaron Jones finished the game with 24 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown.Jones is back to full health and has looked outstanding overall, and the Packers’ running game has benefited from it. In the first half of the season, the Packers ranked 19th in the EPA.They moved up to fifth in the second half and brought more consistency to the attack.
Jayden Reed
Dontayvion Wicks got all the attention after scoring twice against the Chicago Bears, but Jaden Reed also had a great game with four catches for 112 yards. He will be especially important in this cowboy game.
Dallas had trouble covering wide receivers in the middle of the field due to poor off-ball linebackers.For years, Matt LaFleur has been an expert on opposing defenses, allowing bad matchups to exploit linebackers and creating good matchups for offenses.And as a slot receiver, Reed can move closer to the middle of the field and be the primary option on those plays.
Kenny Clark
The defense never had more than six sacks in a season. In 2023, he ranked third on the team in scoring with 7.5 points, behind Rashaan Gary and Preston Smith. He had a total of 61 pressures.
That efficiency shows what the Packers can expect from Clark, who has been in the NFL since 2016 but is still just 28 years old. Green Bay’s defensive line is built for penetration. You might end up giving up big runs, but the basic idea is to break inside pockets and they have succeeded at a very high level.
