The first weekend of the 2023-24 NFL Playoffs is in the books, and there was one team’s win that stood out above all others. In a Super Wild Card Weekend that consisted of five of the six home teams winning, most by large margins, the Green Bay Packers became the first 7-seed in NFL history to advance with an impressive 48-32 win over the 2-seed Dallas Cowboys. Some teams play their best football during playoff time, and Green Bay is exhibiting that right now.
2023-24 NFL Playoffs: Total domination
Jordan Love is getting widespread, deserved praise for his performance this past Sunday against Dallas. But, in all honesty, the entire team put on a clinic in all facets of the game. The defense intercepted Dak Prescott twice, including one for a pick-six touchdown. They also forced him to attempt 60 passes, meaning that they were extremely effective in shutting down Tony Pollard and the Dallas running game.
The aforementioned Love led a dynamic offense against what was considered a top-tier Dallas defense. Love completed 16 of 21 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns, part of a 7 touchdown day for the team. Outside of a missed extra point in the 2nd quarter, it was a near-perfect display of football from the NFL’s youngest team.
Green Bay Packers: Finally putting the pieces together
This is where I have to eat a lot of crow because if you’ve read any of my past articles, you would know that there wasn’t anyone who was more of a “Debbie Downer” on the Packers than me. During the season, I wrote about how both Love and LaFleur actually had to worry about their job security, and even pondered whether gaining a wild card bid was worth it instead of aiming for a quality draft pick. Part of these suppositions were because of the team’s inconsistency throughout the year, but also because I honestly didn’t like the odds for Green Bay to even make the playoffs much less advance past the first round.
However, this shouldn’t indicate that the Packers are guaranteed to be on the verge of being a true Super Bowl contender. It is still very possible that they get easily defeated by the top team in the NFC in the divisional round, the San Francisco 49ers. It is also within the realm of possibility that after expectations for 2024 have been elevated, that they have a letdown next season. If there is one thing the NFL is known for, it is for unpredictability and having parity.
Nevertheless, it is a popular opinion around those who follow the league that both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers are on the rise; and both teams’ playoff victories this past weekend only confirmed that belief. Both are expected to be formidable opponents for many years to come.
Green Bay Packers: Keeping the momentum going 
It’s important for the Packers to keep their momentum going not just in this year’s playoffs, but next year as well. There have been many young, promising teams in the past who were unable to carry strong postseason performances into the following season. That doesn’t mean that Jordan Love and the rest of his team are expected to light up the San Francisco 49ers the way they did Dallas, but a competitive showing against the NFC’s #1 seed would do wonders for their confidence heading into the 2024 season.
Green Bay also needs to continue to focus on improving best they can in certain positions. Their surprise run shouldn’t blind them into thinking that they don’t have any weaknesses. Although the injury bug played a factor this year and still impacts the team to this day, the Packers would be wise to look for more weapons for Jordan Love to throw the ball to, as well as beefing up the offensive line and the defense.
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