The second day of Tremendous Wild Card Weekend didn’t go as anticipated, not less than for the Dallas Cowboys. Filled with Tremendous Bowl aspirations, the Cowboys fell within the wild card spherical for the second time in three years when the Inexperienced Bay Packers blew them out of AT&T Stadium (and the sport wasn’t even that shut).
Jordan Love left his mark within the Packers’ win as Inexperienced Bay turned the primary No. 7 seed to win a playoff recreation within the expanded playoff format. The Cowboys have gone 13 consecutive postseasons with out reaching the convention championship recreation, the longest such streak in NFL historical past.
The Lions additionally received their first playoff recreation since 1991 and solely their second playoff recreation since 1957. Detroit will host two playoff video games for the primary time in franchise historical past.
With Sunday’s wild video games behind us, here is what we discovered from each contests and the way it will carry over into the divisional spherical subsequent week as effectively.
The Cowboys proceed to stink in January
Yearly the story stays the identical in Dallas. The Cowboys are knocking off dangerous soccer groups and making up the purpose differential to appear like among the best groups within the NFL. This yr was no totally different.
In opposition to groups that completed with a dropping report, the Cowboys have been Eight-1 with a +204 level differential. In opposition to groups that completed with a successful report, the Cowboys have been Four-Four with a -10 level differential. The Cowboys averaged 34.three factors towards groups with dropping data and 25.Zero towards groups with successful data. Dallas was the third crew in NFL historical past with 9 wins by 20+ factors in a season (1999 Rams, 2007 Patriots) and received 16 consecutive residence video games (six of them by 20+ factors).
This crew was all the time going to be judged in January and put an egg on the No. 1 seed. 7 within the playoffs. Dallas was enjoying a house playoff recreation and trailed 48-16 within the fourth quarter. This was a crew that was Eight-Zero with a +172 level differential within the common season at residence. That is the most important regular-season residence level differential by any crew that has misplaced its residence playoff opener in NFL historical past, based on CBS Sports activities Analysis.
The Cowboys confronted a crew with a successful report and misplaced, however that should not be a shock contemplating the protection allowed 26.three factors per recreation towards groups with successful data and 11.7 towards groups with dropping data.
Dallas is now 5-13 within the playoffs since successful the final Tremendous Bowl, failing to advance previous the divisional spherical. For all of the hype that comes with the Cowboys after they knock off dangerous groups, they’re actually that dangerous crew in January.
Dak Prescott nonetheless cannot take the Cowboys to the Tremendous Bowl
Prescott was nice at placing up these numbers in rubbish time in Sunday’s loss. After the Cowboys trailed 48-16 within the fourth quarter, Prescott completed 17-of-21 for 210 yards with two touchdowns and a 140.1 passer score. Earlier than that time, Prescott was 24 of 39 for 193 yards with a landing and two interceptions (61.2 score), together with two weak interceptions (one on a decide six) that led to 14 Inexperienced Bay factors.
Prescott is 2-5 in his postseason profession, tied for the worst postseason report of any quarterback who has made not less than 5 playoff begins. He has but to play within the convention championship in his 9 seasons within the league, regardless of quarterbacking a crew that received 12+ video games in 4 of his 5 postseason makes an attempt.
Prescott’s two playoff wins have been towards groups with a mixed 18-15 report (.545 successful proportion). Its playoff losses are towards groups with a mixed report of 57-27 (.679), three of that are at residence.
The Cowboys will decide if Prescott can take this crew the place they need it to go. They actually wrestle to beat good groups in January — and play effectively towards such groups.
Jordan Love, Packers have a really shiny future
The Packers have been the primary No. 7 seed to win a playoff recreation within the 14-team playoff period (since 2020). Serial heads no. 7 have been Zero-6 within the playoffs earlier than the Packers’ blowout win over the Cowboys, a recreation by which Jordan Love completed 16-of-21 for 272 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions within the win.
Love tied CJ Stroud (who completed with a 157.2 score Saturday) for the fourth-highest single-game passer score in NFL playoff historical past. Solely Terry Bradshaw (158.three in 1976), Peyton Manning (158.three in 2003) and Josh Allen (157.6 in 2021) had the next mark. Not solely did Love shine within the win, however the Packers put up 48 factors on the highway — tied for the second-most in a playoff recreation in NFL historical past.
Inexperienced Bay is the youngest crew ever to win a playoff recreation (common age 25 years, 214 days). The longer term is now for a crew that’s loaded with playmakers in all places, already having a franchise quarterback to guide them for the following decade (very like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers).
The Lions hit the reset button after they handed on Matthew Stafford, giving him a chance to win a Tremendous Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Detroit took Goff because the centerpiece of the commerce and chosen Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta in a sequence of trades with the draft picks they acquired within the Stafford deal.
Goff led the Lions to their first playoff win since 1991, beating Stafford in Detroit’s first playoff recreation in seven years (first residence playoff recreation since 1993). The Lions quarterback completed 22 of 27 for 277 yards with one landing and 0 interceptions (121.Eight score), changing into the primary quarterback to beat his former head coach within the playoffs since Brett Favre beat Mike Holmgren in 2007. Goff was additionally the primary quarterback to beat him. beat his former crew within the playoffs in 28 years (Favre additionally did it in 1995 towards the Falcons).
Dan Campbell did nothing however keep on with Goff all through the duo’s three seasons in Detroit, persevering with to raise the franchise and the town because the win complete improved every year. Now, the 2 have received one playoff recreation and one divisional spherical recreation at residence.
Goff is not an elite quarterback, however he is aware of win within the playoffs. Campbell is placing Goff in the absolute best place to succeed and is rewarding his head coach for trusting him. Because of this, Detroit is one win away from the convention championship recreation.
The Rams hold dropping video games towards playoff groups
The Rams have been labeled because the crew nobody needed to face earlier than the postseason, however they should not have been. Heading into the playoffs, Los Angeles was 2-6 towards playoff groups (and a kind of was Week 18 and their opponent rested a starter).
Basically, the Rams have struggled towards good groups. That was true in Sunday’s loss to the Lions, because the Rams could not rating a landing within the second half of the loss, failing to get into the top zone on every of their last 4 drives.
No matter how the Rams have fared towards playoff groups, the crew nonetheless has a shiny future. Puka Nacua is already among the best broad receivers within the NFL (and was a rookie this yr), Kyren Williams is a top-5 working again, whereas Byron Younger and Kobie Turner are future stars on protection. They will additionally doubtless nonetheless have Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald round.
The Rams needs to be a participant within the NFC for the following few seasons.