The Green Bay Packers Want To Continue Beating The Odds back to back record.
Seven Dallas Cowboys players received Pro Bowl selections.
The coach of Dallas is a Super Bowl winner (who, ironically, earned his championship in Green Bay).
And just like the state of Texas, the Cowboys have high expectations.
Before the 2023 season started, a number of publications predicted that the Green Bay Packers would finish last in the NFC North.
There was not a single player selected to this year’s Pro Bowl for Green Bay, the youngest squad in the NFL.
Additionally, the Packers are presently 7.5 points underdogs in Sunday’s NFC wildcard game against Dallas.
Certainly, not many think the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers can shock the highly-favored and second-seeded Cowboys. In the eyes of the Packers, however, they have defied the predictions the whole season.
Packers outside linebacker Preston Smith remarked, “Man, of course nobody believed in us, but we always believed in ourselves and that’s all that matters.” “When we play together, we know what we are capable of. When we play football in our way and at the peak of our abilities, we know what we are capable of. We can go the distance, defeat anybody, and win any game. That is the objective.
Packers’ linebacker Kenny Clark concurred.
Expectations weren’t actually too high, and that was the theme of the entire year, according to Clark. “We’ve got a lot of really great players in this locker room, and we really pushed through,” I stated at the beginning of the season. Guys improved during the course of the season.
These rookies and young men are all contributing significantly. These men are very young as well. That’s amazing to see that they’re hungry. Thus, we must continue this. This has to be continued.
The Packers are the fifth-youngest team in NFL history to make it to the postseason since the 1970 merger, despite the fact that many felt this was a rebuilding year. In addition, since the Chicago Bears in 1977, they are the youngest squad to qualify for the playoffs.
When quarterback Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets in April of last year, Green Bay started a significant personnel overhaul. After the 2022 season, the Packers also allowed stalwarts such defensive linemen Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed, safety Adrian Amos, wideouts Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, and kicker Mason Crosby to go.
As free agency came and went, Green Bay remained silent. The 13-man rookie class, 12 of whom are still with the team, was then chosen by the Packers to fill their holes.
As free agency came and went, Green Bay waited quietly. The 13-man rookie class, 12 of whom are still with the team, was then chosen by the Packers to cover their weaknesses.
Green Bay then made the decision to organize its finances after toying with the idea of a salary cap catastrophe in recent years. Including the remaining $40.3 million of Aaron Rodgers’ deal, the Packers are currently putting more over $67 million in dead money against the salary cap.
Few thought a postseason trip was achievable with the NFL’s youngest team and the Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love for the first time. And it appeared as though 2023 might be a lost season as the Packers dropped to 2-5 early in the season after losing four straight games.
Rather, the youthful Packers team continued to improve; they recorded two winning streaks of three games each in the second half of the season and earned a spot in the postseason for the fourth time in Matt LaFleur’s five years as head coach.
Seeing these guys work and the progress they made over the season—and the fact that you frequently see things in practice—is what kept me hopeful, LaFleur added. It all boils down to that, in my opinion, when we’re accomplishing fantastic things and then perhaps something goes wrong during a game. Throughout the year, there were numerous instances that gave me hope that we would overcome this and that it would only take time.
Time appears to be on the young Packers’ side. Additionally, a lot of people think they’ll play loose and free on Sunday because they’re essentially gambling with house money.
Conversely, Dallas is unquestionably the more seasoned and experienced group. However, the Cowboys must also bear the responsibility of AT&T Stadium as a team.
In his three seasons as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy—who guided the Packers to the 2010 Super Bowl championship—has a 36-15 record. However, throughout that postseason, McCarthy is just 1-2.
When questioned on Sunday on McCarthy’s future, Jerry Jones, the owner of Dallas, replied, “We’ll see how each game goes in the playoffs.”
The Cowboys’ postseason experiences have not been good in previous years.
Dallas’ 1995 Super Bowl victory prevented them from participating in an NFC Championship Game. Additionally, Dak Prescott of the Cowboys is just 2-4 in the postseason.
If the Packers are able to stay in the game on Sunday, Dallas will be under a lot of pressure towards the end.
Packers running back Aaron Jones said, “It’s just special.” “I’m just grateful to be in the postseason and have the opportunity to fight and disprove people.”
That’s what the Packers have done all season.
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