By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Jan 15, 2024 at 5:31 PM Photography: Evan Siegle / Packers.com

How 'bout dem boys in green and gold?!

Packers fans generally went into Sunday's Wild Card weekend with low expectations but high vibes. We knew the season was already a success going from a team that wasn't good at all to a team with a bright future and knew Green Bay was playing with house money. As long as the Packers didn't get embarrassed on the field or Jordan Love didn't irreparably explode all his knee ligaments, the energy was all just happy to be there. 

Apparently not on the Packers, though. Screw being just happy to be there: Love and company were clearly there to win. And win they most certainly did, humiliating their hosts, 48-32, improbably sending themselves onto the next round of the posteason while sending the Dallas Cowboys into disarray. The Packers murdered the Cowboys' hopes of a Super Bowl, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's head coaching interviews this offseason, potentially Mike McCarthy's career in Dallas and Dak Prescott's reputation as a top-tier quarterback – but the vibes around Wisconsin? Even more alive, even more kicking. (OK, considering Anders Carlson missed another extra point, let's not bring up kicking.)

But really, despite what the Fox pregame show predictions said, a Packers win was totally within the realm of possibility. Green Bay was hot and playing well, while the Cowboys have a recent reputation for choking in the playoffs and the famously clock-clumsy McCarthy at the helm. I could envision a close win from the Pack. What I COULDN'T see coming was the awesome insanity that broke out at AT&T Stadium: the Packers immediately annihilating the Cowboys, driving through the two-seed's defense like a snowplow through a light flurry, pantsing a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback and taking a commanding 27-0 lead before even hitting the half. Reminder: This team couldn't score 27 first-half points across an entire month and a half combined this past fall. Jerry Jones would probably disagree, but I'd say they picked a damn good time to turn that around. 

And hopefully they can keep that up as things won't get easier for the Packers in the next round, rewarded for beating the NFC's second-best seed with a trip to the top-seed San Francisco 49ers – who've spent a lot of the past ten years ending Packers' postseason runs. Some of those Green Bay teams were pretty darn good too – but in those past defeats, they've never faced vibes as good as the ones in Green Bay right now. 

We got time to think about Saturday's Gold Derby a little later this week, though. For now, let's savor Sunday and remember some of the best moments and key takeaways from the Packers turning the Cowboys into Texas barbecue, roasting them low and slow this Wild Card weekend. 

1. Home cooking

Aaron JonesX

Aaron Jones sure loves coming home to Texas – though I can't imagine Dallas shares the sentiment. Last time the Packers played in JerryWorld, the El Paso native ran ruckus over the Cowboys for four touchdowns and more than 180 total yards. Much has changed since 2019, but apparently the Cowboys plan of attack against the star running back hadn't, as for an encore, Jones scampered over Dallas once again to the tune of three touchdowns and 130 total yards (wow, slacker), helping to quickly establish Sunday's smackdown. 

2. Air Jaire

In a season of otherwise good vibes, two Packers have been the recipients of some significant fan angst: Jaire Alexander and defensive coordinator Joe Barry. Both, though, made up for a patchy regular season with a strong playoff showing on Sunday. (Well ... mostly, in the latter's case.) 

Barry's defense kept the Cowboys' allegedly high-powered offense flustered and off the scoreboard for most of the first half – in part thanks to the efforts of Alexander, who despite a gimpy ankle, kept star receiver CeeDee Lamb in check and snagged this flying early interception to put Jordan Love and company in great position to grow their lead. Both things wouldn't entirely last – Barry's defense sprung some holes in the final frame while Alexander left the game early with a reaggravated injury – but by that time, Sunday's surprise win was practically a done deal. 

3. An attack on Dak

Dak PrescottX

Let's get this out of the way: Dak Prescott is a good NFL quarterback. At minimum 75 percent of the league would be very happy to have him at the helm. But man, watching Sunday's performance, you'd think he was the first-time starter playing in the postseason for the first time.

After one quarter, Prescott had more interceptions (one) than yards (a goose egg), and by the end of the first half, he had as many touchdowns tossed to the Packers as his own team. He and his receivers – who, in fairness, didn't help Prescott out much – only seemed on the same page around the same time Green Bay had a big enough lead to not care. His fate with the Cowboys is still fine, unlike certain former Packers coaches on their sideline – but what Sleep Number mattress setting can help a guy sleep away this waking nightmare of a playoff performance?

4. Doubs gets Ws 

Romeo DoubsX

With all the exciting new faces and speedy standouts making plays in the Packers passing game this season, it can be easy to overlook Romeo Doubs. The second-year receiver maybe doesn't have the newcomer shine or eye-catching pizzazz of some of Green Bay's pass-catching corps, but he's a smart and sure pair of hands that Jordan Love clearly feels comfortable looking for downfield in key moments. Even so, despite being second on the team in receiving yards this season, the unflashy Doubs can feel like the forgotten Packers receiver.

At least that would explain the Cowboys defensive planning this past week, because Doubs dismantled Dallas with 151 receiving yards, carving up the secondary for more than 20 yards a catch on Sunday. His performance ranks as the most receiving yards in a game for a Packer this entire season, as well as the third-most receiving yards in a single postseason game in Green Bay history – behind just Davante Adams' 160 in the 2019-20 season and Jermichael Finley in the 2009-10 season. Safe to say fans won't be forgetting Doubs' Sunday showing anytime soon. 

5. Savagery 

Sure, there was still a half to play – but the Packers' dagger basically came early when, in the middle of a promising Cowboys comeback drive, Darnell Savage perfectly read Dak Prescott's pass, snatched it and ran it back in the opposite direction for a beautiful pick-six and an even more beautiful 27-0 lead. Dallas would quickly recover and get a score before the half – but with the way things were going, that touchdown felt more like saving face than saving their season. 

6. Anybody home?

The Dallas Cowboys were no-shows on Sunday, never more so than on this play where they're just ... literally nowhere to be found. Tight end Luke Musgrave was so open, he had enough time to stop, set up a camping tent, call and wait on hold for with the cable company, book an installation appointment, finally get Wi-Fi and stream the new Martin Scorsese movie before calming catching Jordan Love's pass and galloping into the endzone. Even with the Cowboys offense trying to orchestrate a miracle comeback, thanks to defensive efforts like this, the Pack was safe and sound. 

7. The power of Love

In case putting up more than 40 points through three quarters against a top-five passing defense wasn't impressive enough, Jordan Love topped off his postseason debut with this immaculate needle-threading touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs, pushing the lead to an even-more-insurmountable four possession lead in the fourth quarter.

The big question mark going into this season was Jordan Love and how'd he play as a first-time starter. The big question mark then going into these playoffs was Jordan Love and how'd he play in his first postseason. Well, with this star-making – Cowboys star-destroying – performance, we're all out of questions for Jordan Love to answer. 

8. Why am I so scared up a million?

By just about every standard, the Packers game on Sunday was an absolute blowout ... so why did I spend the entire second half so stressed out!? 

In fairness, Green Bay wasn't playing their best in the fourth quarter – quite literally, as Matt LaFleur sat the starters with about six minutes left and a three-possession lead. That dagger-like decision would look a little premature after the Clifford-led offense barely took a minute off the clock and the Cowboys would grab another score and two-point conversion off Joe Barry's suddenly timid and soft prevent defense. Add in the Tucker Kraft drop that gave the ball back to the Cowboys with a chance to bring things to a possession, and things felt oddly alarming for a game where the Packers had built a cushion big enough for an elephant stuntman's fall. 

However, I blame the Packers' performance on Sunday less for my stress than I blame our collective PPTSD: Packers Postseason Traumatic Stress Disorder.

You see, as blessed as we Green Bay fans have been, we've also been cursed to have the most heart-breaking season finales possible in recent years, endings where we're not content to simply lose but lose in the most wrenching way possible. Why simply miss the playoffs when you can go on a winning streak then lose a winnable finale at home to a pre-quality Lions? Why just lose in the playoffs to the Niners when you can lose a defensive struggle at home where your MVP quarterback can't move the ball to save his life and the special teams fumbles the game away? We forget that, in the infamous Bostick onside kick game against the Seahawks, the Packers were massive underdogs with a hurt Aaron Rodgers. But a regular loss would've hurt just like a regular loss. Collecting an unexpected massive lead and building up fans' hopes, only to slowly yet surely let it all collapse into dust? Now THAT sticks with a fan – so much so it can make a 48-16 second-half lead seem like something worth sweating over.

Maybe that was the old Packers, though. 

9. Victory lap

Sometimes crushing a rival team who claims to be "America's team" on their home turf, so much so that you think Real Life Mr. Burns may fire the head coach at the half, just isn't enough. Sometimes you need to be petty about it, too. And so, I present a parade of hilarious Texas tragedy:

OK, enough gloating: We've got more hearts for Love to break on the West Coast this weekend.

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.