Jordan Love explains playoff gameplan that beat Cowboys to Micah Parsons
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons heard it from the horse’s mouth. In this case, the horse was Jordan Love. In a recent conversation, the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback revealed what his team’s game plan was to defeat the Cowboys and advance in the NFL Playoffs.
“The key for us going into the game was we needed to run the ball,” Love said. “That was a huge thing. Obviously, we played y’all a year before and I felt like we ran the ball pretty well. I’m not trying to talk, but your linebackers — I think you had a DB playing linebacker.
“Our goal was to be able to run the ball and I was gonna set everything else up. Obviously, I think your biggest weapon is your pass rush. [You all have] some great DBs over there, too. But, I feel like they rely on the pass rush. When you got a great pass rush, you think the quarterback is gonna get the ball out of his hands quick and so we were able to take advantage of that.”
The Packers’ plan worked to perfection. In the 48-32 win, Green Bay amassed 143 rushing yards, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. With the Cowboys’ defense on its toes, the field opened up for Love. He took advantage.
In the victory, Love 16-of-his-21 pass attempts for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He did not throw an interceptions. Love became the first quarterback in NFL history with a perfect passer rating in his first playoff appearance.
The Packers’ precise strategy kept Parsons uninvolved. The All-Pro LB finished the game with just two tackles and one hit on the quarterback. Love’s standout performance wasn’t a fluke.
Jordan Love boasts a bright future
In his first regular season as the full-time starter, Love was simply spectacular, throwing for 4,159 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns. The only other quarterbacks in NFL history to exceed those totals in their first year as the full-time starter are Patrick Mahomes and Kurt Warner.
Instead of taking the glory for the Packers’ spectacular win, Love praised his teammates and staff.
“[The Cowboys] got a good defense but I think we’ve got a really good offense, as well,” Love said. “Run game was awesome. Aaron Jones played a great game. Had three touchdowns. O-line did a great job. But it was an all-around team effort.
“We came in here with the mindset that we were gonna dominate. A lot of people counted us out and you know, we didn’t care about that. We know what opportunity we had in front of us and made the most of it tonight.”