For the first quarter or so of Sunday's NFC Wild Card showdown with the Washington Redskins, the Green Bay Packers looked out of sync, overmatched and destined for an early playoff exit.
However, that changed in a hurry as Green Bay scored 35 of the game's last 42 points to erase an 11-0 deficit in a 35-18 road win. With the victory, the Packers secure an NFC Divisional Round showdown at Arizona next Sunday. The Carolina Panthers will host the Seattle Seahawks on the other side of the bracket.
Sunday's game started with a bang for Washington's defense, as the Redskins opened up the scoring with a Preston Smith sack of Aaron Rodgers for a safety under five minutes in. It was the first playoff sack for a Washington squad since a 1984 Divisional Round matchup against the Chicago Bears.
Washington eventually stretched the lead to 11-0 thanks to a Dustin Hopkins chip shot field goal and a nifty 24-yard connection between QB Kirk Cousins and TE Jordan Reed for a touchdown. Reed blew past the Green Bay secondary, catching the ball untouched over the top of the defense.
However, it was all downhill from there for the Redskins -- especially on defense. Green Bay scored on five straight possessions, including two Aaron Rodgers touchdown passes (to Randall Cobb, Devante Adams) and rushing touchdowns by James Starks and Eddie Lacy. Aside from one nine-play, 73-yard answer for a touchdown in the third quarter, Washington's offense did very little to keep up with a Green Bay attack that flipped the switch from the second quarter on.
The teams were pretty much equal in time of possession and overall offensive yardage for the majority of the day, but a Kirk Cousins fumble and squandered opportunities at midfield ultimately doomed the Redskins. Cousins finished 29 of 46 for 329 yards and a touchdown, while Aaron Rodgers went 21 of 36 for 210 yards and two scores.
The Packers' win ended a historic Wild Card weekend where all four road teams emerged victorious -- the first time that's happened in a playoff week in NFL history. As for the Redskins, they had first 100-yard receiving day in franchise history by TE Jordan Reed on Sunday and head into this offseason with plenty of optimism for the 2016 NFL season.
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