Newest Update:Sadly it becoming a serious issue for the Packers

The Green Bay Packers were able to ride an end-of-season surge that allowed them to make the playoffs after playing indifferent football for much of the season.

The Packers were just 6-8 when they lost back-t0-back games in Weeks 14 and 15 to the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the Packers looked inept in both games, the loss to the Giants was particularly egregious because New York was playing with its No. 3 quarterback in the lineup, and the Packers helped Tommy DeVito look like a superstar.

Few would have thought the Packers would have had any chance to make the playoffs at that point, but they closed the regular season with victories over the Panthers, Vikings and Bears. They struggled against the lowly Panthers before emerging with a 33-30 victory over the team with the worst record in the NFL, but they outclassed the Vikings and stifled the Bears.

Those two wins gave head coach Matt LaFleur’s team quite a bit of confidence prior to their Wild Card meeting with the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys. While they were major underdogs in that game, there was significant confidence inside the Green Bay locker room.

The idea that the Packers could go to AT&T Stadium and beat the Cowboys seemed ludicrous. The Cowboys had been the only team in the league to have an undefeated home record, and nearly all of their victories had been blowouts.

However, the Packers were a different team in that Wild Card game than they had been all season. They dominated on offense with Jordan Love completing 16 of 21 passes for 272 yards with 3 touchdowns, and the defense containing Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. The Packers rolled to a 48-32 triumph. Only a couple of late Dallas touchdowns allowed the final score to be as close as it was.

The Packers rode the momentum they took from the win over the Cowboys into their divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers.