Upon further review: Packers at Washington
It's probably time to stop doubting Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
After being sacked for a safety in the first quarter Rodgers responded with some of his vintage playoff magic, completing 21 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Packers to a 35-18 win.
In his 12th career postseason start, No. 12 delivered, displaying some of his unmatched football smarts in the second quarter by catching Washington on a defensive substitution and adding a big injury to that comparatively slight insult by finding Randall Cobb in the end zone on the ensuing play.
He finished off the first half by finding a wide open Davante Adams in the endzone to cap a run of 17 unanswered points that put the Packers up by six.
The running game took over in the second half, as Eddie Lacy and James Starks ran roughshod over Washington, piling up two scores and more than 100 yards to ice the game for Green Bay in the second half.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
-- Defensive coordinators should probably stop trying to cut it close with those substitutions when Rodgers is in the driver's seat. Sunday's 12 men on the field penalty was the third time that Rodgers has scored a touchdown on a free play this season.
-- The Packers' passing game did the bulk of its damage during an explosive second quarter that saw Rodgers throw for 148 yards and two touchdowns, a whopping 70 percent of his total passing yards.
-- After a regular season that progressed in fits and starts the Packers running game turned in a prime-time performance against Washington. Lacy and Starks combined for 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, the second-best total of the wild card round behind Fitzgerald Toussaint and Jordan Todman of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
-- James Jones continues to provide an effective blueprint for the Packers' younger receivers on how succeed in an Aaron Rodgers-led offense. The veteran picked up seven receptions for 81 yards on 11 targets against Washington, keying the Packers' comeback with a 34-yard reception in the second quarter that eventually turned into a Cobb touchdown.
DULY NOTED
-- DeSean Jackson's leisurely stroll into the end zone on a short throw over the middle may not have cost Washington the game in the first quarter, but it probably didn't ingratiate him to the coaching staff. Jackson brushed the pylon with his foot with Washington up 2-0, while letting the ball trail out of bounds as he crossed the goal line. The home team would settle for a field goal and a 5-0 lead. Woops.
-- Clay Matthews is back to terrorizing quarterbacks following a late-season slump. The Packers linebacker bullied Kirk Cousins into a fumble in the first quarter, and joining in on another sack in the fourth quarter to help put the game out of reach.
-- The comeback win was just the second time in franchise history that the Packers have recovered after falling behind by 11 points. Green Bay rallied from a 14-0 hole against the Seahawks in 2007, a game that they ultimately won 42-20.
WHAT IT MEANT
For the fifth time in six years the Packers have advanced to the divisional round, where Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals are waiting for them. Bruce Arians and co. embarrassed Green Bay in their last meeting with a 38-8 win just a few weeks ago, as the Cardinals defense battered Rodgers to the tune of eight sacks.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kirk Cousins may have piled up the passing yards on Sunday, but it was Rodgers who came out on top. Green Bay's signal-caller had the second-highest passing rating of the day at 93.5, while taking just one sack despite a banged-up offensive line.
DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME
James Starks might not excel as a featured back, but the Packers' resident change-of-pace rusher made plays against Washington, putting up 52 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, while adding another 12 yards on a pair of receptions.
THAT MOMENT
Rodgers hit Cobb in the end zone for the first time since Week 11 to put the Packers on the board, as the veteran quarterback put all of his tools to use while driving down the field. After hitting James Starks over the middle for a big gain, Rodgers got crafty, catching Washington on a defensive substitution before launching one to Cobb.
THIS NUMBER
3 -- The number of left tackles that the Packers have gone through in the absence of David Bakhtiari. JC Tretter was solid in his absence, despite allowing a safety in the first quarter that put Green Bay down 2-0 early, but Bakhtiari's return will be a major storyline to follow with the Cardinals' fearsome pass rush on tap.
THEY SAID IT
"We got the tempo up, and they couldn't keep up. We became a snowball, kind of going downhill, and it was tough for us to stop." -- Aaron Rodgers
"That's the way you want to play offense. When you get into playoffs, you don't have to talk about the regular season no more." -- Packers heach coach Mike McCarthy
"You get in the postseason, everybody has an equal opportunity. Everybody is 0-0." -- James Jones
WHAT'S NEXT
The Cardinals demolished the Packers in their last meeting, but if Rodgers can carry his wild card success into the divisional round fans should be in for a more competitive matchup. The Packers' offensive line will need to up its game in a hurry to fend off Arizona's pass rush.