By Tori Wittenbrock
Associate Sports Editor
DALLAS, TEXAS – With perhaps the underdog win of the season now under their belts, the Packers have proven how deserving they are of their spot on the postseason stage.
“So proud of our guys and just the mindset that they had coming down here,” said LaFleur.
Although by the end of the game it was close, LaFleur said that the narrowing of the score can be attributed to his decision-making and not the ability of the young but established performers he has on his squad.
“Certainly we knew it was going to be difficult and hats off to Dallas for making it a game at the end of the game there. Bad decision by me having to pull our guys and then having to put them back in, but luckily… they bailed me out in bad decisions so I just couldn’t be happier for our guys,” said LaFleur.
Despite the exciting win and becoming the first team in the NFL to win in the postseason as the seventh seed, LaFleur said that the team intends to carry the momentum while not underestimating the San Francisco 49ers — the top seed in the league.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” said LaFleur.
After standing by his quarterback all season, LaFleur said that he has been more than satisfied with the poise and leadership that Jordan Love has shown all season as he has grown in his role with the team, despite his youth.
“Jordan Love… wow. That’s about all I can say. What he did, and the poise he shows, the command he shows…those are things that you can’t necessarily — you can try to coach it— but what a moment,” said LaFleur.
“It just shows the growth he’s had since his first start against KC. I’m just so proud and happy for him.”
After a 27-7 halftime score, LaFleur said that he is beyond proud of his team for the dedication they have shown all season and never letting up.
“We came in at halftime and I said, ‘Hey, what’s the score?’ and they all said 0-0. It’s one thing to say it and it’s another to go out and do it, but fortunately, we built a lead that was too big to overcome,” said LaFleur, praising the performance of his offense.
After securing a hefty lead, LaFleur made the decision to pull his starters off the field to rest them and prepare them for the next round, while giving his backups a few snaps.
However, this decision allowed Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott to lessen the Packers’ lead and bring the game a lot closer.
“I’m mad at myself for pulling our guys at the end of the game,” said LaFleur.
At the end of the day, LaFleur said that he was more than satisfied to see all of the hard work his team put in all season come to fruition.
“These guys — they went for it and that’s exciting to see. Every phase, I thought you could see it in just the way we played, our play style and how aggressive we were,” said LaFleur.
“Each phase contributed to the win.”
The Packers now prepare to take on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL Divisional Round of the postseason on Sunday, Jan. 21 in Northern California.