Everything coach Matt LaFleur, Packers said after upsetting Dallas Cowboys in wild card playoff round

Everything coach Matt LaFleur, Packers said after upsetting Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in the wild card playoff round of the NFL playoffs. Quotes courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers’ media relations department.

Coach Matt LaFleur

That was fun. So proud of our guys. Just the mindset that they had, coming down here and to put on a performance like that. I couldn’t be happier for them. Certainly we knew it was going to be difficult and hats off to Dallas, making it a game at the end of the game, and bad decision by me by pulling our guys and having to put them back in. But luckily, defensively, P making that sack, That was critical and they bailed me out of the bad decision. I just couldn’t be happier for our guys. Obviously, really excited about the next opportunity, going to San Francisco and playing against one of the best teams in the NFL. We’ll have our work cut out for us, and certainly, I don’t know when play, but assuming it’s going to be on a short week, so we’ll have to rest up. My heart hurts right now for J.J. It doesn’t look good for him. So it’s kind of bittersweet, any time you have a guy go out like that. It’s a tough thing to deal with, and just, with him in the locker room and a lot of guys hurt for him right now.

On what he makes of having a first-year starting quarterback who’s out there “wheeling and dealing” in a road playoff game against a team that’s 8-0 at home.

Man, Jordan Love. Wow. That’s about all I can say, is wow. What he did, the poise he shows, the command he shows. The touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks. We were obviously in an empty set. He had, I think it was Tucker, max protect. It was a great job by Tuck and the rest of our offensive line. And for him to hang in there and get that throw. Wicks made a hell of a catch. Those are things that, you can try to coach it, but what a moment for him. To me, that was a big time play. It just shows the growth that he’s had from his first start versus KC to now. I’m just so proud and happy for him. He is, he’s a dude. He’s a real dude.

On the point he realized on the sideline that this was going to be a different game and how he managed it after stepping on Dallas early and having a big lead throughout.

Well, we came in at halftime and I asked the guys, I said, “Hey, what’s the score?” And they all said 0-0. I know it’s one thing to say it and it’s another thing to go out and do it. But fortunately, we built a lead that was too big to overcome. I’m mad at myself for pulling the guys at the end of the game. I knew we probably shouldn’t do it, I think, but made the decision and I regret it, but I think that’s a learning moment. I’ll learn from it and get better for it.

On being doubted and not expected to win this game. Jordan and Aaron seemed to like that. Did you sense that?

I think there’s a little bit of freedom of that in terms of how you go out and play, and these guys, they went for it. That’s exciting to see. Every phase, you could see it in the way we played. Our play style. Just how aggressive we were. And really in every phase, and each phase contributed to the win.

On not having a 100-yard rusher for the first 14 games of the season, and Aaron Jones doing it four games in a row. What’s he doing so well?

You guys see it, right? Just his ability to put his foot in the ground and just be explosive, make people miss. I can’t say enough great things about the guy, the football player. What he means to our team. The leadership he brings. He’s a rare guy. There’s not many like him. Just how he encourages his teammates, how he uplifts his teammates. But I think you’ve got to give it up for the offense line, too. It’s not just those guys, it’s really the other 10 men on the field. But it starts up front. I thought our tight ends really did a great job. I know on the one touchdown, Josiah had a great cut block on the backside. I think he got the Parsons down. And the receivers, their willingness to go in and dig out safeties, and block at the second level. They’re usually the difference, in my opinion, of springing an explosive gain into a touchdown. Those guys bring it. They battle and they fight for one another.

QB Jordan Love

On what it feels like

“It feels fine. To be in that locker room right there, it’s a great environment to be in. I just can’t say enough about proud I am of everybody in the locker room. It’s been a long season. We’ve been counted out a lot of the season. Just the way everybody keeps battling, keeps competing, getting better and obviously putting on great performances just like tonight so it’s a great feeling.”

On being counted out

‘“I think it’s just noise on the outside. I think that’s the way everybody looks at it in the locker room, just outside noise. We’re not worried about. We keep coming out here and showing what we’re about. So, that’s all we’re going to do.”

On guys being open

“Guys out there making plays. On that one to Luke (Musgrave), it was a great play dialed up by Matt (LaFleur) to get him so wide open. I’m proud he was able to stay on his feet this time and score, unlike Chicago. The one to Wicks, I mean if you go back and look at his route, it was a great route all around and able to finish the play. Guys are making plays. The O-line is giving me time to get the ball off. So, all-around team effort right there.”

On the Chicago play

“Yeah, it was the same play...the one I bobbled the snap and he go it...different result this time.”

On getting the running game going early

“It was huge. I think that it was key for us coming into this game was to run the ball well. I think we did a great job of that getting started. O-Line played great. Aaron Jones had an awesome night. I think the run game, the way we were running the ball opened up everything else. I think it was able to keep the pass rush down a little bit. It was great performance but the O-Line and running backs.”

On the game plan

“It started up front. It started with the run game and pass protection. The O-Line stepped up big. They had a great game. They kept me clean all night. Like I said, the running game was a huge point of emphasis. Coming into the game, we wanted to establish the run early. That’s what we did.”

On facing the pass rush and taking hits

“I’m just playing quarterback. There’s always going to be a rush there. I’m trying to buy as much time as possible to get my read off and get the ball off. I think that’s just playing quarterback. You’ve got to stay in there and take hits every now and then. But you just try to get the ball off.”

On the taking the ball with coin toss

“That’s the mindset. We’re trying to get the offense out there, start fast, go put up points and like I said, just get to that faststart. That’s what we’ve been doing all season. That’s what’s been working for us so we try to keep that rolling. I think it allstarts with out we begin the game...start fast, put up points and put that pressure back on them.”

On Romeo Doubs

“It was awesome, just how locked in Romeo was this whole week. Obviously, it showed with the performance he put on.But we needed him and he stepped up huge. He was able to put a couple really good routes on tape. He made somehuge explosive plays. That last catch he had was awesome. I’m proud of Romeo and the way he’s continued to battle, like you said. He probably has not gotten as many balls his way as he wanted to, but he continues to come to work and find ways to get better. He made some plays tonight!”

On the feeling of his journey and proving he belongs

“It feels great. Like you said, I’m trying to hide some smiles. It’s a party in that locker room right now. It feels great.”

On being able to spread the ball around

“I think we’ve got a lot of great receivers in that room. It’s a very unselfish receiver room. They love to see others succeed just as much as them. I think that’s the key to it: how unselfish those guys are. I think we’ve got a lot of playmakers in that room. They’re continuing to show what their about. I think it just allows us to get the ball in different people’s hands. It puts pressure on the defense on who they want to take away. I think we’ve got a lot of mismatches out there.

On Aaron Jones

“You get so much. Obviously, just the leader he is on the team and then you add his playmaking ability when he gets the ball. He’s the total package right there. I love Aaron Jones. He brings a huge spark to the team just the way he carries himself, the way he handles his business and shows up ready to work every day. I can’t enough about him.”

On the Darnell Savage pick six

“That was awesome. I was super happy. Just to be able to get a takeaway on defense and then get some points out of it, was huge. That was an awesome play by him to just jump the route, make the catch and finish in the end zone. It was huge. Anytime you can get points from the defense, it’s going to be awesome.”

On going to San Francisco

“They are a very talented team. So, it’s all about how we get back to work this week. Get in the film room and see what they’re all about. We will get back to work. They are a really good team. We’ve got to get our bodies back and get to it.”

On if this validates the season

“I think it just shows the world what we’re all about as a team. We’ve been counted out so many times. I think it was just a great team win tonight. All three phases were able step up. When we’re playing complementary ball like that, I think we’re tough to beat.”

RB Aaron Jones

On his history with Dallas

“You know, it was a full circle moment. I feel like this is kind of how we got into football. This was my dad’s team. This was my team growing up. You always want to be like your father, so that’s how it became my team. Emmitt Smith was my running back. My first jersey was a 22. I got the chance to speak to him before the game, so that was special to me as well. My dad did get to see me play here my rookie year and I know he was in here tonight. Dallas is a special place to me. It was a first circle moment. It feels like home.”

On Jordan Love’s progression

“We believed in him from the beginning. We know it’s a process. That’s not all on him, why we couldn’t pick up a first down. It’s all eleven across the board. We’ve all got to be on the same page. I think you see that happening now. We’re all on the same page. We knew it would take time. You heard me during the season and other players ‘we’re right there, we’re right there, we’re right there’, and we’ve been able to get on that level.”

On being able to establish the run

“I think that was huge even though the first two run plays they stopped. I’m glad we stuck with it. Like I said, when you’re able to run the ball, it opens everything else up. We were able to set them up pretty nice on Luke’s touchdown. We had seen a lot of outside zone all game and we hit them with that.”

On why there’s faith in this team

“Because we believe in each other. We have faith in each other...we have all the weapons we need on this team. People can continue to doubt us. That’s fine. We love the underdog mentality. We love the underdog approach.”

On his reaction to doubters

“Just a little chuckle. You know it’s in your memory bank and you go tell your teammates...We talk about how we feel and if you feel disrespected, you go do something about it.”

On his recent success

“We’re playing all together as one. The blocking unit is doing their thing up front. They make it easy for me to pick and chose which hole I want to run through...I think it’s a credit to them and the play calling as well.”

WR Dontayvion Wicks

On how they jumped on the Cowboys from the start of the game

“A lot of people sleep on us. We just come out and make it happen. We start off in practice. We want to work. We are together; we are playing together. We are playing together good. Defense, offense, special teams.”

On their run these past three games

“It just keeps stacking. Stacking wins. Coach talks about it all the time. Just keep stacking wins and we are going to come out on the other side.”

On Aaron Jones being excited about coming back to his home state

“Yeah, yeah. I’m happy for him. 100-yard games back to back, that’s hard. He’s just our fire starter, and we keep the flame going.”

On Jordan Love throwing his touchdown reception

“I didn’t really see it till he jumped, and I knew it was another back-foot throw. It was there and I saw it. I just had to grab it.”

On what the team accomplished today

“It’s big time. But we have another one next week. So, celebrate it and get on to next week.”

OL Zach Tom

On Aaron Jones and what it means for him to run as hard as he does

“It motivates us for sure. We know all you have to do is give him a tiny little crease and he’ll make something happen. It motivates us.”

On seeing a young team grow up, and how much fun he is having right now

“I’m having a lot of fun. This is the most fun I have had playing football. But, the journey is not finished. We have to go up to San Francisco next week and do it again.”

On how impressive Jordan Love has been playing

‘“We’ve seen it the past five weeks. We know what he can do. I saw he had the highest passer rating, that’s what coach said after the game. I’m focused on blocking, so I don’t really know what else is going on. I just know he had a good day, and that’s what we expect of him. We just have to give him time.”

C/G Josh Myers

On Jordan Love’s arm strength and awareness

“I think you are hitting the nail on the head right now on why we’re winning games. The toughness across the board from Jordan, from Aaron (Jones), from everyone, I mean, let’s talk about Jordan for a second. Incredible. Incredible. The way he stands in there, it just doesn’t matter what is coming at him. He just stands in there, calm, and makes throws downfield. I hope it has been as fun for you guys to watch as it has for me from inside the pocket.”

On Jordan Love, continued

“That one touchdown, I think on 4th down, I didn’t even celebrate because I was just standing there with my hands on my hips, looking at (John) Runyan, like, I couldn’t believe the throw I had just seen. It was one of the craziest throws I have ever seen in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of crazy ones. Insane. It was one of the most insane throws I’ve ever seen.”

On how long he gets to celebrate

“I don’t even know. Tonight for sure. We’ll wake up and worry about San Fran in the morning.”

WR Christian Watson

On his impressions of Jordan Love

“It’s exciting. Exciting. I knew from the moment he got the job what he was capable of doing. So to keep on seeing it, and for him to keep on doing more and more, I’m excited for him.”

On how he is doing and his health journey

“I’m feeling good. Feeling good. This week, some of my role is being able to go out there; it is gratifying enough for me to come out with a win. It’s huge. I’m just thankful that we get to keep on going.”

TE Luke Musgrave

On his touchdown reception and how long it took

“Those balls usually hang in the air for a while. No, it ended up working perfectly and I brought it down in the end zone.”

On Jordan Love and his ability to find his receivers and get the ball to them

“Both as a person and just as a leader, and then obviously as the captain, I can’t say enough positive things about him. It is great to have him. Especially as a rookie, I couldn’t ask for better.”

On him being a rookie and maybe not knowing any better, but the situation is pretty remarkable

“It’s pretty awesome. I think we all are going to take it for granted, but I think we have enough perspective to say okay, this is as serious thing. But it is pretty awesome.”

On the state of the team

“We have a lot of good guys. Aaron Jones has been great for the offense, is a good leader, along with a lot of other guys. But he’s been here before, I think, and he kind of helps us out. It’s time to celebrate probably now, but tomorrow it’s time to wash it and its on to the next, probably San Francisco.”

DL, Kenny Clark

On everyone doubting them and what they proved in the game

“You know we just proved what we’ve been proving all year. A resilient team and you know we came out better played a great game from start to finish and just happy how the guys came out and we going to the next one.”

On if this is the most complete game this season for them

“Yeah for sure and you know we’ve been hitting at the right time you know these last couple of games so it’s good.”

On if it feels special to have momentum exactly when they need it

“Yeah, I mean but you know this is one win and we got a tough opponent in San Francisco next week.”

On being at the ‘bottom of the barrel’ earlier in the season

“I can’t put it into words. Yeah, we were at the bottom of the barrel or whatever. We came out on top made the playoffs and got a great win against a great opponent, and you just got to keep it going.”

LB, Rashan Gary

On coming out as a group and working on it all year

“Yeah, that’s what you do coming from OTAs, camp, just trying to play perfect, understanding what each other like to do, not do and come on the field on Sundays and put it together. That’s what we do.”

On if he felt how special the game was while walking off

“We’re not done yet. You see my face of course I’m happy with the win but we not done we go enjoy for 24 hours. We on to the next, I think we play on Saturday, so short turn around. You just gotta keep pushing. Not to be you know too excited about you do what you need to do, but we’re not done yet.

On having Jaire Alexander on the field

“Oh yeah, that just [Jaire] being [Jaire], man, big time player being a big-time player for this team and especially as a defensive unit. You know, I feel like that was one of the turnovers that got our offense started and got momentum running into our hands. So, you know, having him on the field means a lot to us and you could tell the difference with how offense is prepared, and you know where they want to throw the ball based off of him being on a field. So having a Jaire part of his defense and back out there is always great for us.

CB, Jaire Alexander

On how it felt to be back and get an interception

“It was amazing, it was amazing I just seen I’ve seen the route seeing the ball, and that was it.”

On how he feels about people doubting the Packers

“How do I feel about it... I mean anybody who doubted us you know; I feel like they see that we are legit.”

On getting momentum from the pick 6’s and interceptions

“Ah man, we needed that, we needed that spark. We needed to quite the crowd down. And, you know when we get

interceptions that’s always good, especially the pick-six, so yup, we needed that.”

On playing with a hurt ankle

“Yeah I mean, in life there’s adversity, and with my ankle I had some adversity, you just got to come on top.”