Inbox: Like a true artist, Romeo Doubs lets his work speak for itself

Ryan from Staten Island, NY

I absolutely loved the game plan Matt LaFleur had to hurry up before third down to keep Parsons off the field. The fact it even cost the Cowboys a timeout shows how underrated nationally LaFleur has been all year.

Whether it's 1924 or 2024, masterful planning and masterful execution yield masterful results in this league.

Kevin from Sioux Falls, SD

Is Romeo Doubs that humble or what? I love his attitude.

Rome is definitely in the running for humblest athletes I've ever covered. The guy is all ball, no filler. Like a true artist, Romeo Doubs lets his work speak for itself.

Robert from Schaumburg, IL

Jordan Love passing to all his targets reminds of when Brett Favre lost his main target, Sterling Sharpe (my favorite Packer) and had to spread the ball around. Rodgers did a good job when he had Donald, Greg, Jordy, and James. Hopefully it continues, but San Francisco is going to be very tough to beat on the road. Go Pack Go!

It's exciting to watch because you never know who is gonna be "the man" in any particular week. Sunday belonged to Doubs and the second-year wideout could not be guarded.

Paul from Winchester, VA

Seemed like Dallas brought a lot of pressure on Love, who plays well with pressure in his face and was able to take advantage of less coverage. Does it seem likely that the 49ers would try to do the opposite and hope for coverage sacks? What do you think will be the key to success in beating San Francisco's defense?

Running the football. Aaron Jones only had 25 yards on seven carries during the opening drive, but LaFleur stuck with it and Dallas gradually wore down. A great example of that is the three-play, 75-yard drive in the third quarter. Jones gained 10 against an eight-man box on first down and then busted a 27-yarder against two-high on the next play. The Packers then called the play-action play for Luke Musgrave and the rest was history. Running the ball effectively is the quickest way to defang a defense.

Randy from Westminster, CO

Two seed down, one seed to go! The 49ers have looked unstoppable at times this year. Of course, so did the Cowboys. What are the keys to the game against 49ers?

Containing Christian McCaffrey and not allowing Brock Purdy to get into rhythm. San Fran's offense is deep and dangerous, but the 49ers are tough to beat when both McCaffrey and Purdy go off.

Rob from Mesquite, NV

I believe that ML's decision to take the ball first was strategically motivating. Get the ball and score, putting the Cowboys behind early and pumping up the young (but now experienced) Packer players. It seemed to set up the rest of the game. What say you?

Just go back and read what I wrote last week…and the week before that…and the week before that. Taking the ball works for this team. The offense has had some fast starts over the past month and the defense plays better with a lead.

Mark from Walford, IA

When Aaron Jones needed a breather, it seemed like the Packers relied more on Emanuel Wilson more than Patrick Taylor (unsure of snap counts). Does Wilson have a higher ceiling than Taylor? Has Wilson's blocking improved significantly, and he is more trusted now by ML?

Wilson and Taylor each had their roles. The Packers used Taylor as their third-down back while the rookie Wilson spelled Jones when he needed a breather. Green Bay lined Wilson up in the backfield on a few shotgun plays, but I don't recall him staying home in pass pro. The Packers trust him, though. He's had almost a full year in the system now.

Philip from Hobart, WI

Against Dallas, what were the offense's stats on third downs, and was it an unusually low number of third downs that they faced as it seemed?

It was a little low, but nothing too extraordinary. Green Bay was 6-of-10 on third downs (with Doubs' fourth-down TD mixed in there). The Packers averaged 5.8 third-down conversions on 13.1 attempts per game during the regular season.

Jessi from Sterling, KS

This was the first playoff game in my memory banks as a fan I didn't have anxiety watching. I just sat back, calm inside, and continued to scream at random for things like interceptions, sacks, and touchdowns! I think of you and Mike in the press box and have no idea how you train your mouth not to let out gleeful yelps. Have you found other ways to celebrate? An eyebrow lift, nod of the head, something to let it out?

I might have let a "Oh my God" slip after Darnell Savage's pick-six. That was football at its finest – 10/10, no notes.

Michael from Dover, PA

Right from the opening line whistle the Packers imposed their will and never relinquished it. That took the home-field advantage away and the crowd was never quite as into it afterwards…except for the raucous fans from Green Bay.

Aside from the historic comeback in 2013, that's been the theme in these wins over the Cowboys. The Packers asserted themselves early and protected the football. They never gave the Dallas fans a reason to get excited.

Ryan from Colfax, WI

In the lead up to the game I kept hearing that the Packers were too young to know they weren't supposed to be there. Can we make sure that no one ever tells them?

A conversation with Musgrave after the game left me with this thought – the Packers respect this opportunity but also aren't intimidated by it. I think that's the secret to this young team's success.

Brock from West Lafayette, IN

Good morning! How about that confidence in both his offense (and defense should they fail) to go for it on fourth-and-goal by Coach? And wow, did Love deliver a rocket in a small space to Romeo!

There wasn't room for this quote in my postgame content, but I loved what Kenny Clark had to say on the pass Love threw to Doubs. "That boy, he's elite. That sidearm throw, I said, 'Damn. That was crazy.' That boy elite. He's doing his thing and I'm proud of him. We're gonna need that next week, too." Every week, Love throws a pass that makes my jaw drop.

Paul from Ledgeview, WI

Wes, was that performance an outlier and we can expect the Packers to regress to the mean, or was that just the next step in their ascendency? With a strong performance against the Niners, we will have an answer to that question.

Don't know. Don't care. That's for the pundits to spit over. To me, this team looks and feels dangerous. Based on my 12 years covering the NFL, that's all that matters in the playoffs. Also, keep in mind there's a few vets in that locker room who were here when the sixth-seeded 49ers upset the No. 1 Packers in the 2021-22 NFC Divisional round. I'm sure they'd love nothing more than to return the favor.

Mitch from Georgetown, KY

No Pro Bowl? No problem.

One team had nine All-Pros. The other had one…and that's who's moving on. If people wanna sleep on Green Bay, then tuck 'em in.

Art from Honolulu, HI

On Sunday, I saw Jordan Love take a few hits and still complete the pass, some for big gains. How discouraging is that for the players putting the hit on him?

I'm sure Mike McCarthy, Dan Quinn and Dallas will take some flak, but Love was making plays out there. He could do no wrong. Quinn mixed it up all night. He rushed four. He rushed seven. The Cowboys loaded the box. They played two high. But every time, Love and the Packers were one step ahead.

Shawn from Bozeman, MT

I know ML admitted and regretted the mistake of pulling the starters too soon. I couldn't have been the only simple fan that thought at the time "one drive too soon" just by the clock needing to run. Did he explain why or what thought process led to that? Is that something that's a bit embarrassing within the team that he might catch a few jokes over?

It's a tough balance to strike because the Packers understandably wanted to protect some of their starters, especially with Jaire Alexander out of the game with the ankle. Then, late in the game, Kingsley Enagbare suffered what appears to be a significant knee injury. I get it the defense allowed too many yards to the Cowboys' two-minute offense, but LaFleur also had to consider the health of his team on an upcoming short week.

Bill from Menominee, MI

Easily underappreciated performance of the evening – Daniel Whelan dropping three fair-catch punts inside the 10 in his first playoff game. Won't help his season average as they only averaged out to 38 yards but noteworthy. He also had seven hold opportunities on extra points. Anders Carlson's night would have looked OK if he were 6-of-7 for field goals. But missing an extra point is always going to sting!

Whelan has been one of the most consistent performers on special teams this season. The guy's done a lot of punting, too. Before winning the Packers' job, Whelan also booted 29 punts for the DC Defenders in the XFL last spring.

Nathan from Laramie, WY

Good morning! A logistical question regarding "Traveling with the Green Bay Packers." Given the short week and quick turnaround to play San Francisco will equipment drivers Jason Dunn and Rob Miller return to Green Bay for the equipment overhaul and then drive to San Francisco, or will they drive direct to California and organize the overhaul there? I hope the win over Dallas helps make those 10-hour shifts a little easier! Thank you all for the excellent work! It takes a team.

No, they also come back. This is going to be a long week for those gentlemen and everyone in the Packers' equipment department.

Margeaux from Tallahassee, FL

Hey Wes, did you see that FOX must have seen your "Photo Essay: Traveling with the Green Bay Packers" since their cameraman caught Aaron Jones' jersey being stitched up on the sideline during the first half? Kudos to a great essay and the work of all those involved in making it easier for players to play and fans to enjoy.

Ha, I didn't see that clip until your submission. That was the legendary Red Batty doing what he does. That happens more than you'd think, but obviously the cameras were on Jones after the TD.

Nathan from Williamstown, MA

The Cowboys were a good team that we just beat, but the 49ers have been even better over the past couple seasons. I'm stoked to see how our guys stack up against them. What's the plan for practice and travel on a short week?

LaFleur said they considered leaving early but ultimately decided to stay in Green Bay and remain on a normal-ish schedule, considering the short week. He confirmed it likely will be a week heavy on jog-throughs.

Al from Green Bay, WI

In a closer game, two errors by the officials (the missed false start by Dallas on the TD right before halftime and the phantom "horse collar" penalty on Quay Walker) could have proven costly. Kudos to the entire Packers team for playing so well that these bad/missed calls were not a factor. On the horse-collar call, couldn't the "eye in the sky" have communicated to the refs on the field to pick up the flag?

That's why you gotta play above the penalties. It's kind of like MMA/boxing. If you get a knockout, you take it out of the hands of the judges. It was a poor call on Walker. Green Bay's defense moved on and didn't allow that penalty to drag it down. I'll leave it at that.

Robert from Verona, WI

Are there any plays from the game that you found particularly impressive but were unheralded in a game full of highlights? There was a third down-play in the second quarter where Jordan Love was running left, and he threw a bullet to Tucker Kraft who was also running across the field. Without setting his feet, he delivered a dart for the first down despite tight coverage. It may not have made many highlight reels, but it struck me as a fantastic play where all of Love's talents were on display.

For me, it was Keisean Nixon's sack of Prescott in the second quarter. That was a really big play considering it knocked Dallas out of four-down territory and forced the Cowboys to punt. Green Bay then engineered a 10-play, 93-yard TD drive to move up 20-0.

Lori from Brookfield, WI

Wes, since the Packers have embraced a winning strategy for developing quarterbacks by drafting one and having him sit on the bench to observe and learn from a proven quarterback for a few years, do you think more franchises will adopt this concept?

They should, but few will. Impatience is a plague in the NFL. Sure, sometimes a rookie like C.J. Stroud comes along and wows everybody. But then there's Bryce Young, who probably would've been better off playing behind Andy Dalton for a year.

Megan from Noblesville, IN

The locker room shoutouts were awesome. The best had to be "And Musgrave stayed on his feet!" I didn't understand the joke, but it was funny. Can you expound on the joke? Also, wasn't JL's playoff passer rating an NFL record, not just a Packers record?

It was a record for a QB in his first playoff start. The Musgrave zinger is a callback to the season opener in Chicago. Green Bay ran the same play against the Bears and Musgrave also had a wide-open catch that would have been a TD had he not tripped four yards from the end zone.

Keith from Dodgeville, WI

Guys, if Bo Melton is so fast why not use him to blow the top off of the defense while Watson has been out?

Did you watch the Musgrave TD? If not, go back and look at who's drawing the free safety.

Jim from St. Pete Beach, FL

Reading the postgame interviews, it is apparent that the entire Cowboys organization was looking past the Packers to host a second playoff game. How do coaches/players best keep themselves grounded to focus on the one game in front of them?

I get "focusing on the next opponent" and "going 1-0 each week" probably won't sell many bumper stickers, but that mindset keeps a team locked in on the main thing – win and advance. Packers fans, your team is one of eight remaining teams vying for a Lombardi Trophy. Let's have some fun.