Packers vs. Redskins: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NFL Playoffs

After closing out the regular season with back-to-back losses, the Green Bay Packers found their swagger in the Wild Card Round against the Washington Redskins. Going on the road against the NFC East champions, the Packers walked away with a 35-18 win Sunday.

Green Bay couldn't have entered the postseason looking much worse than it did. The offensive line wasn't protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the running game was almost nonexistent. Fox Sports' Alex Marvez thought the Packers were a lock for an early elimination:

Instead, the wild-card winners scored more points in a game than they had since Sept. 28. Rodgers went 21-of-36 for 210 yards and two touchdowns, while running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks combined to gain 116 yards on 24 carries.

For the Redskins, the game represented an offensive regression back to early in the season, when the team started 2-4. Kirk Cousins best exemplified that regression, throwing for 329 yards and a touchdown on 29-of-46 passing.

Donovan McNabb was critical of Washington's conservative play-calling, which didn't serve the team well in the second half:

The Redskins couldn't have envisaged a better start at FedEx Field. They were in charge for much of the first half, jumping out to an 11-0 lead. To say the Packers were struggling would be an understatement, as NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano noted:

Redskins linebacker Preston Smith tackled Rodgers in his own end zone for a safety, putting Washington on top 2-0 with 10:27 left in the first quarter. Kicker Dustin Hopkins followed that up with a 25-yard field goal less than six minutes later.

Washington's first touchdown came courtesy of a 24-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to tight end Jordan Reed, who led all players with nine receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Reed's six receiving TDs since Week 14 were the second-most in the league, one behind Seattle Seahawks wideout Doug Baldwin's seven.

Reed made an arguably more important catch earlier on the drive. On a 3rd-and-3, he snatched a Cousins pass one-handed for a first down, stealing a possible interception away from Packers cornerback Casey Hayward. The NFL provided a replay of the big reception:

That touchdown sparked something in the Packers, though, as they closed the first half with 17 unanswered points.

Green Bay answered Reed's TD grab with seven points of its own. Taking advantage of a free play as a result of a Redskins penalty, Rodgers scrambled in the pocket before finding wideout Randall Cobb in the end zone. Few are better than Rodgers at quickly snapping the ball to take advantage of an opposing defense in disarray.

CBS Sports highlighted how one member of the Redskins defense was attempting to call a timeout after the ball had already been snapped:

On Washington's next drive, Packers linebacker Mike Neal forced Cousins to fumble and recovered the ball on his own 46-yard line. Green Bay capitalized on the turnover, with Mason Crosby getting his team within one point, 11-10, with 2:54 left in the half.

Rodgers capped off the Packers' comeback with a 10-yard pass to a wide-open Davante Adams in the end zone 28 seconds before halftime, to help Green Bay take its first lead, 17-11, following a Mason Crosby extra point. Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette praised the rookie wide receiver, who also made a critical catch earlier on the drive on a 3rd-and-2 at Washington's 30-yard line:

This stat, courtesy of NFL on CBS, illustrates the difference between Rodgers' first and second quarters:

Receiving the ball to start the third quarter, Washington got the second half off on the right foot to halt Green Bay's momentum. Cousins helped the Redskins retake the lead, 18-17, with a three-yard touchdown run.

The Packers followed that up by scoring on their fourth consecutive possession, though. Starks helped Green Bay make it a 24-18 game with a four-yard touchdown run at the 4:12 mark of the third quarter. Lacy helped set up the score, first running for 11 yards on a 4th-and-1 and then scampering for 30 yards to get the ball inside the Washington 5-yard line.

Bleacher Report's Courtney Fallon bemoaned the timing of Lacy's impressive downfield running:

A touchdown by Lacy padded Green Bay's lead with 12:23 left in the game, and Jared Abbrederis' reception in the end zone tacked on two more points for the Packers as they jumped ahead 32-18.

With 4:39 remaining, Crosby split the uprights from 29 yards out. After Washington went ahead by 11, Green Bay scored 35 of the final 42 points in the game. The Packers saved their best performance of the season for Sunday.

The positive feelings and optimism in Green Bay won't last much longer as the fans start looking ahead to the divisional round. The Packers will face off with the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday.

The two teams played in Week 16, with the Cardinals soundly beating Green Bay, 38-8. Arizona sacked Rodgers eight times and allowed 178 yards of total offense. The Packers should put up more of a fight the second time around, but they'll be the underdogs next week in Glendale, Arizona.

Losing in the opening round of the playoffs is always a disappointing way to cap off a season. With that said, Washington can take more positives out of its 2015 campaign than it can negatives.

No development was bigger than the emergence of Cousins. Many were critical of the Redskins' decision to start Cousins instead of Robert Griffin III, but they've been vindicated and may have a quarterback they can build around for the future.

Postgame Reaction

Washington head coach Jay Gruden was disappointed with the loss but remains upbeat about where the franchise is headed, per the Redskins' Twitter account:

Packers wide receiver James Jones had a stern response for his team's critics.

"All the announcers and everybody want to throw us in the trash," Jones said after the game, per NFL Network. "But we've got a very good football team."

Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy offered his assessment of the Packers' performance.

"Protection was better," McCarthy said, per the Packers' Twitter account. "Really, that's a reflection of the run game."

"We came together today and played for each other," said Rodgers, per the Packers. "Didn't let doubt creep in when we went down 11-0."