Jordan Love leads Green Bay Packers into NFC playoffs - ESPN

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Welcome to the playoffs, Jordan Love.

What seemed like a long shot less than a month ago — a 27% chance, to be exact, after the Week 15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — turned into a sure thing when the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 17-9 in Sunday's regular-season finale at Lambeau Field.

Love pulled off something that neither Brett Favre nor Aaron Rodgers could manage: He led the Packers to a playoff berth in his first season as the full-time starting quarterback. It wasn't until Year 2 as the starter that Favre and Rodgers led the Packers to the playoffs.

As a wild-card team, the Packers (9-8) will hit the road for their first playoff game.

This from a team that at one point had lost four straight to fall to 2-5. Green Bay was in this same position last year — win in Week 18 and get in — and lost at home to the Lions in what turned out to be Rodgers' final game with the Packers. The Packers finished 8-9 last season and missed the playoffs with Love watching from the sideline as Rodgers' backup.

This team was essentially in playoff mode ever since that loss to the Buccaneers and won three straight to finish 9-8.

The Packers did it not just with a first-time starting quarterback but with the youngest team in the league.

Sunday's game epitomized what they did on offense. Rookie fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks caught two touchdown passes, which gave the Packers 31 receiving touchdowns by first- and second-year players, which is tied with the 1960 New York Titans for second-most such scores in NFL history, trailing only the 1961 Oilers (44), according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Joe Barry, the Packers' oft-criticized defensive coordinator, called some well-timed blitzes, and the Packers sacked