Needing a win to keep their season alive and secure a spot in the NFL Playoffs, the Green Bay Packers turned to none other than former Virginia receiver Dontayvion Wicks for a big-time performance in the regular season finale. In a classic "win and you're in" situation, it was the rookie receiver Wicks who came up clutch, posting six receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns and accounting for most of Green Bay's scoring production in its playoff-clinching 17-9 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The first was a 10-yard strike as Jordan Love slipped the ball between two defenders to Wicks, who secured the catch in the back of the end zone to put the Packers ahead 7-3 midway through the second quarter.
In the third quarter with the Packers leading by just a point, Love and Wicks connected again, this time on a slant that Wicks caught a few yards short of the end zone, muscling through multiple defenders to reach across the goal line for his second touchdown, putting the Packers ahead 14-6.
While there's no overstating the significance of this individual performance from Wicks in the biggest game of his young career and the season-saving victory he helped deliver for the Packers, there was an even greater meaning to the game for Wicks that went beyond football. On the morning before the game, Wicks posted a birthday tribute on Instagram for his former Virginia teammate Lavel Davis Jr., who was tragically shot and killed at UVA in November 2022. Wicks certainly had Davis, who would have turned 22 on Sunday, on his mind after he scored.
Dontayvion Wicks and the Green Bay Packers have the No. 7 seed in the NFC Playoffs and will take on the No. 2 seed Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round next weekend.
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