DALLAS — "The regular season is cute ... this is legacy ... be phenomenal or be forgotten."
-Cowboys LB Micah Parsons
Cowboys’ stalwart defender Micah Parsons gets it. He fired off that gem, succinctly describing the Cowboys circumstance ahead of their third straight trip to the postseason.
They'll face the upstart Green Bay Packers led by quarterback Jordan love. The Pack is the youngest team in the playoffs but they're playing well, having won 7-of-10 games. And in the last eight, Love has ruled, throwing 18 touchdown passes and just one interception.
The history around this game provides another intriguing storyline.
The Cowboys enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed, meaning they're two home wins away from their first trip to the NFC title game in nearly 30 years. In fact, Sunday marks 28 years to the day since their last NFC Championship game, and coincidentally that game was against ... wait for it ... the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers and Cowboys are both making their 36th postseason appearances. Both franchises are tied for the second-most postseason wins in NFL history. Whoever wins this game will tie the Patriots for the most ever with 37.
And we haven't even gotten to this juicy story line: Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy staring down his former team. McCarthy shared an interesting revelation about the last time the Cowboys and Packers played. It was a November tilt at Lambeau Field last season that the Cowboys lost in meltdown fashion, coughing up a 14-point fourth quarter lead, losing in overtime.
McCarthy said he made a mistake before that game. He shared with his team his experience in Green Bay and what it meant for him to go back. He said he shouldn't have put that added pressure on his players, and he'll never do it again. I think the transparency and publicly admitting his miscue will serve him well in the locker room.
A Quick Look at the Weekend Ahead
- Who: Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys
- When: 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 14, 2024
- Where: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
- Weather: Cloudy. Highs in the high 20s and lows in the mid 20s.
- Watch: FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
- Listen: KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan (Brad Sham, Babe Laufenberg, Kristi Scales)
- Last Meeting: Green Bay 31 - Dallas 28 OT (November 13, 2022, at Lambeau Field)
- Series Record: Green Bay Packers lead series 21-17-0
X's and Joes
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is playing the best football of his career.
McCarthy deserves credit for that taking over play-calling duties and further evolving the offense. The Cowboys bring the league's top scoring offense, 29.9 points per game, into the matchup. Prescott leads the NFL with 36 touchdown passes, and CeeDee Lamb is tops in the league and set a new franchise record with 135 catches. But to make those number really matter; they've got to keep the production coming.
The Packers secondary can be exploited. Cornerback Jaire Alexander is the best of the group, and he's dealing with an ankle issue that forced him to miss practice Thursday. If he can play, he'll probably travel with CeeDee Lamb, who will get extra attention.
But that's been the best development in McCarthy's offense. No matter what teams try to do to take Lamb away, the Cowboys have produced creative ways to move him around and get him open. That should continue Sunday, and with the increased contributions from receiver Brandin Cooks and tight end Jake Ferguson, the Cowboys should roll.
On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys defense better be prepared for a test against the run. Packer running back Aaron Jones had dealt with injuries this season, but he's healthy now. Jones racked up 1,516 yards from scrimmage last season, so he's a threat. And when the Packers can run the ball, it opens up their play-action passing game for Love. That's where he's done damage, piling up the seventh-most passing yards in the league this season, and he's second only to Prescott in touchdown passes with 32.
Good news here Cowboys fans: run-stuffer Jonathan Hankins returned from an ankle injury against the Commanders Sunday, and he's expected to play this week. The Cowboys play their best against the run when they play with intensity and swarm to the football. With the stakes on the line, that shouldn't be a problem.
Love's been piling up big numbers with an inexperienced pass-catching crew. His best receiver Christian Watson has missed the last five games with a hamstring injury. He's been limited in practice this week but could be ready Sunday. Other than that, Love throws to rookie receivers Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. The Cowboys will look to make the stage feel as big as possible for those young playmakers.
Along those lines, there's good news on the injury front for Dallas. After suffering a shoulder separation versus the Commanders Cornerback Stephon Gilmore returned to practice in limited fashion on Thursday and should be ready to go Sunday. And in other injury news, guards Zack Martin (illness) and Tyler Smith (foot) are both expected to play after missing the Washington game.
Finally, home field matters to the Cowboys. They've been lights out at AT&T, winning 16 straight games. This season, they've averaged more than 37 points per game and have outscored opponents by an average of more than 20 points in the friendly confines in Arlington. Something's got to give though, the Packers are 4-0 at AT&T stadium.
Random Stat of the Week
You've got to go all the way back to the 1994 season to find the last time the Cowboys were a No. 2 seed in the playoffs. They've been the NFC top seed three times since then.
Cowboys playoff seeding in the last 30+ years:
- 2022: 5 - Lost in divisional round
- 2021: 3 - Lost in wild card round
- 2018: 4 - Lost in divisional round
- 2016: 1 - Lost in divisional round
- 2014: 3 - Lost in divisional round
- 2009: 3 - Lost in divisional round
- 2007: 1 - Lost in divisional round
- 2006: 5 - Lost in wild card round
- 2003: 6 - Lost in wild card round
- 1999: 5 - Lost in wild card round
- 1998: 3 - Lost in wild card round
- 1996: 3 - Lost in divisional round
- 1995: 1 - Won the Super Bowl
- 1994: 2 - Lost in NFC title game
- 1993: 1 - Won the Super Bowl
- 1992: 2 - Won the Super Bowl
Bandwagon Meter
Prediction Time - Joestradamus speaks!
The Cowboys have pointing towards this game since the first day of training camp. They say they haven't skipped steps, but the truth is this season will only be judged on how far they can go in the postseason. The Packers are talented, but too young to beat the Cowboys at home.
Make it 17 straight in the friend confines of AT&T. Cowboys win 31-21 and prepare for a Divisional round showdown the following week.
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