(Photo: Packers Wire)
NFC Wild Card
(7) Green Bay Packers at (2) Dallas Cowboys
Packers: They weren’t supposed to be here. After making the biggest trade during the off-season to ship Aaron Rodgers off to the New York Jets, it was considered an instant rebuild. I remember when they took Jordan Love back in the 2020 NFL Draft and you couldn’t sit here and tell me that the writing wasn’t on the wall for Aaron’s departure. I’ve seen Matt LaFleur coach since he was hired by the Packers and for a guy that’s won a few division titles, coached an MVP Quarterback and helped lead his team to one of the top seeds in the NFC Playoffs multiple times, I think this is his best coaching job yet. This is the youngest team ever to make the NFL Postseason and he has them here. Rocky moments during a season can reveal many things and when they were 3-6, just about everyone threw the towel in on them. Not this group. A team is a reflection of their Head Coach and Matt kept his young men motivated and focused on the task at hand. The turning point for this Green Bay group came on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. That was the best I’ve seen Jordan Love look all year and he has a bright future ahead of him. Anytime the Packers won a game and they celebrated, they would rally around Jordan. He’s a leader and shows it. I can’t say we saw that much with the previous Quarterback any year he was there, I’m just saying. They will continue to add talent for years to come. Build around Jordan and good things will come. This Sunday, they will make trip to JerryWorld.
Cowboys: I love what I saw from them down the stretch to close out the season, minus the two losses to the Bills and Dolphins. There’s no denying that this is a good football team and we know they are capable of putting the league on notice. I’m loving what I’m seeing from the offense right now because it’s not just one guy. Everyone is contributing. CeeDee Lamb is a grown man, Michael Gallup is a solid pass catcher, Jake Ferguson is becoming Dak Prescott’s safety valve and Brandin Cooks is still making plays after all these years. Things couldn’t have ended any better for the Dallas Cowboys to end the season. When the Eagles lost their final two games, Dallas won theirs and have clinched another NFC East division title which is their second in three seasons. Also with them winning the division, they became the two seed in the NFC playoff picture and will have another home game in the postseason if they were to advance. This year was the best I’ve ever seen Dak look. He just appeared to be in control and was more confident in the passes he threw than I’ve seen in any other season since he’s come into the league. Once again, I’ll say it. Their success is predicated on what their offense does. If good Dak shows up, they will do well and will probably come out on top. I’m talking about everything clicking for them along with the defense that’s one of the best in the league. This is a unit that wants to play downhill and rush the passer. Although they’ve been hampered with injuries in the secondary, DaRon Bland has stepped up and become that guy to defend the top receiver on the opposition. This Sunday afternoon, they will host the Packers in the Wild Card round.
Packers X-Factor: Aaron Jones– He’s become the heart and soul of this football team. Aaron is a veteran and although he’s missed some time, he’s healthy and playing well when it matters which is down the stretch. He’s such a difference maker when he’s 100 percent and I say that because he can impact the game as both a runner out the backfield and a receiver. Aaron is strong, fast and elusive in space. He’s also so tough and challenging to tackle when he has the football in his hands. Dallas could be in for it if they don’t gameplan for him.
Cowboys X-Factor: Brandin Cooks– He has experience playing in postseason games. What I’ve liked about Brandin is he knows his role within an offense. He’s far from the number one option at this point in his career, but wherever they have him, he shows up and makes plays and you can’t help but appreciate a guy like that. Brandin has provided Dak with something he hasn’t had much of in his career which is a threat to consistently stretch the field. CeeDee Lamb will command his share of attention throughout this game, I expect Dak to spread that ball around on Sunday.
Final Thoughts: These two have so much history against one another. I often think about the divisional round game back at Lambeau in 2015 when Dez Bryant caught the ball and it ended up being overturned and how about 2017 in the divisional round? It was an epic game that came down to the final seconds of the fourth quarter. So many legends have played for these two teams. Mike McCarthy was also the coach of the Packers prior to taking the Dallas job. This Dallas defense is going to come for Jordan Love. Dan Quinn will throw many different looks and rushes as the young Quarterback. All I need to see from the Cowboys offense is to control the clock and take care of the ball. The Packers must come out and start quickly along with taking that crowd out the game early on. Mike McCarthy has two wins in the playoffs against the Cowboys and now, he’ll be looking to send the young Packers home and that’s exactly what I think will happen. Dallas has too much on both sides of the ball and the Packers I don’t think have enough. I like the Cowboys to win and advance to the divisional round of the playoffs which means another home game for them.
Prediction: Cowboys 34, Packers 21
