Don’t expect a low-scoring affair at AT&T Stadium Sunday.
The Packers come into their NFC divisional playoff game against the Cowboys winners of seven straight. Green Bay (11-6) has averaged 32 points per game during its win streak and is coming off a 38-13 wild-card win over the Giants.
The Cowboys (13-3) have won seven straight at home, averaging more than 30 points per victory.
The Packers had trouble stopping the Cowboys offense, led by rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott — the NFL’s leading rusher — and quarterback Dak Prescott in a 30-16 loss Oct. 16 at Lambeau Field.
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Sunday’s game promises to be a high-scoring affair with the Packers and Cowboys ranked fourth and five, respectively, in scoring offense this season.
It will be up to a Cowboys defense that ranks 14th in yards allowed to slow down a Packers offense that has been on fire for two months.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers put an exclamation point on his MVP-caliber season with four touchdown passes against the Giants.
“He’s been hot for about nine years,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said of Rodgers, who has thrown 19 touchdown passes without an interception during Green Bay’s win streak.
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Although Rodgers threw for 294 yards in the Week 6 loss, the Cowboys limited him to just one touchdown and picked him off early in the third quarter.
Rodgers had plenty time off a play-action fake to try and hit Randall Cobb on a crossing route. But he didn’t see safety Barry Church, who confused Rodgers before the snap by shading toward Jordy Nelson before dropping into a zone.
Rodgers is one of the more elusive quarterbacks in the league and his ability to keep plays alive with his legs is one of the things that makes him so dangerous. Along with ability to escape pressure, Rodgers also has one of the NFL’s quickest releases.
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Against the Giants, Rodgers kept a play alive for nine seconds before drifting to his left and firing to Davante Adams. The Packers receivers are so skilled in the scramble drill and Adams gave Rodgers just enough of a window to get the ball past cornerback Coty Sensabaugh.
The Cowboys sacked Rodgers once in their October victory. Surprisingly it came on a three-man rush late. Benson Mayowa, Ryan Davis and David Irving did a good job of keeping Rodgers in the pocket. Irving powered through the double-team of center JC Tretter and guard T.J. Lang to get to Rodgers and create a fumble.
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Two of the Cowboys’ best defensive efforts came in Week 14 and 15 against the Giants and Buccaneers. While the Giants handed the Cowboys a 10-7 loss Dec. 11, New York had just 260 yards of offense.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning had 193 passing yards with a touchdown, but threw an interception and lost a pair of fumbles as the Cowboys sacked him three times. The Cowboys likely will blitz Rodgers, and a blitz against Manning led to a fumble.
Linebacker Sean Lee blitzed off Manning’s right side and hit Manning high as Cedric Thornton was around Manning’s legs. The ball slipped from Manning’s hands and Thornton recovered it.
A week later, in a 26-20 win over the Bucs, the Cowboys picked off Jameis Winston three times and sacked the second-year signal-caller four times. They got another sack-fumble as safety Byron Jones and linebacker Damien Wilson blitzed off the right side. As the Bucs tried to pick up the blitzers, defensive tackle Terrell McClain hit Winston’s arm to jar loose the ball.
The Packers will be without Jordy Nelson but have Cobb, who caught three touchdowns against the Giants, against whom Rodgers was masterful. One of his best throws — aside from the Hail Mary to Cobb at the end of the first half — was a 30-yard touchdown to him early in the third quarter. Cobb ran a perfect post route, cutting inside Giants DB Trevin Wade, before Rodgers hit him in stride.
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Adams finally has grown into the receiver the Packers expected him to be when they selected the Fresno State product in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Adams has had a career year with 75 catches for 997 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He had eight catches for 125 yards and a touchdown against the Giants. It was his 66-yard touchdown early against the Seahawks that set the tone in a 38-10 Packers victory.
Rodgers rolled away from pressure and flicked a perfect in-stride pass to Adams, who had gotten behind Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane.
Without Nelson, the Packers also will expect Geronimo Allison to step up. The undrafted rookie from Illinois came on late in the regular season with eight catches for 157 yards and a touchdown in the final two games.
Allison’s 10-yard touchdown against the Lions in the regular-season finale was another result of Rodgers' keeping the play alive and receivers working the scramble drill to perfection.
“The guy makes crazy plays no matter what,” Cowboys defensive lineman Crawford said of Rodgers. “I don't know how he does some of the things he does passing that ball. We just have to keep our lanes and make sure we don’t lose (containment) to make sure he doesn't get out of the pocket.”