When Dallas squares of with Green Bay at Lambeau Field it’s going to be a match up between two undefeated teams, Dallas is undefeated on the road (8-0) while Green Bay posts a perfect record at home (8-0). Coming in to this matchup the Cowboys are really hitting their stride winning five straight since losing to Philadelphia in a blowout on Thanksgiving. Green Bay will be looking to take advantage of the weather tomorrow playing in temperatures below freezing. As I’m sure you have dozens of times by now this will be the first time that Dallas and Green Bay have met in the playoffs at Lambeau since the Packers beat Dallas in the 1967 NFL Championship game; after which the Packers would eventually go on to win Super Bowl I.
Cowboys Keys to Victory
- Feed DeMarco Murray
No matter how you look at it Murray is the key piece in the Dallas offense. If they are going to be successful against the Packers they are going to have to get Murray going early and keep him rolling throughout the game. Dallas has posted the number two rushing attack in the NFL while Murray led the league by rolling over the league with 1,845 yards. It’s no secret that Murray has been the key to the balance of the Cowboys offense this season. That balance is going to be key to draw in an above average Packers pass defense, ranked number ten, so Dez Bryant and Tony Romo can wreak havoc over the top. Dom Capers the Green Bay defensive coordinator had this to say,
“You can’t really zero in on one area, because if you do that too much, they’ll hurt you in another area,”
per the teams official site. Getting Murray going shouldn’t be to hard considering that the Packers going shouldn’t be to hard considering the Packers ranked twenty-third in the league.
2. Tony Romo
Romo has seen more than his fair share of playoff disappointment going back to 2006. Of course no one can forget that until this year Romo has only posted one win in the playoffs, and has failed to propel his team into the playoffs in win or go home games. If Dallas is going to have a shot Romo is going to have to come up big. Rodgers and company have shown that they can put up points in bunches dropping fifty points on two occasions this season. Romo has an ability to put up fantastic numbers as well but he has a reputation for dropping the ball for a reason. We’ve seen Romo show the ability to control the ball and prevent turnovers this season, this is a trend that will have to continue if the Cowboys want to continue on to the Super Bowl.
Packers Key to Victory
1. Controlling the Line of Scrimmage
It goes without saying that in any football game you need to control the line of scrimmage, but against the league’s top rusher you cannot falter. The Packers will need to shut down the fierce Demarco Murray, as I said earlier if Murray gets going the Cowboys will be able to take them over the top. Also this will prevent the pass rush from pinning it’s ears back and getting after Romo. They will need to get pressure on Romo in order to win this game. If the Packers can stop Demarco Murray they can play back and protect the lead. The Cowboys lead the league in time of possession at thirty-two minutes and fifty-one seconds. If they can’t stop Murray the Cowboys will be able to grind the pace of the game to a halt preventing Rodgers and company from putting up the points necessary to keep Murray from having an impact on the game.
2. Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers comes into this game with a small tear of his calf and a strain. Although he has some mobility lets just say he is no Michael Vick, we all know that this game rest on the strength of Rodgers’ arm and not his legs. Jeremy Mincey had this to say to ESPN’s Todd Archer,
“He doesn’t have a hurt arm, so it doesn’t matter.”
Since the Cowboys have the twenty-sixth ranked pass defense at three hundred and fifty-two yards per game, Rodgers band aerial aces shouldn’t have a problem getting open. The burden then lies with Rodgers to get them the ball and although this hasn’t been a problem the Cowboys eight ranked rush defense could make the Packers attack very one sided. Plus Rodgers will have to keep the points rolling in order to keep the pressure on Dallas so that the ball stays in Romo’s hands. If the Packers can keep the ball in Romo’s hands they can hope to force a game winning turnover.
My Prediction
No matter what happens this is shaping up to be a great game. Although the cowboys are going to try to slow the pace I doubt their ability to take away the Green Bay passing attack. Even though Romo has a reputation of turning the ball over he has shown the ability to play lights out, for example last season when he went toe to toe with Peyton Manning. So I predict a high scoring affair between the two. You can bet that this game goes down to the wire like the Cowboys did last week. I pick Green Bay to come out on top.
Final Score: Green Bay 32, Dallas 27
