Cowboys-Packers Preview
There's not much talk this week about how the Green Bay Packers eliminated the Dallas Cowboys from the playoffs last season thanks in part to a controversial call involving Dez Bryant. These teams are instead concerned about repeating as division champions as they meet Sunday at Lambeau Field. Green Bay (8-4) advanced to the NFC championship last season by beating Dallas 26-21 behind two second-half touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers. The key play was when Bryant's leaping, bobbling 31-yard catch with 4:06 left on a fourth-and-2 play was challenged by coach Mike McCarthy and reversed as an incomplete pass. With that Jan. 11 contest so long ago and Dallas (4-8) without an injured Tony Romo, there's little reminiscing about it. "I don't know that guys bring a lot of stuff with them from past games," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "I do think it's important to focus on what we need to do for today to get ready for Sunday." These teams are in better positions in their division races than they would have expected for different reasons. The Packers enter off a 27-23 win at Detroit last Thursday on Rodgers' 61-yard Hail Mary TD pass to Richard Rodgers on the last play of the game that capped a rally from 20 points down. Green Bay got an untimed down after Aaron Rodgers was tackled by the face mask on the previous play as time expired. "This one obviously ranks up there as one of the greatest joys on the field that we've had together and personally," Aaron Rodgers said. Green Bay is now tied with Minnesota atop the North after the Vikings lost 38-7 to Seattle on Sunday. The Packers avoided a fifth loss in six games. ''We're an 8-4 football team that needs to do better at the little things,'' McCarthy said. ''We're not as detailed as we'd like to be right now.'' Dallas won 19-16 at Washington on Monday on Dan Bailey's 54-yard field goal with 9 seconds left. The Cowboys prevailed for the first time in eight games without Romo and moved within a game of the East lead - with the mediocre division's other teams tied for first. "When you get down towards the end of the season and the games are fewer and the impact of the games in terms of the playoff implications are so huge, there's just a tremendous sense of urgency," Garrett said. Matt Cassel was 16 of 29 for 222 yards and guided the Cowboys to the winning field goal in five plays over 35 seconds. He dropped his first four starts with Dallas. "As you can see, Cassel was able to get it done," Packers safety Micah Hyde said. "He still has the weapons, has a good back (who) runs hard, good receivers, obviously a good tight end." Dallas would like to get Darren McFadden untracked after the back who has topped 100 yards three times has managed 64 in the last two games. The game plan is not to put too much pressure on Cassel to win the game. "You want to reduce his burden as much as you can by running the ball better and guys making plays around him and then doing what you can do on defense and the kicking game to do what you can to alleviate the burden from the offense and the quarterback," Garrett said. There are some issues swirling with the Packers running game after Eddie Lacy played only 19 snaps in the Lions game. There are reports that he missed curfew the night before, and the Packers confirmed there was a disciplinary issue. Lacy carried five times for four yards after consecutive 100-yard efforts. James Starks started and was limited to 15 yards. The starting position is up for grabs, though it seems that the Packers would like to see Lacy reclaim the role. ''Everything's in front of him,'' McCarthy said. ''If Eddie or any other player wants to jump up and grab that opportunity, it's right in front of him.'' Aaron Rodgers has been picked off in consecutive games in a single season for the first time in three years, and has failed to produce a passer rating of at least 100.0 in six straight games after reaching that figure 11 times last year to earn league MVP honors. The Cowboys don't believe he is suffering through any woes. "He just plays the game at such a high level," said Garrett, whose club is last in the league with a minus-14 turnover differential. "He's able to do things on the field that very few guys can." The Packers are seeking to avoid losing three straight at home for the first time since 2006. |