Are the Dallas Cowboys prone for an upset?
By Reid Hanson
The youthfully inexperienced Dallas Cowboys host the veteran savvy Green Bay Packers this afternoon in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs. Upset waiting to happen?
The Dallas Cowboys just can’t get any love these days. After holding the best record in the NFL for majority of the season, setting a franchise record in consecutive wins, and effortlessly pummeling today’s opponent this season already, “experts” are somehow convinced this is the Packers game to lose.
Throughout the week we’ve seen talking heads and sports columnists line up behind the Packers, curiously ignoring the depth and dominance of the home team. Flashbacks to 2014 were aplenty as those same prognosticators made their arguments for an upset. Day after day, more love for the team that squeaked into the playoffs. Day after day, more disrespect for the team that earned the number #1 seed with two games left on their schedule.
Well, the day has arrived. The Dallas Cowboys face the Green Bay Packers in the postseason once again. In a contest sure to bring up ceaseless flashbacks of the heartbreaking loss in Green Bay only two seasons ago, the match-up couldn’t look more different.
Green Bay still holds the same nucleus from that 2014 season but the Cowboys have rebuilt into something all new. The offense, led my rookie tandem Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, provides a multidimensional attack that pounds the ball and exploits mismatches.
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This is a match-up of the best team in the NFC (and possibly the entire NFL) against the hottest team in the NFL. After stumbling out of the gates, the Aaron Rodgers led Packers have charged back, winning seven games in a row to make it to the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs.
While it’s hard to pick against the best passer alive and the longest winning streak running, it’s important to point out a few things:
- The Packers never faced a top-16 defense during their winning streak (as VA from Blogging The Boys pointed out). They have only scored points against teams that could not score points themselves. The Cowboys can score some points.
- The Cowboys are better than people give them credit for. They have essentially only lost to one team all year since week 17 was a give-away game that the back-ups lost.
- Health and roster depth both favor the Dallas Cowboys. Coming off their best week of practice, they are anything but cold after a couple weeks off. The Packers may be red-hot, but they’re also battered and bruised. Dallas is hot AND healthy.
People will say the Packers are a different team now than when Dallas destroyed them earlier in the year. And those people would be right. But the Cowboys are even more different.
The Dallas Cowboys finally have their secondary healthy. Plus they are considered by many as one of the best secondaries in the NFL. They have three cornerbacks rating in the top 34 and three safeties rating in the top-26.
Related Story: The Cowboys' Secondary Is Better Than You Think
Dallas has a much deeper defensive line rotation than before. The D-line has been among the best in the sacks and hurries the last half of the season. As Dink Kearney pointed out, the defense has 15 sacks and 10 takeaways the last five games of the season. Now that’s momentum!
Zeke is more rested and Dak is 74% more experienced. Oh yeah, the Cowboys have Dez Bryant this time too. The Packers don’t even have Jordy Nelson now.
Next: Dez Still Caught It and the Rules Still Stink
Upsets happen in the NFL but not tonight.
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys 34 Green Bay Packers 30