Packers ensure Cowboys won’t come here
Tying rallies thwarted as Rodgers’ 36-yard pass sets up last-second FG
ARLINGTON — Ultimately, the Dallas Cowboys didn’t finish the fight as they promised.
Mason Crosby’s 51-yard field as time expired gave the Green Bay Packers a 34-31 NFC divisional playoff victory on Sunday in front of a shell-shocked crowd of 93,396 at AT&T Stadium.
It robbed the Cowboys of their first trip to the NFC Championship Game in 21 years, ending their season two games short of their first trip to the Super Bowl since 1995.
But there is no questioning the fight and future of a young Cow-
boys team that rallied from an 18-point deficit before succumbing in a memorable thriller to the Packers and the magic of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
It was a final miracle by Rodgers that proved the Cowboys’ undoing. He completed a 36-yard pass to tight end Jared Cook on a third-and-20 play that gave the Packers (12-6) the final chance at a field goal with 3 seconds left.
The Cowboys called a timeout to ice Crosby, but to no avail. His field goal sent the Packers into a frenzy and the Cowboys into the fetal position.
The reality of the final loss was utter disappointment. Several Cowboys left the locker room without speaking to the media, some with parts of their uniform still on.
“It’s challenging,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “It’s playoff football. When you lose, you’re done.”
But the loss shouldn’t diminish what the Cowboys (13-4) accomplished all season behind rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott. As much as this was an ending, it also appeared to be the beginning of a bright future.
The Cowboys rallied because Prescott, who took over for the injured Tony Romo to start the season, wouldn’t waver. He nearly matched Rodgers play for play, passing for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
Prescott, who had the best statistical season of any rookie quarterback in NFL history, became the first rookie QB to throw three TD passes in a playoff game. But it was no solace in the end.
“It was a great game all the way around,” Prescott said. “I just hate being on the losing end. It’s a terrible feeling. But it’s a game I dreamed about playing since I was a little kid. I plan on playing in many more.”
Meanwhile, Rodgers has another one for the scrapbook, thanks in large part to Cook, who barely kept his toes inbounds on the game’s last catch after Rodgers ran away from a three-man rush.
“I feel confident any time I’m out there, game on the line or not,” said Rodgers, who was 28-of-43 for 356 yards and two TDs with one interception as the Packers advanced to next week’s NFC Championship Game at Atlanta. “But we’ve made those throws before in practice. It’s a matter of trusting your muscle memory and your training, thinking about a positive picture when you break the huddle, and executing it right away.”
As for Crosby’s view? Well, he didn’t even watch the play to completion.
“I didn’t get to see it, because as soon as (Rodgers) let that ball go, I started locking in,” said Crosby, in his 10th season. “I knew what was happening. If it was a catch, I knew I was going to have a chance.”
Not much surprises these Packers when it comes to Rodgers, who has led them to eight straight wins.
“Aaron called the play, man,” Cook said of his spectacular catch. “I just worked with him. I saw him rolling, and I knew if I got on top of the coverage that Aaron would put the ball in the right place. He put it right on the sideline with enough room for me to get my feet down. It was a heck of a throw by him rolling to his left.”
This was the second time the Cowboys had posted a 13-3 record and earned home field throughout the playoffs only to lose in the divisional round. Though disappointed, owner Jerry Jones said this loss feels different from the one to the Giants in 2007.
“The difference is that when I look at what’s ahead for us,” Jones said. “When I look at the valiant way we played to make this thing get to be as competitive as it turned out near the end, then I’m buoyed in the short term more so than what happened to us in the ensuing years after ’07. I don’t think I’m being an optimist. I don’t feel like being an optimist. I just feel like giving Green Bay its due. The whole organization. They beat a good team out there.”
Prescott’s play reinforced the Cowboys’ decision to stick with him after Romo returned to health nine games into the season. There is no question Dallas will move on from Romo in the offseason, though the Cowboys will take their time in the process.
Elliott had 125 rushing yards on 22 carries, and Dez Bryant caught nine passes for 132 yards and two TDs to help aid what appeared to be the makings of a historic comeback.
The most recent time the Cowboys rallied from 18 down to win a playoff game was in 1972 against San Francisco. They faced that deficit after Rodgers led Green Bay to touchdowns on its first three drives for a 21-3 lead.
After the Cowboys made it 21-13 at halftime, the third quarter was the biggest turning point of the game. Trailing 28-13 after the Packers scored on the opening drive of the half, the Cowboys seemed to be left for dead after a Prescott interception. A chance to narrow the score with a second-and-1 at the 19 was ruined when safety Micah Hyde jumped a hitch pass to Cole Beasley.
However, an unlikely hero gave the Cowboys new life when safety Jeff Heath picked off Rodgers on the ensuing drive. It was the first interception off Rodgers in eight games, spanning a whopping 318 passes.
Prescott made it count with a 6-yard TD pass to tight end Jason Witten, making the score 28-20.
The Cowboys’ seemingly overmatched defense answered the call again when safety Barry Church sacked Rodgers to get Green Bay off the field. Prescott proved ready for the moment, directing an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 7-yard pass to Bryant.
Prescott’s quarterback draw on the 2-point conversion made it 28-28 with 4:08 left.
The Packers followed with a 56-yard field goal by Crosby, set up by a pass interference penalty on cornerback Anthony Brown.
Again Prescott didn’t blink, driving Dallas into position for a 52-yard game-tying field goal from Dan Bailey. The Cowboys were thinking touchdown on the drive, but a batted pass on third-and-3 forced them to kick with 40 seconds to go.
More than enough time for Rodgers and Crosby.