PACKERS (4) AT COWBOYS (1)
When: Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox) Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas Line: TBA
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1. A different kind of wild-card
weekend: The Cowboys cruised to the best record in the NFC. Yet they enter the playoffs with unknowns. Rookies Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott became the faces of the franchise, but the postseason crucible will provide a significant hurdle, especially against a playoff-savvy, red-hot Green Bay team. The defense again has been stripped of suspended DE Randy Gregory, a blow to Dallas’ 26th-ranked pass defense. CB Morris Claiborne’s anticipated return from a groin muscle injury should help. But he’s bound to be rusty and perhaps tentative against a high-powered Packers passing game orchestrated by QB Aaron Rodgers.
2. X factor: Obstructing NFL rushing champion Elliott almost certainly will be the focus of Green Bay’s defense. That should mean more opportunities for WR Dez Bryant. Though he has battled injuries while adjusting to life without Tony Romo over two substandard seasons (by Bryant’s standards), he remains an elite playmaker who can easily exploit man-to-man coverage. In the Cowboys’ playoff dress rehearsal in Week 16, Bryant and Prescott appeared to finally develop chemistry, hooking up for a pair of scores. Expect Bryant to have extra motivation after his non-catch at Lambeau Field two years ago, a “drop” that basically ended Dallas’ season.
3. No dodging Rodgers: Immersed in a zone similar to the one he parlayed into a championship run six years ago — one that concluded in Dallas’ building in Super Bowl XLV — Rodgers has been virtually unstoppable. After throwing for 362 yards and four touchdowns in Sunday’s beatdown of the New York Giants, he owns this stat line during the Pack’s seven-game winning streak: 2,029 passing yards, 19 TDs, 69.6% completion percentage, 121.7 passer rating. He hasn’t been intercepted since Nov. 13. But he was merely mortal (294 yards, one TD, one interception) in Green Bay’s Week 6 loss to the Cowboys at Lambeau. It won’t help if WR Jordy Nelson (ribs) is out.