PLAYOFF BLITZ

HERO

Could it be anyone other than Aaron Rodgers? The guy is on an all-time roll. He operated inside AT&T Stadium as if he owned the place, throwing darts in the pocket, rolling out, flipping passes to anyone and everyone. Rodgers (28-of-43, 356 yards) actually threw an interception late in the third quarter, ending a stretch of 318 consecutive passes without one. His throw on third-and-20 in the closing seconds is an all-timer.

ZERO

Scott Linehan, the Cowboys offensive coordinator and play-caller, had a spectacular season sticking to the run, taking the pressure off rookie QB Dak Prescott. Linehan had a bad postseason showing. He should have called more running plays for his great running back, Ezekiel Elliott, who really wasn’t stopped by the Packers as much as he was limited by the coach assigned to call the plays. It took too long for Linehan to feature Elliott, who averaged 5.7 yards and ran for 125 yards; he should have received more than 22 rushing attempts.

UNSUNG HERO

Before this, tight end Jared Cook was most famous for being the guy who got a fried chicken head at Buffalo Wild Wings. Now the former Titans and Rams underachiever is known for making an outrageous catch on the sideline to set up the game-winning field goal. Cook finished with six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.

KEY STAT

30:14 Time of possession for the Cowboys, who had a great season because they were able to shield their ordinary defense by controlling the ball on offense with dominant time of possession. They were unable to play keep-away in this game.