It proved to be a very successful season for the Dallas Cowboys considering the expectations.
Off a year in which they finished 8-8 for the third consecutive season, Jason Garrett’s team was supposed to be closer to the NFC East basement rather than the division penthouse. And when the Cowboys wrapped up the preseason with a 0-4 record, there was doom forecasted for the team that used to feature the “Doomsday Defense.”
But a funny thing happened on the way to a dismal year. Garrett and company finished 12-4 and won the NFC East for the first time since 2009. Last week, the team rallied for a 24-20 victory over the Detroit Lions—the club’s first playoff triumph since ’09.
However, a game effort by the Cowboys on Sunday at Lambeau Field came up short, 26-21. Dallas has not reached the conference championship game since 1995, which is also the last time the team reached (and won) the Super Bowl.
So what went wrong at Green Bay against the potent Packers? In the end, the suspect Cowboys defense was guilty as charged and failed to stop Aaron Rodgers and his weapons despite the fact that the Pro Bowl quarterback was playing with an injured calf.
Jan 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) gets away from Dallas Cowboys free safety J.J. Wilcox (27) to score a touchdown in the third quarter in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The balance displayed by Mike McCarthy’s team was impressive, to say the least. The Packers ran 30 times for 119 yards (101 by Eddie Lacy) and Rodgers dropped back to throw 36 times. He was sacked only once by the ineffective Dallas pass rush while he was busy completing 24-of-35 passes for 316 yards and three scores.
More bad news when it comes to the Cowboys defense. Rod Marinelli’s unit gave up 425 total yards and forced only one turnover. Meanwhile, the Pack came up big all afternoon on third down, converting on nine-of-14 opportunities—an impressive 64.3 percent.
It’s not like the Dallas offense played a bad game. When they had the ball (and they ran only 51 plays), they gained 315 total yards, including 145 on the ground. Quarterback Tony Romo hit on 15-of-19 passes for 191 yards and a pair of scores. But he was also sacked four times and fumbled twice (none lost). Running back DeMarco Murray ran for 123 yards on 25 carries but also committed the team’s lone turnover of the afternoon.
Of course, one of Romo’s incompletions was a fourth-down throw down the left sidelines to wideout Dez Bryant, who appeared to have made a spectacular catch but saw his great effort overturned by a McCarthy challenge.
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So in a very well-played postseason tilt at Lambeau Field, the Packers simply made more plays when they had to than to the Cowboys.
And you could make the case that this was less about what Dallas did wrong and more about what Rodgers and his talented cast did right.