Overturned call!
Cowboys 21-26 Packers 4:42, 4th quarter
The officials say that Bryant did not maintain possession. The call is reversed! TURNOVER ON DOWN FOR DALLAS! It’s also McCarthy’s only won challenge of the season.
Cowboys 21-26 Packers 4:42, 4th quarter
McCarthy is claiming that it wasn’t a completed pass. Can’t blame him. It’s Dallas at the Green Bay 1 with first-and-goal as it stands. It’s Green Bay ball if overturned.
Cowboys 21-26 Packers 4:42, 4th quarter
Murray picks up 2 yards, but on 2nd and 8th Romo gets stuffed for a loss of three. 3rd and 11, Romo throws a dart to Beasley who can’t quite make it to the first down.
It’s the Green Bay 32 and 4th and 2 and the Cowboys are going for it AND HOW DID DEZ BRYANT CATCH THAT? OH GOD! That could have been picked off but instead it’s 1st and goal.
But Green Bay is challenging the catch.
Cowboys 21-26 Packers 7:45, 4th quarter
Randle runs two yards to take them right at midfield. And then the Cowboys are definitely into Green Bay’s house as Romo hits Bryant for 10 yards. They’re at the 40.
Cowboys 21-26 Packers 9:05, 4th quarter
Kickoff return time. The Cowboys will start at their 18. Fair to say this drive might be good. They hand to Murray who... oh lordy this is ridiculous. Murray gains 30 yards to take the Cowboys to their own 48. Already almost in Packers territory.
Failed two point conversion!
Cowboys 21-26 Packers 9:10, 4th quarter
NOW the Packers try the two point conversion, Rodgers-to-Quarless is incomplete. No good. It’s a five point lead, a bit deflating for Green Bay but they still have the lead.
Touchdown!
Cowboys 21-26 Packers 9:10, 4th quarter
Rodgers to Rodgers for the touchdown! Aaron to Richard Rodgers for a touchdown! And the lead!
Cowboys 21-20 Packers 10:05, 4th quarter
Rodgers is in a hurry now. He passes to Cobb for 6, passes to Cobb for 14 yards and a first down to the Dallas 27. He passes to Quarless for 6 to reach the Dallas 21. Jesus this is relentless. On 2nd and 4, Rodgers finds Quartless again. That’s the first down at the Dallas 13.
And mercifully, Green Bay calls a timeout. Ow my fingers.
Cowboys 21-20 Packers 12:21, 4th quarter
Rodgers breaks loose from a should-be sack and hands it to Quarless for 13 yards and a first down. At their 33, Cobb gets 2 yards and then on 2nd and 8 it’s Rodgers-to-Adams again. Adams reaches the Dallas 47 after an 18 yard run.
Updated
Cowboys 21-20 Packers 13:29, 4th quarter
@HunterFelt Packers are making it a game now, but either way it's not hard to see the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
— Elena V (@amariselv) January 11, 2015
The Seahawks have to be favored against whichever team wins this afternoon. I still think they’re going to win back-to-back SBs.
Cowboys 21-20 Packers 13:29, 4th quarter
Chris Jones’s punt hits the end zone for a touchback. Aaron Rodgers will start a Green Bay drive at the 20 and if you’re a Cowboys fan you have to be at least a little scared right here.
Cowboys 21-20 Packers 13:52, 4th quarter
Romo starts the fourth quarter the same way he ended the third, getting brought down five yards. It’s 3rd and 23 from the 35. Murray can only get five yards and that will end THEIR promising drive.
Cowboys 21-20 Packers end of the 3rd quarter
Murray picks up five yards. Romo throws to Witten for 18 yards. The Cowboys are quickly at their own 48.
Romo gets swallowed up on 1 & 10 to end the third quarter, a loss of 8 yards that will put the Cowboys back to the 40 to start the 4th.
Cowboys 21-20 Packers 1:41, 3rd quarter
That was 46 yards for Adams. A great run by him after the catch.
Romo is back out there, starting at their own 25 after a Harris kickoff return.
Extra point! Cowboys 21-20 Packers 1:41, 3rd quarter
I was hoping for a two point conversation here to tie it, because it would be fun not because it would be the right move. Instead they go for the extra point to make it a one-point game again.
Touchdown!
Cowboys 21-19 Packers 1:41, 3rd quarter
And we’re back. That was exactly one pizza bite long. Rodgers’ next pass is incomplete. A 3rd and 10.
Nope, make that 3rd and 15 after a Green Bay false start, that’s on Quarless. This drive looks like it’s stalling here minus a big play.
WHICH HE MAKES WITH A THROW TO ADAMS FOR A TOUCHDOWN ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Cowboys 21-13 Packers 1:59, 3rd quarter
Rodgers throws to Cobb who runs 26 yards into the Dallas 41. Rodgers tries to throw to Nelson on the next down, but Nelson can’t quite get to it. 2nd and 10.
Dallas takes a timeout.
Cowboys 21-13 Packers 2:46, 3rd quarter
On 2nd and 3 on their own 17 Rodgers throws... but to nobody, it’s almost picked off even. He had plenty of time too. He’s not 100%. 3rd and 3, Rodgers throws to Adams. THAT is a first down. Green Bay are at their 33.
Cowboys 21-13 Packers 3:43, 3rd quarter
@HunterFelt Looks like I was right but wrong. The run game the deciding factor....but Cowboy's not Green Bay.
— Alan Dooley (@alanmdooley) January 11, 2015
Murray: Not a bad game right?
The Packers will start on their own 10 yard line after the penalty. Rodgers hands it over to Kuhn, who picks up seven.
Cowboys 21-13 Packers 4:12, 3rd quarter
Romo leaves the field limping. Green Bay take the kickoff... And Randall Cobb apparently fumbles it!
But Green Bay manages to recover it. That’s the good news. The bad news: they get hit with a holding penalty on the play. Timeout.
Cowboys 21-13 Packers 4:12, 3rd quarter
@HunterFelt Is Christie wearing the jumper? http://t.co/FWFIWWJR3g
— Martin Pengelly (@MartinPengelly) January 11, 2015
I honestly haven’t seen him yet. I think they’re showing him when I’m hunched down typing.
Touchdown!
Cowboys 21-13 Packers 4:12, 3rd quarter
Oh man, Romo throws while getting taken down by Micah Hyde, hitting Jason Witten here to takes things to the Green Bay 27. He looks hurt, but his team is giving the hurt. He hands over to Murray who runs 26 yards to the Green Bay 1.
And he brings it in for a touchdown on the very next play! The extra point is good! 8 point lead for Dallas. That was fast!
Cowboys 14-13 Packers 6:27, 3rd quarter
Murray picks up 5 yards then Joseph Randle, popping up in for a productive cameo, runs for 13 to make it to the Green Bay 42.
Cowboys 14-13 Packers 7:46, 3rd quarter
Dallas dodged a bullet there. A touchback means they’ll start at their own 20 here. On 1st and 10, Romo throws to Dez Bryant, a beautiful pass he catches at their 40.
Field goal!
Cowboys 14-13 Packers 7:49, 3rd quarter
Lacy runs for 12 yards... not enough for the 1st down. The Packers have to settle for a field goal. Crosby’s 30 yarder is good and it’s a one-point game but that could have been so much more.
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 8:51, 3rd quarter
John Kuhn runs for 4 yards to get from the Dallas 16 to the 12. On the next play Adams gets taken down before he can reach the first down mark. There’s a flag on the play, but there’s roughness after the play and the officials have to huddle to figure out what’s going to be called here.
Unnecessary roughness on the Packers. That’s a third down plus a 15 yard penalty. 3rd & 16 at the Dallas 22.
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 10:22, 3rd quarter
The Packers take over at the Dallas 44. After being stuffed for a negative yard, Lacy takes OFF on the next down for 29 yards.
FUMBLE!
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 11:04, 3rd quarter
There’s a penalty on Clay Matthews now, that makes it 1st and 5 but NO! Murray fumbles on the next play and Dallas recovers! Datone Jones!
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 11:37, 3rd quarter
@HunterFelt Interesting stat....Rodgers has not won a play off game from a losing position at half time.
— Alan Dooley (@alanmdooley) January 11, 2015
Wonder if that has anything to do with Green Bay’s sometimes weak defenses?
The pass interference call stands.
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 11:37, 3rd quarter
Romo hands off to Murray. Nothing doing. 2nd & 10. Romo throws to nothing, but there’s a flag against Green Bay. Automatic first down for Dallas, defensive pass interference.
OR IS IT? (dunh-dunt-dun) Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy thinks the ball was tipped and is challenging the play.
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 12:27, 3rd quarter
Harris returns the Green Bay punt 3 yards to the Cowboys 20 which is where they will begin their first drive of the second half.
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 12:27, 3rd quarter
Rodgers throws incomplete, Lacy gets 4 yards and, on 3rd and 6, he throws incomplete to Cobb and that will leave things to punter Tim Masthay.
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 13:17, 3rd quarter
Eddie Lacy gets 5 yards, 4 yards and then, just barely, one additional yard (measured on the field) for a first down. Green Bay get to their 44.
Cowboys 14-10 Packers 15:00, 3rd quarter
@HunterFelt Russell Wilson is boring? Well he's better than Marshawn... #BeThankful
— Anthony Behan (@technopolitics) January 11, 2015
Green Bay receive to start the third quarter, taking a Dallas squib kick to their own 35.
New York, Bozo pic.twitter.com/p2RfTzmE9T
— Spencer Ackerman (@attackerman) January 11, 2015
WE ALL FLOAT HERE IN THE DEADLIGHTS!
Oh and a halftime reminder that if you want to join along with this liveblog you can tweet at @HunterFelt or email Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com.
Oh wow. I totally forgot how boring Russell Wilson is. Can we have a C-level celebrity?
You know it’s the playoffs when the Fox halftime guest is actually a football player and not a C-level celebrity. This time it’s Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
Halftime!
Can’t say enough about that Randall Cobb catch. Yeah, touchdown receptions are the sexier plays than “catch that eventually sets up a field goal” but that was a six point swing when combined with the missed Dallas field goal (two missed field goals really). That absolutely could factor into the final score.
Field goal!
Cowboys 14-10 Packers, end of the 2nd quarter
Davante Adams picks up 5 yards and that will set up a field goal attempt with time about to expire. Mason Crosby hits a 40 yarder right through the middle of the uprights and that will end a very exciting first half of NFL action.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers :08, 2nd quarter
And on 2 and 20, Rodgers throws to Randall Cobb and THIS IS VERY MUCH A CATCH! That’s 31 yards that will take Green Bay into the Dallas 27.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers :16, 2nd quarter
Rodgers is... sacked on the next play. That’s DeMarcus Lawrence on the play for Dallas. That’s a 10 yard loss. Now it’s 2 and 20 at the Green Bay 42.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers :22, 2nd quarter
It certainly looks like it hits the ground before Cobb makes the catch. They could reverse this one.
Or not. The call stands. It’s a first down at the Dallas 48.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers :29, 2nd quarter
Aaron Rodgers is back on the field at the Green Bay 40. He throws very, very low to Randall Cobb who apparently makes the catch for a 12 yard gain that takes the Packers to the Dallas 48. The officials are reviewing it.
Missed field goal!
Cowboys 14-7 Packers :34, 2nd quarter
Dan Bailey is on for a field goal attempt... it’s no good but the play was blown dead. It’s a false start on the offense. Now it’s a 50 yard field goal try, but they have another chance...
And THIS ONE is no good. The Cowboys get NO points on this possession. Wow.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers :40, 2nd quarter
Jason Garrett was not happy with that call and I guess wanted that time out back? In any case, Romo makes a massively long throw that goes nowhere. Terrance Williams is hurt on the play.
Updated
Cowboys 14-7 Packers :40, 2nd quarter
So the Cowboys are at the 25. Unfortunately, there was a booth review in the process and they’ve downgraded that 1st down to a 3rd down and one. This is called a bad use of a timeout.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers :40, 2nd quarter
A lot of progress here, but Dallas is running out of time. Murray picks up three yards and Witten again just gets enough for another first down. The Cowboys takes a time out.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers 1:07, 2nd quarter
2nd and 5. Tony Romo gets hit on the play but he throws to Witten, who gets enough forward progress for a first down.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers 2:00, 2nd quarter
I'd still date you, Meathead Rob Lowe.
— Tom Keiser (@keisertroll) January 11, 2015
Cowboys 14-7 Packers 2:00, 2nd quarter
Murray picks up five yards to move the Cowboys to Green Bay’s 42 yard mark to bring us to the 2 minute warning and, oh god, more Rob Lowe commercials. Thanks a lot 2 minute warning.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers 3:04, 2nd quarter
The Green Bay defense forces a 3rd and 7 by getting Romo to throw incomplete in an attempt to avoid a sack.
Romo has a lot more time on the next play and he throws one perfectly to Jason Witten for an 18 yard gain and a first down.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers 3:55, 2nd quarter
So the Cowboys start at their own 19. Murray gets one yard and then, on 2nd 9, we finally get a Dez Bryant sighting. He helps the Cowboys get to 3rd and inches.
Murray gets the ball again and he, of course, just gets in for the first down.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers 5:47, 2nd quarter
Something of a break for Green Bay there, on the Cowboys punt return there’s an illegal block on Kyle Wilber for a ten yard penalty.
Meanwhile New York Bozo is trending on Twitter because of course it is.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers 5:52, 2nd quarter
Rodgers throws incomplete, then Eddie Lacy picks up 2 to set up another 3rd & 8. Rodgers tries Jordy Nelson once again but he just can’t make it, it goes off his hands and there’s a... There’s a 4th down. And wow, Green Bay has a punter.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers 6:41, 2nd quarter
Bailey kicks it into the endzone for a touchback. First of the game I believe. (Things that only interest me department.) The Cowboys get Rodgers stuck in a 3rd and 8 but Rodgers makes a BIG play by throwing to a well-covered Jordy Nelson who comes up with the catch at the Green Bay 33.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers, 8:19, 2nd quarter
@HunterFelt Beesley has made lots of big plays the last two weeks. Fair play to the wee man. Cowboys going well. Early doors yet though
— Alan Dooley (@alanmdooley) January 11, 2015
The Cowboys offense has been pretty solid despite Dez Bryant not even being involved.
Cowboys 14-7 Packers, 8:19, 2nd quarter
And the extra point is good, and there’s an offside penalty on Green Bay, which means that an additional five yards that will be applied to the Packers after kickoff.
TOUCHDOWN!
Cowboys 14-7 Packers, 8:29, 2nd quarter
Murray picks up 5 yards and that’s a first down. From the 48, Romo tosses it to Beasley who picks up 11. Another first down. Murray picks up a few and it’s 2nd and 7.
Romo throws to Terrence Williams... WHO TAKES IT ALL THE WAY IN FOR A TOUCHDOWN!
Updated
Cowboys 7-7 Packers, 11:12, 2nd quarter
It’s not a real NFL game until the first turnover. The Cowboys take over from the 36, Murray picks up 7 yards.
TURNOVER!
Cowboys 7-7 Packers, 11:27, 2nd quarter
Rodgers throws to Cobb, for a pickup of 4 to the Dallas 27. Man these two offenses are relentless. 2nd & 7 and Rodgers overthrows the entire end zone. Not a good throw there. 3rd and 7. The Cowboys could pat themselves on the back with a stop here.
AND THEY SACK HIM! AND THE COWBOYS RECOVER! HUGE TURN!
Cowboys 7-7 Packers, 12:39, 2nd quarter
Starks picks up 7 yards in 2 carries to make it a 3rd and 3, which he then converts with another 6 yards. Man these offenses.
Updated
Cowboys 7-7 Packers, 13:43, 2nd quarter
The Cowboys get stuck in a 3rd and 11 but they get a free play after a flag is thrown, Jordy Nelson can’t quite catch a looooooong bomb by Rodgers in-bounds.
No matter. On 3rd and 6, Rodgers throws a strike to Randall Cobb at the Dallas 43. 1st down.
Cowboys 7-7 Packers end of the 1st quarter
Watching the Darts and following the NFL via @HunterFelt Live Blogging #Cowboys
— Paul Lee (@BitOlderPaul) January 11, 2015
I am now imagining a combination NFL/darts league. That’s what the XFL should have been.
James Starks picks up 4 yards on 1st down. Rodgers then throws to Randall Cobb but it’s overshot. On 3rd and 6, Rodgers is brought down but there’s a flag...
Defensive holding. That will be an automatic first down.
Cowboys 7-7 Packers :59, 1st quarter
Dan Bailey’s kickoff is returned by Randall Cobb to the Green Bay 32. Lots of good field position this game.
TOUCHDOWN! Cowboys 7-7 Packers 1:05, 1st quarter
The Cowboys are at the Packers 19, nope make that 17 after another Murray run. 2nd and 8. Romo throws deep into the endzone and it’s not towards anybody. BUT there’s a flag on the play, a middling defensive pass interference call, to set up a 1st and goal at the one. Which the COWBOYS PUNCH IN!
Tyler Clutts catches the game-tying touchdown. Well after the extra point is good.
Cowboys 0-7 Packers 2:09, 1st quarter
Happy to see @HunterFelt back at live-blogging. Because I know close to nothing about football I can't help him. But if you can, go do it!
— Elena V (@amariselv) January 11, 2015
I am perfectly willing to take tweets from all, no matter their knowledge of football.
They’re calling it 3rd & inches. I can’t believe I’ve already used up my Favre joke of the day before this. Murray picks up the first down here. The Cowboys look poised to answer here.
Cowboys 0-7 Packers 2:45, 1st quarter
Romo throws a nice one to Jason Witten for 8 yards. 2nd and 2 on the Green Baby 22 for the numerologists in the crowd. DeMarcus Murray can’t quite get the first down here though. 3rd and 1-ish?
Cowboys 0-7 Packers 4:13, 1st quarter
So it’s a 1st and 10 and Romo takes it himself to Green Bay’s 33. 2nd and 3 for Dallas. Romo hands it to Murray who... just picks up another 1st down.
Cowboys 0-7 Packers 5:39, 1st quarter
DeMarcus Murray picks up a yard and already a key 3rd and 1 situation.... which Murray squeezes through and picks up.
Cowboys 0-7 Packers 6:30, 1st quarter
So a 1st & 10 at the Cowboys 49. No gain on the play, and now there’s a hold on Dallas. That’s on Julius Peppers. It’s a 1st-and-20 now. Cole Beasley picks up a huge amount of yardage though. That’s 18 yards and it’s 2nd and 2.
Cowboys 0-7 Packers 7:44, 1st quarter
Email from John Guessers:
“New York Bozo”
Was Rodgers’ audible a slam at Chris Christie?
--Jersey Packer Fan
It sure does seem that way doesn’t it? Hilarious if so. Hilarious either way. Beats Omaha.
Meanwhile, Tony Romo falls into a 3rd and 4 situation himself.... and he throws it incomplete. But it’s a hold on Green Bay for an automatic first down.
Cowboys 0-7 Packers 8:24, 1st quarter
@HunterFelt Prediction Green Bay 35 Dallas 17..Rodgers is just too good at home, injury or not. Expect Green Bay to run well
— Alan Dooley (@alanmdooley) January 11, 2015
Eddie Lacy was impossible to defend and, in fact, close to impossible to track there. You may have something here. The Packers kickoff. Harris is able to make a return to Dallas’s 38 yard mark for a gain of 35.
Updated
TOUCHDOWN! Cowboys 0-7 Packers 8:34, 1st quarter
Lacy gets the Packers to the Dallas’s 4. The Cowboys are able to force a 3rd and 4 situation but Rodgers connects with Andrew Quarless for a touchdown and just like that the Packers strike first and I’m already exhausted just trying to keep up. The extra point is good.
Cowboys 0-0 Packers 9:43, 1st quarter
Packers start at their own 40 and feed Eddie Lacy, who keeps driving first down and first down deep into Cowboys territory. Holy hell. They’re already in Dallas’s 8.
Cowboys 0-0 Packers 13:38, 1st quarter
The Cowboys start off. Dwayne Harris takes the kickoff to the Cowboys 23, but it’s a 3 and out that Romo nearly fumbles away.
Updated
Your predictions
@HunterFelt i'm going GB 35 DAL 17. Close first half then Romo to lose the plot in the 3rd quarter and throw 2 INTs on consecutive drives
— Steve Mansfield (@sfmans) January 11, 2015
And then we’ll never, ever ever get rid of the Tony Romo: Choker narrative. As much as I love the easy jokes...
And we’re already getting the Ice Bowl comparisons in this pre-game business for FOX. Twitter is already a little weary.
Ice Bowl pic.twitter.com/fiJrShrzpL
— Dave Brown (@AnswerDave) January 11, 2015
A contrasting opinion re: the anthem singer
Whatever sportsball match that's about to start just killed our national anthem forever
— Bill P (@Bill_TPA) January 11, 2015
Star Spangled Banner
It’s the female singer from the Fitz and the Tantrums, a band I quite like if you care (which you don’t), and she’s pretty solid, not a lot of extra business with the vocalizing. 7.5/10.
@HunterFelt Hunter. Dude. C'mon. If Tom Brady can't win on the tundra ... Need I say it? #GBvsDAL
— Smoking Blue Cat (@smokingbluecat) January 11, 2015
Oh yes. I forgot. We’re legally obliged to call the field “the frozen tundra.” There are a lot of rules here. I’m so not calling Dallas “America’s Team” though.
The Ice Bowl 2?
Okay. I will admit I over-prepared for this liveblog. I still haven’t even mentioned the fact that this afternoons Cowboys/Packers game is a re-match of the legendary 1967 NFL Championship Game, a.k.a. the Ice Bowl. The Packers won that 21-17. Simon Evans wrote about that game, and its legacy, earlier this week.
Rex Ryan
Of course there’s also big news that’s not playoff related: Rex Ryan, recently axed by the New York Jets, will be the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills. The AFC East will never be rid of him.
Green Bay Packers inactives
Packers inactives: RB DuJuan Harris CB Demetri Goodson LB Carl Bradford C Garth Gerhart TE Justin Perillo WR Jeff Janis DT Bruce Gaston
— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) January 11, 2015
Linebacker Rolando McClain is however apparently returning after after dealing with concussion symptoms last week.
Dallas Cowboys inactives
Cowboys inactives: Vaughan, Keith Smith, Anderson, Doug Free, Hawkins, Boatright, T. McClain.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) January 11, 2015
Updated
@HunterFelt UH OH! Packers need a third stringer? https://t.co/kiVynskzMX
— Smoking Blue Cat (@smokingbluecat) January 11, 2015
I’m not clicking on any attachments that are Favre related. I’m just not, especially since I’m a guest here this afternoon and not sure how I could potentially explain downloading uh... NSFW images. (Thanks to my friend Brendan, who is also a damn fine writer who contributes to the Boston Red Sox blog Over the Monster, for letting me liveblog from his place.)
Indianapolis Colts vs Denver Broncos
Oh yeah, there’s one more game after this one. The last game of the weekend features the present of the Indianapolis Colts against the past, as current Indy QB Andrew Luck heads into Broncos to face former Indy QB Peyton Manning and the Broncos. It’s going to take some key breaks, and maybe a late game Luck-y comeback drive, for the Colts to pull off an upset here. Denver Broncos 27, Indianapolis Colts 20 will be my guess.
Or maybe I just want one more Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning showdown in the AFC Championship Game.
Predictions
I’m guessing Rodgers isn’t at 100% personally and, I dunno, I have a weird desire to see Tony Romo succeed. Not “win a Super Bowl” succeed mind you, not while Jerry Jones is still owning the team, but I’d like to see him win two playoff games in a row just because I want to quiet down the ridiculousness of criticism.
I’m going with Cowboys 34 Packers 31.
Agree? Disagree? Send me your predictions via Twitter (to @HunterFelt) or via email Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com and I’ll use them here.
Updated
@HunterFelt I'm still trying to figure out the Chris Christie good luck charm angle. #GBvsDAL
— Smoking Blue Cat (@smokingbluecat) January 11, 2015
Oh yes. That. I think Cowboys owner Jerry Jones desperately wants to hang out with someone even less well liked than he is.
For those who missed it, this happened last week:
Seattle Seahawks 31, Carolina Panthers 17
As mentioned in the preamble, the winner of this afternoon’s game between the Cowboys and Packers will, as they probably assumed all week, will officially face the Seattle Seahawks who defeated the Carolina Panthers last night in the somewhat less thrilling Saturday game. This one went closer to how everyone was expecting, although the Panthers kept it close in the first half before the Seahawks, the far superior team, blew them out late in the game.
New England Patriots 35, Baltimore Ravens 31
Speaking of yesterday’s games. This one pretty much almost killed everyone in the New England area, by the way. The Patriots had to come back from two 14-point deficits. The key touchdown pass was thrown not by quarterback Tom Brady but by receiver Julian Edelman. It was a weird and wild game, and you can relive it with David Lengel’s liveblog.
Updated
Preamble
And, yes, I am in fact here. It’s been a bit since I’ve done with these. I know you’ve all been desperately missing me and my terrible puns. Let’s get to it. Cowboys. Packers. NFL action. Sunday. Coldness.
On paper, it would seem that Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys have gotten over the hump, not just winning a playoff game but coming back from a deficit in order to pull it off. The jokes about Romo always choking in the big game should come to an end, right?
Except, of course, the Cowboys may have gotten some big time help in their win over the Detroit Lions. A notorious officiating decision, where a defensive pass interference call against Dallas was immediately taken back for reasons that no one has really been able to explain, turned what should have been a Lions first down into a fourth. One shanked punt later the Cowboys had the perfect field position to score what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.
Because of this, the attention hasn’t been on how the Cowboys managed to get the win but how the officials screwed over the Lions. This has led to inevitable conspiracy theories that the league wanted to set up this marquee matchup vs the Green Bay Packers. (It was a LITERAL False Flag Operation, after all.) All of this ref talk has been unfair to Dallas, who actually had to manufacture a comeback win.
The big news on the Green Bay side of things is that Aaron Rodgers, who very well could win the 2014 MVP voting, is limited by what has been described as a severely strained, slightly torn calf, an injury suffered during the last regular season game against the Lions. Rodgers, who desperately needed that bye week more than anybody of the other four top-seeded teams playing this weekend, will definitely play but will he be Aaron Rodgers: Yardage Monster or Aaron Rodgers: good quarterback.
If it’s the former, the Cowboys, who went 8-0 on the road this season, are perfectly situated to pull off an upset this afternoon at Lambeau Field (where, um, the Packers went 8-0, this is an unmovable object/irresistible force sort of deal).
Either way this should be a competitive game, two well-matched teams fighting each other for the honor of heading to Seattle to face the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. We’ll be using your comments throughout this afternoon’s liveblog, you can email them to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com or tweet them to @HunterFelt. Coin toss is expected at 1:05pm EST, but we’ll be back before then with predictions, a quick look back at yesterday’s action and hopefully your comments.
Hunter will be here shortly, in the meantime why not read Paolo Bandini’s take on today’s game:
Not since the incident in Mrs O’Leary’s Barn has a calf come under such intense scrutiny. Aaron Rodgers injured the muscle in his left leg during the Packers’ week 17 victory over Detroit, and fans have been anxiously awaiting updates on his recovery ever since.
The quarterback still had not returned to practice on Wednesday, and while both Rodgers and his head coach, Mike McCarthy, have been consistent in saying that he will play against Dallas, there is understandable concern over the extent to which this injury will affect his performance. He played through it pretty well during that victory over the Lions, but his prolonged recovery period since suggests that this was not a minor strain.
Even with Rodgers at 100%, this would be a tough matchup. The Cowboys were 8-0 on the road in 2014, and a DeMarco Murray-led running game gives them the ability to keep the Packers’ explosive offense on the sideline. Tony Romo, meanwhile, posted an even better quarterback rating than Rodgers during the regular season, earning consideration as a possible league MVP.
But the Packers have been stout against the run since moving Clay Matthews inside to middle linebacker, giving up just 86.4 yards per game on the ground during their last eight games, as compared to 153.5 during the first eight. And they are unbeaten at Lambeau Field. As hard as it might be to R-E-L-A-X right now, their team should still make it through. Packers to win
