It doesn’t get much bigger than Sunday’s game in Lambeau Field between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, and the story has dominated conversations all week long.
Obviously they are both good teams and both have good numbers for the season. On the eve of the game, let’s look at the different units of each team and see how they compare.
Offense
OFFENSIVE LINE
Packers: This group has had a stable year with no serious in-season injuries that have disrupted the cohesiveness that had been missing in past years. The Packers are a pass-heavy team, throwing 101 times more than rushing. The line has given up 30 sacks of Aaron Rodgers all year.
Cowboys: The offensive line has gotten a lot of hype all year long, especially with a runner like DeMarco Murray on the team. He gained almost 2,000 yards and the line, with three Pro Bowlers, opened up big holes for him all year.
Edge: Cowboys
RECEIVERS
Packers: Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are an intimidating duo, setting all kinds of records. Both can run deep patterns as well as the shorter, possession stuff. Davante Adams is a rookie but shows promise and tight ends Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers are both solid.
Cowboys: Dez Bryant is one of the best in the league and is especially dangerous after the catch. Jason Witten remains one of the very best in the league and works well with Tony Romo. Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley are good at finding holes in a defense.
Edge: Packers
RUNNING BACKS
Packers: Eddie Lacy and James Starks combined for 291 carries this season and averaged just over four yards per carry. Rodgers is a good runner and gives the Packers a dimension that the Cowboys don’t have with Tony Romo's injuries limiting his mobility.
Cowboys: Murray is in a class by himself with over 1,800 yards this season. He’s a workhorse, carrying the ball 392 times and averaging just over six yards per carry. Nobody else on the Cowboys carries the ball much at all.
Edge: Cowboys
QUARTERBACKS
Packers: Nobody in the league can match Rodgers. He can make all the throws, rarely throws an interception and can run the ball when he has to. There will be some question about his health, with his bad calf, but if in good shape he is a difference maker.
Cowboys: Romo has had a great year and has drastically cut his interceptions. With him, though, there is always the stink of not being able to finish things off when he has the chance. It would be too much to call him a choker, but in crunch time he is not Aaron Rodgers, yet.
Edge: Packers
Defense
DEFENSIVE LINE
Packers: Letroy Guion has turned out to be a good nose tackle and has paired with Mike Daniels and Datone Jones to form a solid group, especially against the run in the second half of the year. They will have to get some help from defensive coordinator Dom Capers to keep Murray in check, especially with a defense that ranked 23rd against the run.
Cowboys: Dallas plays a conventional 4-3 defense and gets good pressure from the two ends, especially Jeremy Mincey (six sacks). The defensive line has shown some stamina problems in the past, giving up more rushing touchdowns than any team in the league except one, which runs counter to their eighth-ranked rush defense (103.1 yards per game).
Edge: Even
LINEBACKERS
Packers: Julius Peppers has been a game changing addition for the Packers. With him and Clay Matthews, Green Bay has two players who can play both the pass and the run. One issue is A. J. Hawk who may be matched up with Witten, which is not a matchup the Packers want.
Cowboys: Dallas has three linebackers who fly around a lot, but don’t make a lot of tackles or get a lot of pressure on the quarterback. Middle linebacker Rolando McClain is the strongest linebacker but is questionable. Most of the Dallas tackles come from their secondary.
Edge: Packers
SECONDARY
Packers: Much to the surprise of a lot of people, the Packers have turned out to have a good secondary. Sam Shields and Tramon Williams are close to being shut down corners and there is a lot of depth in the defensive backfield. Morgan Burnett and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix each had very strong seasons.
Cowboys: Brandon Carr is one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the league, but he hasn’t played up to his reputation. The Dallas secondary makes a lot of tackles and the Cowboys ranked second in the league in forcing turnovers.
Edge: Packers
Coaching
Packers: Mike McCarthy is a playoff veteran and a real grinder. Some people question his play calling on occasion but he’s got a quarterback who makes him look good. He is all business and that attitude carries over to his team.
Cowboys: After five years Jason Garrett is finally in the playoffs. There is something of the gambler about Garrett and he seems to have kept Jerry Jones off his back, the single biggest challenge for a Dallas coach.
Edge: Packers
Special Teams
Packers: Mason Crosby knows how to kick in bad weather but the Packers have had seven kicks blocked this year. Coverage and return teams have been without major flaw and Micah Hyde and Randall Cobb are threats for big returns.
Cowboys: Dan Bailey has a strong leg and hit over 80 percent of his tries from 40 yards and beyond. But the weather could be a factor here. The Cowboys don't seem to have any major flaws on coverage, but they have little threat on major returns.
Edge: Packers
Intangibles
Packers: Green Bay was a preseason favorite to get to the Super Bowl, but there were some stumbles along the way. They have been invincible at home this year and have put up an incredible number of points. That home field advantage has not always been so strong during the playoffs but there’s an expectation that this year the Packers are ready to prove the doubters wrong.
Cowboys: The Cowboys have always had a sense of entitlement about them and getting back to the playoffs only reinforces that belief. The win over Detroit will do wonders for their confidence, both in themselves and in each other. Cold weather may prove to be a problem for the Cowboys, even if there isn’t any snow. Romo is also driven to prove that he is among the elite signal callers in the league.
Edge: Even
The matchups seem pretty even in this game. Dallas is 8-0 on the road and Green Bay is 8-0 at home and something has to give. I think it’s going to be Dallas on the short end, mainly because Rodgers is better than Romo. When all else seems even, go with the best quarterback.
And there is really no doubt about who that is.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
