Finally get to see Dallas freeze in Greenbay -- Official division game thread

[Johneric8]

If the Packers could score 30 points on the Lions defense with Aaron Rodgers playing the entire half with a gimpy calf and Eddie Lacy rushing for 100 yards the first time ever against the Lions' defense in the entire season, then I think that your hunch that the Cowboys defense is going to somehow magically turn into a defense better than Detroit's and give GB all sorts of problems is, how shall I say? --humorous.

Look, teams have up and down weeks even the lions D, but it's sometimes more about match-ups and how teams are playing. The Lions were the worst matchup for the cows left in the playoffs make no mistake about that one... The thing about the Cowboy's D, is that they do rise up when you think they can't that is when they play their best ball.. I've seen them make some very good Qb's look like rookies... I know Rodgers is the best out there, but watch out for a cowboys defense that has shown it rises to challenges in beast mode like fashion..

 

[ExpatPacker]

Look, teams have up and down weeks even the lions D, but it's sometimes more about match-ups and how teams are playing. The Lions were the worst matchup for the cows left in the playoffs make no mistake about that one... The thing about the Cowboy's D, is that they do rise up when you think they can't that is when they play their best ball.. I've seen them make some very good Qb's look like rookies... I know Rodgers is the best out there, but watch out for a cowboys defense that has shown it rises to challenges in beast mode like fashion..

You can say that about any team that has gained confidence in itself. You can say the exact same thing about the Packers' defense, which could very well rise to the challenge of stopping DeMarco Murray and playing beast mode. They've already shown they can do it several times in the latter half of the season. /shrug

That's why they say any given Sunday.

 

[HardRightEdge]

The main thing I took away from the Cowboys-Lions game was Romo's poise when down 14-0, and then when getting repeatedly pummeled. He'll certainly give the Packers a game.

I'm expecting a game similar to NE...a close-fought affair coming down to the wire with team scores in the 20's. Red zone and special team performance will likely decide it.

17 degrees and light winds are forecast. I favor Rodgers on a relatively still day regardless of the temp.

 

[MichiganSportsTalk]

Look, teams have up and down weeks even the lions D, but it's sometimes more about match-ups and how teams are playing.

Consider this....

Past 5 home games for the Packers
Avg points scored: 41.4
Avg points allowed: 22.4
Avg opponents record: 8.8 - 7.2 (.550)

Past 5 road games for the Cowboys
Avg points scored: 37
Avg points allowed: 23.4
Avg opponents record: 5.6 - 10.4 (.350)

So for the context of this match up, Green Bay scores more, allows less, and has done that against higher quality teams.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Odd as it may seem, Murray's busted hand might be a key factor. He was pretty productive in the passing game before he broke it; against Detroit he had only 4 targets in a game that called for check downs with Detroit's pass rush owning the Dallas line. If the hand has not improved, Dallas is missing a piece to the puzzle.

Odder still perhaps, I'm not as concerned about Murray in the run game as many observers might be. He's had a huge amount of touches this year: 411 runs + 60 receptions = 471 including the Detroit game. That's a lot of punishment, particularly for a 215 lb. back. By comparison, Lacy has had 288 touches so far this season.

Over his last 4 games, Murray has not topped 100 yds. while averaging 3.4 yds. per carry. He just might be running low on gas.

 

[OldSchool101]

iF we can drop Romo early. He will be our best asset when scrambling. There is something about the severe cold that stings more with poor blood flow. Let's make sure Romo knows 1st hand how it feels before he exits that tunnel

 

[RandyM]

One key, is to get Romo to the cold playing surface. That won't help is back at all

 

[Hincha]

Odder still perhaps, I'm not as concerned about Murray in the run game as many observers might be. He's had a huge amount of touches this year: 411 runs + 60 receptions = 471 including the Detroit game. That's a lot of punishment, particularly for a 215 lb. back. By comparison, Lacy has had 288 touches so far this season.

Over his last 4 games, Murray has not topped 100 yds. while averaging 3.4 yds. per carry. He just might be running low on gas.

Thanks for that info

 

[eric]

All the packers have to do is stop the run and force Dallas into long passing situations. If they can do that they will win. If Dallas can run the ball effectively however I suspect the team with the fewest turnovers will win.

 

[Sky King]

All the packers have to do is stop the run and force Dallas into long passing situations. If they can do that they will win. If Dallas can run the ball effectively however I suspect the team with the fewest turnovers will win.

Very nice. A smack-less and intelligent post.

 

[Packerlifer]

http://www.packers.com/media-center...-Cowboys/2cb775e7-332b-43f7-849b-c4dd77c0f17bhttp://www.packersnews.com/story/sp...1/06/dallas-cowboys-scouting-report/21366239/

 

[longtimefan]

Not sure if mentioned

Murry's bad hand in 10 degrees

Will it be ok to hold onto the ball?

Frisco came in with cold temps and won.. But that I think had more to do with our stagnant offense, as Rodgers was only one game back from collar bone

I think the cold will affect the Boys some- catching, throwing or holding the rock..

Our offense has the ability to light up on average or slightly above average defenses. I really am not worried about our offense unless Rodgers calf hinders him. We need our ol to play extremely well and keep A upright

Our defense can't regress to how they played vs the Saints in the run game.

I am worried about how good Romo is playing- in fact more worried about him them Murry

I am not sure how this game will go. I love to say the Pack blow them out , but I suspect it will be like the Detroit game..

 

[brandon2348]

Odd as it may seem, Murray's busted hand might be a key factor. He was pretty productive in the passing game before he broke it; against Detroit he had only 4 targets in a game that called for check downs with Detroit's pass rush owning the Dallas line. If the hand has not improved, Dallas is missing a piece to the puzzle.

Odder still perhaps, I'm not as concerned about Murray in the run game as many observers might be. He's had a huge amount of touches this year: 411 runs + 60 receptions = 471 including the Detroit game. That's a lot of punishment, particularly for a 215 lb. back. By comparison, Lacy has had 288 touches so far this season.

Over his last 4 games, Murray has not topped 100 yds. while averaging 3.4 yds. per carry. He just might be running low on gas.

Exactly, A busted up running back in very cold weather.

 

[ExpatPacker]

Dunno, I wouldn't be writing off DeMarco just yet. Packers can't let him get in a groove.

 

[brandon2348]

Dunno, I wouldn't be writing off DeMarco just yet. Packers can't let him get in a groove.

Not so much writing him off but with his hand he is limited in the passing game like HRE posted. Come out early and hit him hard and slow him down while jumping up on the scoreboard and you kind of take him out of the game.

Even though Romo showed he can come back some of his throws still looked like they didn't have much behind them to me on Sunday. I still think you want Romo to throw in the cold. I think his arm strength becomes questionable hitting down field throws in the the environment he will be in.

 

[ivo610]

saw a cowboys fan say Nelson is a product of the system.

I hope he shows how big of a product he is

 

[Vrill]

LOL, they'll find out that Nelson is one of the best WRs in the NFL Sunday. By the way, Cobb isn't so bad either

And Lacy has been playing better than Murray lately too.

The true beast in this game is Lacy.

 

[El Guapo]

All this talk....bring on the game!

 

[PackwillBEback]

Gene Steratore will be the Referee for the match up.

 

[Vrill]

and as usual, these cowpatty fans wont be around here after we win Sunday.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

The thing about Dez, is the SECOND things start to unravel he becomes a whining cry baby and it transitions to his play ability. So the key is to take him out EARLY and the rest will happen on its own. Dez creates a match-up problem against any defense, so the key isn't to play him but rather play Romo. Pressure romo and show exotic blitz packages to throw off his game and Dez too will be taken out.

One guy I'm more worried about is Beasley. He's like an Edelman 2.0 and is getting wide open due to everyone keeping their eyes on Dez. His quickness can undo any defense that isn't paying close attention.

I'm all for downlplaying other teams' players but Dez did manage to catch 88 passes for 1,300 yards and 16 TDs this season (for comparison, he had fewer targets than Jordy and averaged only 0.3 yards less per target). The guy might be a headcase at times but he's a REALLY good WR on a team where he's the only real receiving threat. I really hope it's as simple as blitzing Romo to take Dez out of the game but the Dallas oline is very good.

I'm pretty sure this game is going to come down to getting Murray and his injured hand to fumble the ball and trust the Packers to win a shootout.

 

[longtimefan]

Time to merge

We had a specific cowboy thread-- I let this go as I thought it could remain on topic

I was at fault as well not realizing this was not the official thread

From now on we will lock threads where we have a thread already

 

[red4tribe]

Not sure if mentioned

Murry's bad hand in 10 degrees

Will it be ok to hold onto the ball?

Frisco came in with cold temps and won.. But that I think had more to do with our stagnant offense, as Rodgers was only one game back from collar bone

I think the cold will affect the Boys some- catching, throwing or holding the rock..

Our offense has the ability to light up on average or slightly above average defenses. I really am not worried about our offense unless Rodgers calf hinders him. We need our ol to play extremely well and keep A upright

Our defense can't regress to how they played vs the Saints in the run game.

I am worried about how good Romo is playing- in fact more worried about him them Murry

I am not sure how this game will go. I love to say the Pack blow them out , but I suspect it will be like the Detroit game..

Good thing is that the Cowboys finished 28th in the league in sacks this year. So that, coupled with our offensive line playing so well, should give Rodgers plenty of protection and time to throw.

 

[TJV]

I’ve got a question about the Dallas defense: Has it improved over the last half or quarter of the season? The reason I ask is I looked at the nfl.com stats for their D vs. the Packers. Of course the season stats for the Packers don’t reflect the improvement it has made since the bye, but I don’t know if the Cowboy’s D experienced a similar improvement.

Here are the stats. The Cowboy’s ranking appears first, then the Packers.

Scoring D: 15th, tied for 13th. Total yards: 19th, 15th. Passing yards: 26th, 10th. Opponent’s passer rating: 13th, 7th. Rushing yards: 8th, 23rd. The only area the Cowboys are better is vs. the rush and the Packers have improved in that area significantly since the bye. Of course even if both Ds stayed exactly the same all season stats don’t tell the whole story, but the Cowboy’s D certainly looks exploitable unless it’s experienced the kind of improvement the Packers’ D has or is significantly better on the road. It would be interesting to see the stats on both sides of the ball for all Dallas away games vs. Packers games after the bye.

 

[brandon2348]

I am not worried about the Dallas D at all. We should be able to have our way with there secondary. I think we will be able to run or pass for that matter. I believe they will try to blitz Rodgers and good luck with that. Marinelli can come up with "smoke and mirror" game plans against the likes of some that they have played and have mild success but he is attacking a whole different monster on Sunday. Dallas simply doesn't have the D-line to cause us problems.

Of course Rodgers calf and execution is key but if we do I could see us putting up 40 plus.