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

[Powarun]

Stats are for losers.

They are for the offseason.

If the Packers can email healthy I still think they could win it all. Crazy thinking they have been healthy this year. Though last year the unhealthy Packers did better than expected.

 

[Vrill]

You know, im sitting here looking at the Cowboys schedule for the year. They have not faced a elite passing QB all season long and yet their pass defense is ranked 26th in the league? LOL

And don't call Eli Manning a "elite" QB because hes not. Hes clearly regressing.

And Russell Wilson isn't a "elite" passing QB either.

I guess Drew Brees? But even he had a down year (entire Saints team did)

Then you have Luck. But for whatever reason, the Colts were "checked out" for that game. Had the division locked up.

What im saying is, Cowboys didnt face a Manning, Brady or a Rodgers.

So if the Cowboys pass D is ranked 26th playing mediocre QBs and QBs who had off years, just think what a elite passer will do.

Rodgers will shred Dallas if our OL gives him time Sunday. Simple as that.

 

[Hincha]

Saw this Grantland article at ESPN that was pretty good for Packers/Cowboys game on Sunday.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nfl-divisional-playoffs-cowboys-packers-broncos-colts/

 

[red4tribe]

You know, im sitting here looking at the Cowboys schedule for the year. They have not faced a elite passing QB all season long and yet their pass defense is ranked 26th in the league? LOL

And don't call Eli Manning a "elite" QB because hes not. Hes clearly regressing.

And Russell Wilson isn't a "elite" passing QB either.

I guess Drew Brees? But even he had a down year (entire Saints team did)

Then you have Luck. But for whatever reason, the Colts were "checked out" for that game. Had the division locked up.

What im saying is, Cowboys didnt face a Manning, Brady or a Rodgers.

So if the Cowboys pass D is ranked 26th playing mediocre QBs and QBs who had off years, just think what a elite passer will do.

Rodgers will shred Dallas if our OL gives him time Sunday. Simple as that.

Using that logic then, what elite passing quarterbacks did we face this year? Just Brady? Unless you consider Ryan one, I don't see who else would fall into that category.

 

[Vrill]

Using that logic then, what elite passing quarterbacks did we face this year? Just Brady? Unless you consider Ryan one, I don't see who else would fall into that category.

Yes, Tom Brady and we beat him.

 

[red4tribe]

Yes, Tom Brady and we beat him.

The defense did a nice job against Brady, but got flat out destroyed by Ryan and Brees. Seems to have come a long way since. I think Capers needs to use his creative blitzes on Dallas; their offensive line looked lost when the Lions blitzed on Sunday.

 

[Carl]

Using that logic then, what elite passing quarterbacks did we face this year? Just Brady? Unless you consider Ryan one, I don't see who else would fall into that category.

But we are sitting at 10th overall in pass defense, not 26th.

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

And Russell Wilson isn't a "elite" passing QB either.

I guess Drew Brees? But even he had a down year (entire Saints team did)

Then you have Luck. But for whatever reason, the Colts were "checked out" for that game. Had the division locked up.

What im saying is, Cowboys didnt face a Manning, Brady or a Rodgers.

So if the Cowboys pass D is ranked 26th playing mediocre QBs and QBs who had off years, just think what a elite passer will do.

Rodgers will shred Dallas if our OL gives him time Sunday. Simple as that.[/QUOTE]

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

And Russell Wilson isn't a "elite" passing QB either.

I guess Drew Brees? But even he had a down year (entire Saints team did)

Then you have Luck. But for whatever reason, the Colts were "checked out" for that game. Had the division locked up.

What im saying is, Cowboys didnt face a Manning, Brady or a Rodgers.

So if the Cowboys pass D is ranked 26th playing mediocre QBs and QBs who had off years, just think what a elite passer will do.

Rodgers will shred Dallas if our OL gives him time Sunday. Simple as that.

Russell Wilson may not be an elite "passer" but then again that's not what they ask of him nor is it Seattle's identity on offense. He is however an elite "playmaker" as evidenced by countless game changing plays and his 800-900 yards rushing. If memory serves me correctly, Dallas held him to 12 yards rushing and well under 200 yards passing.

Saints down year yes.. but Drew Brees is an absolute stud still. And give it a rest with the Luck "checked out" garbage... They still had an outside shot at a bye yet they were thoroughly shut down. Plenty picked the Colts to win that game and are we assuming that they suddenly "checked in" the following week to end the season? Finally Stafford especially with his compliment of weapons is no slouch. He throws for over 4200 yards every year easily. No Rodgers but no slouch. As a Cowboys fan it's just interesting how Dallas breaks down one barrier after another and everyone raises the bar and changes the narrative.. ie "well you haven't played Rodgers".. etc.. Should be a fun game. For my money WHEN HEALTHY, Rodgers has proved to be the best QB in the league. Can't deny it. Just think you guys are sleeping on your next opponent.

 

[red4tribe]

But we are sitting at 10th overall in pass defense, not 26th.

Right, but we still got burned by every good QB we faced, save Brady. So yeah our defense did well against the best QB we faced, but the 2nd, 3rd and 4th best QBs we faced completely wrecked us. Here are the passer ratings for Wilson, Brees and Ryan.

Wilson-110.8
Brees- 138.4
Ryan- 116.9

Anyway, the point of the comment wasn't so much to say that our pass defense isn't solid or that the Cowboys' is great. Rather, I was trying to say when you narrow down the amount of "elite" quarterbacks to three guys, it isn't completely fair to go ahead and negate solid defensive performances against other good QB's, just because they aren't one of those three. Wilson, Brees, Manning etc.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I assume players who suffered concussions have to be cleared before returning to practice. If that's true Rolando McClain and Mincey both returned to practice and will play. According to the link, Hitchens played last week without practicing so he's likely to play. I don't know about Terrell McClain who didn't practice but you'd think if there's anyway a player can contribute he'll be on the field.

According to the NFL's head/neck/spine Return to Participation Protocols, a player still under review can participate in non-contact practices. After such activities, he must be cleared by the team physician for full participation practice, and after full practice cleared by an independent neurologist for the next practice or game.

http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/photo/2014/08/21/0ap3000000381608.pdf

This would explain why concussed guys are participating in practice while listed as questionable.

I would agree as a matter of practice most guys who participate in a practice, non-contact or otherwise, end up playing that week, though it is not a lock.

 

[Hincha]

Dallas is going to get their points in the game and they will have success running the ball as well. I think Dallas scores between 24-34 points... Packers just need to score more than Dallas which they are capable of doing.

These are not 2 great defenses that are lining up on Sunday.

 

[Vrill]

Russell Wilson may not be an elite "passer" but then again that's not what they ask of him nor is it Seattle's identity on offense. He is however an elite "playmaker" as evidenced by countless game changing plays and his 800-900 yards rushing. If memory serves me correctly, Dallas held him to 12 yards rushing and well under 200 yards passing.

Saints down year yes.. but Drew Brees is an absolute stud still. And give it a rest with the Luck "checked out" garbage... They still had an outside shot at a bye yet they were thoroughly shut down. Plenty picked the Colts to win that game and are we assuming that they suddenly "checked in" the following week to end the season? Finally Stafford especially with his compliment of weapons is no slouch. He throws for over 4200 yards every year easily. No Rodgers but no slouch. As a Cowboys fan it's just interesting how Dallas breaks down one barrier after another and everyone raises the bar and changes the narrative.. ie "well you haven't played Rodgers".. etc.. Should be a fun game. For my money WHEN HEALTHY, Rodgers has proved to be the best QB in the league. Can't deny it. Just think you guys are sleeping on your next opponent.

You still didn't play a true elite passer where their offense is truly clicking this season. We did, twice and won both games (Patriots/Brady and Falcons/Ryan)

 

[Kimbo Blubbeus]

I agree that the Cowboys had an easier schedule this year, compared to last which is why our defense looks better but make no mistake....the Colts were playing to win until the second half when the game was getting out of hand. Their wide receivers decided not to bring their A game however. I've never seen so many drops in one game before.

 

[Packerlifer]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl...n-with-ballerinas/ar-AA7YLz9?ocid=mailsignout

 

[red4tribe]

I agree that the Cowboys had an easier schedule this year, compared to last which is why our defense looks better but make no mistake....the Colts were playing to win until the second half when the game was getting out of hand. Their wide receivers decided not to bring their A game however. I've never seen so many drops in one game before.

I'm pretty sure they led the league in drops.

 

[Vrill]

And TY Hilton missed that Cowboy game too. Hes a game changer.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

You know, im sitting here looking at the Cowboys schedule for the year. They have not faced a elite passing QB all season long and yet their pass defense is ranked 26th in the league? LOL

And don't call Eli Manning a "elite" QB because hes not. Hes clearly regressing.

And Russell Wilson isn't a "elite" passing QB either.

I guess Drew Brees? But even he had a down year (entire Saints team did)

Then you have Luck. But for whatever reason, the Colts were "checked out" for that game. Had the division locked up.

What im saying is, Cowboys didnt face a Manning, Brady or a Rodgers.

So if the Cowboys pass D is ranked 26th playing mediocre QBs and QBs who had off years, just think what a elite passer will do.

Rodgers will shred Dallas if our OL gives him time Sunday. Simple as that.

Once again total yards allowed isn't a great way to measure a team's success.

The Cowboys are 13th in opposing passer rating allowed and 7th in interceptions. Their pass defense is better than yards allowed would indicate.

Nevertheless I would expect a healthy Rodgers to have success throwing the ball against their secondary, it remains to be seen how that works out with him possibly being limited.

In addition you're missing the point on how to beat the Cowboys. The most important thing is stop their run game as the Cowboys were 7-1 in the regular season when rushing for more than 150 yards and 12-2 when rushing for more than 100. On the other hand teams that threw for more than 300 yards vs. them have been 0-5.

 

[Vrill]

Once again total yards allowed isn't a great way to measure a team's success.

The Cowboys are 13th in opposing passer rating allowed and 7th in interceptions. Their pass defense is better than yards allowed would indicate.

Nevertheless I would expect a healthy Rodgers to have success throwing the ball against their secondary, it remains to be seen how that works out with him possibly being limited.

In addition you're missing the point on how to beat the Cowboys. The most important thing is stop their run game as the Cowboys were 7-1 in the regular season when rushing for more than 150 yards and 12-2 when rushing for more than 100. On the other hand teams that threw for more than 300 yards vs. them have been 0-5.

Yes, but their defensive stats were accumulated against QBs that I do not consider "elite" passers.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Yes, but their defensive stats were accumulated against QBs that I do not consider "elite" passers.

I don't know why it is so important for you to mention the Cowboys didn't face any elite QBs.

They're a pretty good team and everyone overlooking them is making a huge mistake. Their secondary is for sure not one of their strengths but if teams allow them to control the time of possession battle by not stopping the run even elite QBs will have a hard time beating them.

 

[Packerlifer]

This playoff game is the most important for the Packers since Super Bowl XLV. They've been eliminated in the divisional or wild card round for the past 3 seasons, lost their last 3 postseason games at Lambeau and 5 of the last seven. But the Giants and 49ers teams that have done the most recent damage were match-up problems for the Pack and this Packers team is better on both sides of the ball than what they had to work with in those defeats.

Not since 2007 has the playoff situation aligned so well for the Packers to make a deep run. Whether or not the Packers go on to make a Super Bowl run this game will matter almost as much. To lose to this team at Lambeau Field where they played the Ice Bowl would be an enormous historical embarrassment to the Green & Gold franchise and it would register seismically on this year's playoff scale as much as the Jan. 2012 "one and done" vs. the Giants.

In terms of what kind of game to expect I would recall the two Seattle playoff games at Lambeau in 2003 and 2007. One was an overtime "white knuckle" affair, the other a 3 td rout. But the Packers did win both against teams comparable to this season's Cowboys.

Aaron Rodgers' injury is, of course, the big concern. But unless it impairs him significantly or forces him out of the game the Pack will have their most important guy in action. And the Dallas defense will be hard pressed to stop him.

The only other things that could have us glum tomorrow would be something happening with the running game, due to an Eddie Lacy injury or Mike McCarthy inexplicably going away from it or the Cowboys somehow containing it.

And the receivers getting a case of the "dropsies," like in Buffalo, or tipping a couple for picks by the opposition. Recent Packers playoff losses have been characterized by the offense being uncharacteristically out of sync and sloppy with their famous ball security.

The defense and special teams will likely be their usual suspects but if the offense is on they should be good enough to cover.

For now this game is as big for the Packers as the Super Bowl itself. The pride of the franchise for its home field history is involved. And, of coure, if they lose they won't be getting any further chance to go on to the real Super Bowl this year. And we don't want to have people start calling the Pack the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFC.

 

[Kimbo Blubbeus]

I don't know why it is so important for you to mention the Cowboys didn't face any elite QBs.

They're a pretty good team and everyone overlooking them is making a huge mistake. Their secondary is for sure not one of their strengths but if teams allow them to control the time of possession battle by not stopping the run even elite QBs will have a hard time beating them.

There is something to it actually IMO. I've been reminding fellow Cowboy fans that last year we played the best of the best in terms of offense (Detroit, Green Bay, Denver, San Diego, Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia twice) and we ended up having one of the worst defenses of all time.

This season our defense is playing better but we have definitely had a weaker schedule (beating up on the AFC South, playing the NFC West who don't have any good quarterbacks, and then getting Philly with Sanchez) in terms of elite passing teams. We played New Orleans but their defense was so bad that we were able to hold the ball for about 40 minutes keeping our D off the field. They played pretty well against Indy but again our ball control was at its best that game and we were able to get the Colts out of sync.

That leaves the NYG and Odell Beckham show who were able to shred us both games, but the Giants being the Giants, lost both games due to stupid plays at the wrong times.

Even Chicago had a near wild comeback in the fourth quarter when our defense disappeared.

 

[Royal Pain]

No danger of being lumped in with the Bengals if we lose tomorrow. We won a SB 4 years ago and were in the NFCCG three years before that. The Bengals can't win a single playoff game.

I'm feeling a blowout tomorrow. Lot's of energy in Lambeau. We're extremely healthy other than Rodgers, and I think the O-line keeps him clean. Finally, I expect the defense to play lights out and something tells me Matthews plays a big part in shutting them down.

 

[PackerDNA]

I wouldn't mind the Packers winning in a blowout. But I wouldn't be surprised, or consider it an upset, if Dallas won.
It's great that the fan base is fired up and confidant, but there are some who I get the feeling from that are overconfidant. Make no mistake, this is a very good opponent we'll see tommorow. One that is a tough matchup and very capable of beating the Packers.
If Rodgers is limited, it makes their job easier. If Rodgers is knocked out of the game early, than it will be very difficult to win.

 

[TJV]

For now this game is as big for the Packers as the Super Bowl itself.

It's important but no, it's not as important as the Super Bowl.