The Sunday afternoon game of the Divisional round weekend pits the Green Bay Packers against the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas is coming off a bye after a dominant 13-3 campaign, while Green Bay is riding a hot streak on the back of Aaron Rodgers. The winner of this game could be favored in the NFC Championship, and the stakes are way higher than their matchup in the regular season. The Cowboys are still looking for their first playoff win since the 2009 season.
Packers vs. Cowboys 2017 live stream: How to watch NFL playoffs online
Two of the NFC’s best teams collide in the Divisional round.
The game will be televised on FOX, with the team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the booth. Viewers can stream it at Fox Sports Go, using their cable/satellite subscription to log in.
The Packers season was hanging on the brink in late November when they were 4-6 and Mike McCarthy’s job security was being called into question. Of course, Rodgers took his play into another gear and demolished opponents down the stretch, putting himself into the MVP conversation. Green Bay won its final six games of the regular season to claim the NFC North title once again.
In the Wild Card round, the Packers faced a formidable challenge in the New York Giants stingy defense. Things weren’t looking good early on, with Green Bay managing just eight offensive yards in the first quarter. However, that slow start quickly became a distant memory — Rodgers woke the offense out of its slumber and threw two quick touchdown passes, including a Hail Mary at the end of the second quarter. The Packers went into halftime leading, 14-6, and eventually cruised to a 38-13 win.
Rodgers was downright surgical in that game, completing 25 of 40 passes for 362 yards and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, he lost his best receiver early in the game when Jordy Nelson suffered broken ribs. He likely won’t play this weekend, but with Davante Adams and Randall Cobb stepping up in his absence, Rodgers won’t have a shortage of weapons to throw to. The running game is still a big question mark after losing Eddie Lacy earlier in the year, but Ty Montgomery has done a fine job converting from wide receiver, and fullback Aaron Ripkowski is fairly reliable in short-yardage situations.
Green Bay’s biggest challenge in this game will be on the defensive end, which is tasked with trying to slow down the Cowboys’ electric rookie duo. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott took the league by storm in their first seasons — Elliott led the league with 1,631 rushing yards, while Prescott threw 23 touchdowns to just four interceptions and finished third with a 104.9 passer rating.
In addition to those two, Dez Bryant remains a nightmare matchup for any defense, much less one with as many injury concerns as the Packers. Green Bay has a middling unit that ranked 22nd in yards allowed and 21st in points allowed.
These teams last met in Week 6, and it was barely competitive with the Cowboys scoring a 30-16 win. Prescott threw three touchdown passes while Elliott soaked up 157 yards on the ground. It should be a much closer matchup this time around with Rodgers firing on all cylinders, but the Cowboys are one of the best in the league at time of possession, ranking second with an average of 31:41.
Keeping Rodgers off the field will surely be a top priority for Jason Garrett and his staff, and they have just the personnel to do so. But can Dallas’ defense avoid deadly quick strikes from Rodgers? This could be one of those games where the team that has the ball last is ultimately the winner.
How to watch
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Place: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews
Online: Fox Sports Go
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