Cowboys vs. Packers: Picks, predictions and odds

The Dallas Cowboys will play host to the Green Bay Packers this Sunday in a Divisional Round matchup inside AT&T Stadium.

In a game that seems like years ago, the Dallas Cowboys saw their starting quarterback break his back during a preseason game back in August. With Tony Romo out for the foreseeable future, rookie fourth-round pick Dak Prescott would take over as the team’s starter, which at the beginning was just until Romo returned. However, Prescott played at a Pro Bowl level all season long, and when Romo was finally healthy to return, he had no starting spot to return to.

Such is life in the NFL, as Prescott and fellow rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott led the Cowboys to the best record in the NFC. After losing their season opener to the New York Giants, the Cowboys won 11 straight games, before losing once again to the Giants in Week 14. As they enter their Divisional Round matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Dallas has had an extra week off due to being the No. 1 seed, and will have the luxury of having the NFC Playoffs run through AT&T Stadium.

For Green Bay, this run was not supposed to happen. The Packers got off to a 4-6 start to the season, and many people were questioning what was wrong with Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Fame quarterback basically told everyone to relax, and stated that the Packers would run the table and win the NFC North. Well, with their win against the Detroit Lions in Week 17, the Packers did win the NFC North, and hosted the New York Giants in the Wild Card round this past Sunday.

After struggling to start the game, the Packers went nuts in the second half, thanks to an incredible play to end the first half. Up 7-6, Rodgers completed the third Hail Mary of his career, hitting Randall Cobb in the back of the end zone to send the Packers to the locker room with a 14-6 lead. They would never look back, crushing Eli Manning and the Giants by the score of 38-13.

On Sunday, these two teams will do battle in arguably the most exciting game of the weekend. The Cowboys were the hottest team in the NFC for most of the season, but it is the Packers who come into this game scorching hot. Rodgers has once again proven that he is the best quarterback in the NFL, and with the lack of playoff experience on this Dallas roster, it could possibly be a one-and-done situation for the Cowboys.

Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is a freak, and despite being a rookie, has seemingly gotten better each week. Dallas lightened his load towards the end of the season, but he still was able to finish with the second-highest rushing total of any rookie running back in league history. He is going to have a big day on Sunday, and if Prescott can figure out a way to move the ball against this Packers secondary, the Cowboys should be in this one to the very end.

Odds

Line: Dallas -4.5

Over/Under: 52.5

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The Dallas Cowboys have been the darling of the NFL this season, as their two star rookies have turned around an organization that has not won a Divisional Round game in over 20 years. That trend will continue on Sunday, as Aaron Rodgers and company are just too hot heading into Dallas. The Cowboys will make it a game, and may very well lead early, but eventually, the offensive firepower of the Packers will prove to be too much.

Dallas is definitely an organization on the rise, and both Prescott and Elliott are going to get incredible experience playing in this game. Green Bay is coming off a thrashing of one of the best defenses in the league, with Rodgers shredding a secondary that has proven to be elite this season. The bye week is going to hurt Dallas, and in the end, Rodgers will be heading to another NFC Championship Game.

Prediction: Packers 30 Cowboys 27