Joe Flacco is leading an AFC North team on a playoff run, Tyreek Hill is back in Kansas City, Matt Stafford is returning to Detroit, and the Dallas Cowboys Super Wild Card battle against the Green Bay Packers will feature Mike McCarthy on the sideline. Time is a flat circle in the NFL.
The next iteration of the Dallas/Green Bay playoff rivalry has some familiar storylines, just in a new context. McCarthy is on the opposite sideline now, the best quarterback on the field will be the one wearing a star on his helmet, and this time it's the Packers hitting the field with an overachieving squad of youngsters against an NFC power on the road.
These are our bold predictions for a Dallas Cowboys Super Wild Card game against the visiting Packers sure to drum up plenty of memories for everyone involved – good ones and bad.
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CeeDee Lamb and Jaire Alexander set the tone
There's only one way the Cowboys can realistically earn a blowout victory in the first game of the postseason, and that's if CeeDee Lamb blows the top off of AT&T Stadium. Tony Pollard looked much stronger against the Commanders in the regular season finale, and the offensive line should be healthier than they have been lately thanks to a week of rest.
But the Cowboys haven't proven themselves capable of running the ball down anybody's throat. Not even a dismal run defense like Green Bay's.
Lamb and Jaire Alexander's battle will define a huge chunk of the game – both for Dallas' offense and Green Bay's defense. Both are elite, and both are capable of neutralizing the man standing across from them.
Lamb's blossoming connection with Dak Prescott ultimately won the Cowboys the division, and his continued production is essential if they're going to win a Super Bowl. Dallas won't boom or bust based on Lamb's night alone. But if he can get the drop on Alexander enough times, it could be a long night for the Pack.
Matt LaFleur outcoaches Mike McCarthy
Kevin Stefanski's efforts in Cleveland have him leading the pack for the NFL's Coach of the Year race and DeMeco Ryans' division title with a rookie quarterback in his first year at the helm makes a compelling case as well. But Matt LaFleur deserves a boatload of credit for dragging the Packers to the postseason.
Instantly after losing the greatest quarterback his franchise had ever seen, LaFleur found ways to win with 18 (!) active roster players in their first or second NFL seasons and a first-year starting quarterback that many had given up on.
McCarthy's last three years in Dallas are nothing to sneeze at, but he hasn't had to struggle like LaFleur has. The Cowboys have won several games over the years despite clock management mistakes and other irritating blunders that always seem to give Dallas' opponent a chance to steal a win. LaFleur's Packers can't afford those mistakes, and they make fewer of them.
Talent-wise, these two teams aren't that close to one another, but it shouldn't shock anyone if LaFleur's scheme keeps Green Bay competitive. It might not be enough to pull off a victory, but it could easily force the Cowboys into an uncomfortable position as the clock ticks away in the fourth quarter. If that happens and the game comes down to which coach sets their team up for success, consider that an advantage for Green Bay.
The Cowboys win comfortably
Note that the term “comfortably” here does not necessarily entail a blowout. We're talking a 10 to 13-point game, maybe an even closer one that the Cowboys kneel out from their 30-yard line. The Cowboys are too talented and playing too well at home to realistically expect an upset. Nevertheless, the Packers shouldn't have been a playoff team this season in the first place.
The green and gold have defied expectations all season long, they have one of the best head coaches in the sport with his hand on the rudder, and it appears they've hit yet again in the draft on a quarterback who could be very strong in the NFC for years to come.
It's going to be a good game. Green Bay will likely make McCarthy's Cowboys sweat in the second half. In the end, though, Prescott, Lamb, Parsons, Lawrence, and all of the Cowboys' talent will prevail.
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