DONE DEAL: The Cowboys’ Defense’s Key has finally arrived….

DONE DEAL: The Cowboys’ Defense’s Key has finally arrived….

The Green Bay Packers, the seventh and final seed in the NFC, have punched their ticket into the playoffs after defeating the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Bears, and the Carolina Panthers to end the regular season. On Sunday, they take on the second-seeded Dallas Cowboys and former coach Mike McCarthy in the Wild Card round.

In addition to McCarthy’s ties to the Packers, the clash between Green Bay and Dallas in Arlington will be intriguing since it will pit the team’s explosive offence against Dallas’ formidable defence.

Against the Cowboys’ mediocre run defence, Green Bay’s best bet is to get the ball into Aaron Jones’ hands as often as possible in both the run and pass games. When did Green Bay last play in Dallas, if you recall? In a 34-24 triumph, Jones gained 109 yards on 19 runs and four touchdowns.

In the secondary for Dallas are Trevon Diggs, Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker, and Stephon Gilmore. DeMarcus Lawrence, Chauncey Golston, and Dante Fowler Jr. are capable of pressing the quarterback. Additionally, don’t overlook Leighton Vander Esch and Micah Parsons, two All-Pro linebackers.

The Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, had caused problems for the Packers during his time with the Seattle Seahawks in the early 2010s. The Seahawks’ defence gave up only 16 points to Aaron Rodgers on opening night in 2014, and they gave up 22 points in the NFC Championship the same year as the Seahawks overcame a 16-point deficit to win 28–22 and go on to Super Bowl XLIX.

With less than 300 total yards allowed per game during the regular season, the Cowboys had the fifth-best total defence in the league. They are seventh in terms of pass defence as well, giving up only 187.4 passing yards per contest. However, Dallas’ run defence is its weak point. With 112.4 rushing yards per game allowed, they rank 16th in the league.

The Cowboys allow their opponents only 18.5 points per game on average. For the last two months, Jordan Love has been playing some of his greatest football. Had three touchdown passing efforts in the Vikings, Chiefs, and Detroit Lions games. The offence in Green Bay has worked out how to engage young, inexperienced players while putting the ball into the hands of its playmakers.

Jones has had outstanding performances in the past three games, running for a total of 358 yards on 63 runs, but that game was four years ago. That translates to 5.7 yards per carry on average. In the end, he also had several huge carries against Chicago that effectively ended the game.

Green Bay’s youthful receiving corps has performed well in the passing game over the last few months. However, they may not be able to break free from Dallas’ talented secondary. Nevertheless, Jayden Reed outperformed the Vikings and Bears. After the reception, he gained a lot of yards and drew separation from their defensive backs. Just before halfway against Minnesota, he took the ball 22 yards after the catch to score. In the fourth quarter, he made a huge grab against the Bears that resulted in a dramatic shift of momentum. He sprinted 39 yards after collecting the ball.

Trevon Diggs ought to be able to get some distance on the route if he stands up for Reed. Despite being a ballhawk, Diggs has had trouble staying in coverage when running routes.

Dallas is likely to score points against the Packers’ defence. Due to a mishandled punt against Minnesota that resulted in a touchdown a few plays later, Green Bay’s defence has really only allowed 12 points over the last two weeks. But it was against an injured Vikings offence starting their fourth quarterback of the season in Jaren Hall, and a mediocre Bears offence that ranks 20th in total offence with an average of 323 total yards per game.

With Dak Prescott playing at an MVP-caliber level, the Cowboys offence is among the best in the NFL this season. In addition, he has several weapons in Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert, and Jake Ferguson.

If the Packers concentrate on getting Jones the ball, they should be able to score points against the Cowboys as well. The Cowboys’ young receivers ought to produce some plays if they can contain Jones. Bo Melton, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jayden Reed have all produced well in the last month.

But keep in mind that anything can happen now that the Packers are in the playoffs since they are on a hot run heading into it.