The Dallas Cowboys are eager to erase the bad taste in their mouths, following the team’s home loss to Los Angeles last week. This week, the team again plays host to an NFC opponent. The Green Bay Packers, who ended the Cowboys’ season last year, will visit AT&T Stadium on Sunday. The Packers are a tough matchup for the Dallas Cowboys. Here are some reasons why it will be important for the Cowboys to come away with the victory on Sunday:
Playoff Seeding:
While it may not seem like a week 5 matchup can affect a playoff race, this game is an exception. The Cowboys are sitting in a tie for second-place in the NFC East. The Packers are tied for first in their NFC North division. This game could impact the wild-card race down the line, and could affect the race for a first-round bye among division winners.
Excising Playoff Demons:
The last two times the Cowboys have made the playoffs, they have seen their season ended at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. On Sunday, they can exact some revenge on the Packers. In both playoff contests, the Cowboys were victimized by two freak plays. In 2014, Dez Bryant had the famous “catch” that wasn’t. Last season, Aaron Rodgers found Jared Cook for a completion on 3rd-and-20 with less than 10 seconds left. That set up a game-winning field goal by the Packers to eliminate the Cowboys. The Cowboys will look to reverse their bad fortunes against Green Bay on Sunday.
Bye Week Momentum:
The term “must-win” gets thrown around far too often in the NFL. The regular season is a long grind. Just because you start slow, doesn’t mean you are necessarily out of the playoff race. Green Bay knows this first hand. Last year, they began the season 4-6 before winning out to get into the postseason. The Cowboys are 2-2 on the young season, but there needs to be a sense of urgency to not start 2-3. If the Cowboys lose the game on Sunday, they will enter their bye week having lost back-to-back games, and three of their last four games. Furthermore, they will risk falling further behind in an improved NFC East. As a result, they need to make sure and carry some positive momentum into their week 6 bye.
Dallas Cowboys Conclusion:
While the Cowboys aren’t in a do-or-die situation entering Sunday’s game, there needs to be a real sense of urgency to rebound coming off last week’s loss to Los Angeles. Heading into a bye week, the team can’t afford to enter the rest week with a litany of questions to answer. As a result, look for be team to come out firing, as they look to exact some revenge on the Packers for their last few heartbreaking playoff endings.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login
You must log in to post a comment.