Cowboys, Packers Ready For Showdown Of 10-1 Teams
Nick Eatman - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
November 28, 2007 5:39 PM
IRVING, Texas - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had no problem equating the importance of Thursday's showdown with the Packers:
"It's certainly the most significant game at this stadium since the last time we played Brett Favre and Green Bay in the NFC Championship."
And that was big.
The Cowboys beat Green Bay at the end of the 1995 season to advance to Super Bowl XXX, where they beat the Steelers for their fifth Lombardi Trophy.
But Thursday's matchup of two 10-1 teams is the biggest game at Texas Stadium since that one?
Possibly, even though the Cowboys have played two home playoff games since then. But both were wild-card games, and although the playoffs are indeed a do-or-die situation, this match-up with the Packers is worth more than a regular-season victory.
The Packers and Cowboys are both 10-1, with the next-closest teams in the conference sitting at 7-4 (Seahawks, Buccaneers and Giants).
So in all likelihood, this game is for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The winner has the inside track to making sure the road to the Super Bowl goes through their stadium.
"We know what this game means," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. "We know if we win, there's a chance we can get home-field or whatever. But we really can't go into the game thinking about it. It's a big game. But it's a big game for a lot of reasons."
However, the biggest reason is what this game could mean for the winner, not so much the loser.
"Anybody who would tell you it's a season-ender if you lose (this game) doesn't understand what 10-2 is in the NFL," said Jones, who also made clear he didn't want to go to Lambeau Field at any point in the playoffs. "Green Bay is intimidating to me, in my mind. We've really, physically lost games up there."
The Cowboys have never won at Lambeau Field, losing all five meetings. Since Jones bought the team in 1989, the Cowboys have lost three games at Lambeau by a combined score of 117-50.
But the Cowboys get the Packers at home this time, and that could be a bad thing for Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre based on history. Favre has an 0-8 record at Texas Stadium, including three playoff losses. But his last trip here came back in 1999, when the Cowboys needed a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown by George Teague to stave off Favre and the Packers for a 27-13 win.
Favre said in a conference call this week he had forgotten that 1999 meeting. He certainly hasn't forgotten the Packers losing 21-6 to the Cowboys in 1996 when Dallas kicker Chris Boniol made seven field goals to tie an NFL record which has been broken this year. Favre definitely remembers his first six losses in Dallas, all of which occurred in a three-year span from 1993-95. The Cowboys won two Super Bowls in 1993 and 1995 lost in the NFC Championship Game to the 49ers in 1994. They beat the Packers at home in all three of those seasons, including the Championship Game in 1995.
But while Jones made reference to that game this week, basically everything has changed for these two teams since then.
Favre is the only player on either roster who participated in that game. And only Cowboys backup Brad Johnson was in the NFL back in 1995.
So things are vastly different for both franchises.
The Cowboys have won only one playoff game since beating the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl, owning a 1-5 record in the postseason since then.
After that loss to the Cowboys, Green Bay went on to play in the next two Super Bowls, winning one. The Packers followed that with a 2-5 postseason record and haven't been to the playoffs since 2004.
But that will change this year. And the Cowboys are hoping they can win their first playoff game in 11 years.
Maybe that's why some of the players, especially the veterans, are somewhat hesitant to get caught up in the home-field advantage talk.
"We want to take it one step at a time," said linebacker Greg Ellis, who has never won a playoff game in his career with the Cowboys since arriving in 1998. "You want to get to the playoffs first, and then win your division and maybe get a bye and then all of the other stuff. So right now, we can't get ahead of ourselves."
Ellis came to the Cowboys as a first-round draft pick nine years ago. The team's second-round pick that year, Flozell Adams, also is still around. And while he's never been considered a vocal leader, even Adams has said he's trying to instill some veteran wisdom to the younger players.
"I tell them all the time, I say forget about all of that stuff. We have to work to get up there," Adams said. "Just because we've won 10 games, it doesn't mean anything right now. We have to still win a few more just to get to that home-field. So to get there, we have to focus on now. The only thing we need to focus on is beating the Packers."
If that happens, the Cowboys not only would take a one-game lead over Green Bay in the conference standings with four to play, but also own the head-to-head tiebreaker in deciding playoff seeding.
With a win Thursday, coupled with a Giants loss in Chicago on Sunday, the Cowboys would also clinch the NFC East for the first time since 1998. They can clinch a playoff berth with a win Thursday or losses by New Orleans and Arizona.
"There's a lot at stake," quarterback Tony Romo said. "We know it's a big game for us. We know it's a big game for them. That's why it's going to be a lot of fun."
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
November 28, 2007 5:39 PM
IRVING, Texas - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had no problem equating the importance of Thursday's showdown with the Packers:
"It's certainly the most significant game at this stadium since the last time we played Brett Favre and Green Bay in the NFC Championship."
And that was big.
The Cowboys beat Green Bay at the end of the 1995 season to advance to Super Bowl XXX, where they beat the Steelers for their fifth Lombardi Trophy.
But Thursday's matchup of two 10-1 teams is the biggest game at Texas Stadium since that one?
Possibly, even though the Cowboys have played two home playoff games since then. But both were wild-card games, and although the playoffs are indeed a do-or-die situation, this match-up with the Packers is worth more than a regular-season victory.
The Packers and Cowboys are both 10-1, with the next-closest teams in the conference sitting at 7-4 (Seahawks, Buccaneers and Giants).
So in all likelihood, this game is for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The winner has the inside track to making sure the road to the Super Bowl goes through their stadium.
"We know what this game means," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. "We know if we win, there's a chance we can get home-field or whatever. But we really can't go into the game thinking about it. It's a big game. But it's a big game for a lot of reasons."
However, the biggest reason is what this game could mean for the winner, not so much the loser.
"Anybody who would tell you it's a season-ender if you lose (this game) doesn't understand what 10-2 is in the NFL," said Jones, who also made clear he didn't want to go to Lambeau Field at any point in the playoffs. "Green Bay is intimidating to me, in my mind. We've really, physically lost games up there."
The Cowboys have never won at Lambeau Field, losing all five meetings. Since Jones bought the team in 1989, the Cowboys have lost three games at Lambeau by a combined score of 117-50.
But the Cowboys get the Packers at home this time, and that could be a bad thing for Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre based on history. Favre has an 0-8 record at Texas Stadium, including three playoff losses. But his last trip here came back in 1999, when the Cowboys needed a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown by George Teague to stave off Favre and the Packers for a 27-13 win.
Favre said in a conference call this week he had forgotten that 1999 meeting. He certainly hasn't forgotten the Packers losing 21-6 to the Cowboys in 1996 when Dallas kicker Chris Boniol made seven field goals to tie an NFL record which has been broken this year. Favre definitely remembers his first six losses in Dallas, all of which occurred in a three-year span from 1993-95. The Cowboys won two Super Bowls in 1993 and 1995 lost in the NFC Championship Game to the 49ers in 1994. They beat the Packers at home in all three of those seasons, including the Championship Game in 1995.
But while Jones made reference to that game this week, basically everything has changed for these two teams since then.
Favre is the only player on either roster who participated in that game. And only Cowboys backup Brad Johnson was in the NFL back in 1995.
So things are vastly different for both franchises.
The Cowboys have won only one playoff game since beating the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl, owning a 1-5 record in the postseason since then.
After that loss to the Cowboys, Green Bay went on to play in the next two Super Bowls, winning one. The Packers followed that with a 2-5 postseason record and haven't been to the playoffs since 2004.
But that will change this year. And the Cowboys are hoping they can win their first playoff game in 11 years.
Maybe that's why some of the players, especially the veterans, are somewhat hesitant to get caught up in the home-field advantage talk.
"We want to take it one step at a time," said linebacker Greg Ellis, who has never won a playoff game in his career with the Cowboys since arriving in 1998. "You want to get to the playoffs first, and then win your division and maybe get a bye and then all of the other stuff. So right now, we can't get ahead of ourselves."
Ellis came to the Cowboys as a first-round draft pick nine years ago. The team's second-round pick that year, Flozell Adams, also is still around. And while he's never been considered a vocal leader, even Adams has said he's trying to instill some veteran wisdom to the younger players.
"I tell them all the time, I say forget about all of that stuff. We have to work to get up there," Adams said. "Just because we've won 10 games, it doesn't mean anything right now. We have to still win a few more just to get to that home-field. So to get there, we have to focus on now. The only thing we need to focus on is beating the Packers."
If that happens, the Cowboys not only would take a one-game lead over Green Bay in the conference standings with four to play, but also own the head-to-head tiebreaker in deciding playoff seeding.
With a win Thursday, coupled with a Giants loss in Chicago on Sunday, the Cowboys would also clinch the NFC East for the first time since 1998. They can clinch a playoff berth with a win Thursday or losses by New Orleans and Arizona.
"There's a lot at stake," quarterback Tony Romo said. "We know it's a big game for us. We know it's a big game for them. That's why it's going to be a lot of fun."
posted by The Gryphon at 7:30 AM
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