Green Bay Packers' 5 Biggest Keys to Victory vs. Dallas Cowboys

It's been over 47 years since the Dallas Cowboys played their only postseason game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. This Sunday afternoon that will change as the Cowboys will meet the Packers again at the storied stadium, which last gave us the legendary "Ice Bowl" between the two teams on December 31, 1967.

I talked to Packers great Jerry Kramer about that game earlier this week.

All told, the Packers and Cowboys have met six times in the postseason, with Dallas holding a 4-2 advantage in the series. Five of those six games were player in Dallas, however.

Sunday's game will be the 50th postseason game the Packers have played. Currently, they are 30-19 in the postseason. Since the playoff system started in 1933, the Packers have won 10 NFL titles, including four Super Bowls.

The Packers also won three NFL championships before then from 1929 to 1931, so Green Bay has 13 NFL championships in its history.

The Cowboys are 33-25 in the postseason overall. That includes five NFL titles and five Super Bowl wins.

The Packers have been in the playoffs for six consecutive years now, which includes a 5-4 record and a win in Super Bowl XLV. That win coincidentally occurred at the same stadium the Cowboys call home. It was called Cowboys Stadium then but is now called AT&T Stadium.

Dallas has not fared as well recently in the postseason, as Sunday's game will be just the fourth game that the Cowboys have played in the playoffs since 2008. Before this year, the last appearance for them in the postseason was in 2009.

Something has to give on Sunday. The Cowboys were a perfect 8-0 on the road in 2014, while the Packers were a perfect 8-0 at home.

The game on Sunday should be a dandy, and I'm going to talk about some of the key factors that will assist the Packers in beating the Cowboys and getting to the NFC Championship Game the following week.

Make the Cowboys One-Dimensional on Offense

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When the defense of the Packers tries to stop the Cowboys on Sunday, the No. 1 priority should be to stop the run. That's easier said than done. Running back DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing this year by a wide margin, with 1,845 yards rushing (4.7 average) and 13 touchdowns.

He was held in check somewhat by the Lions last week in the wild-card matchup against the Cowboys, as he only had 75 yards rushing (3.9 average) and one touchdown.

Stopping the run will be a difficult task for the Packers on Sunday, but that is an area in which they have showed remarkable improvement over the last half of the season.

Through the first half of the season, they were dead last in the NFL in rushing defense, as they had allowed 153.5 yards per game on the ground and 4.8 yards per carry.

Since then, however, the Packers have seen a drastic improvement. One of the reasons was moving outside linebacker Clay Matthews inside on early-down rushing situations. Another reason for the improvement was the increased playing time of Sam Barrington at inside linebacker.

In the last eight weeks of the season, the Packers only allowed 86.3 rushing yards per game. That improvement moved them up nine spots in rushing defense, as they finished 23rd in the league.

It's important that the Packers try to limit the effectiveness of Murray on Sunday, as that will allow their pass rush to go after quarterback Tony Romo, who was sacked six times against the Lions.

Much has been said about the calf injury of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but Romo also has been moving slower around the pocket recently and is not as mobile as he used to be. Why? Two back surgeries in consecutive years will do that to you.

I'll talk more about Romo and the Green Bay pass rush in the next slide.

Put a Lot of Pressure on Tony Romo

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The game on Sunday will bring us the two top-rated quarterbacks in NFL history. Aaron Rodgers is the all-time leader with a 106.0 passer rating, while Tony Romo of the Cowboys is second with a 97.6. That is based on the regular season.

In 2014, Romo led the NFL in passer rating with a 113.2 rating, while Rodgers was close behind with a 112.0 rating.

In the postseason, Rodgers is ranked second to former Packers great Bart Starr with a 103.1 rating. Romo is further down the list, as he is ranked 15th with an 87.0 rating.

Romo has a 2-3 record as a starter in the postseason and has thrown six touchdown passes versus two interceptions for 1,125 yards. In the game against the Lions last week after the Cowboys had issues establishing the run, Romo was pressured incessantly and was sacked six times.

That is why I expect the Packers to try to take a page from the defense of the Lions and make stopping the run priority No. 1. If that happens, then the Packers can utilize their pass rush to pressure Romo and perhaps force him into mistakes.

The Packers finished tied for ninth in the NFL in sacks this past season with 41. Clay Matthews led the team with 11 sacks, plus he had two forced fumbles and an interception. Julius Peppers was next with seven sacks, plus No. 56 had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns).

The Packers used that pass pressure to help with their pass coverage. Green Bay finished 10th in the league in pass defense. The Packers were tied for seventh in the league with 18 interceptions. Green Bay also finished seventh in the NFL in opponent's passer rating with a mark of 82.0.

We shall see what will happen this Sunday for the Burlington, Wisconsin, native Romo, but if the Packers can minimize the damage of the run game and pressure him in the passing game, it probably won't be a good homecoming for No. 9.

Special Teams Have to Be Special

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In the postseason, the Packers know how important special teams can be to a team's success. In the 1996 postseason, kick returner Desmond Howard of the Packers was amazing.

In the NFC divisional playoff game against the 49ers at Lambeau Field, Howard returned one punt 71 yards for a touchdown and another punt 46 yards to set up another score, as the Packers won 35-14.

In Super Bowl XXXI against the Patriots, Howard had 244 total return yards in the game, including a 99-yard touchdown on a kickoff that was the turning point of the game. For his efforts, he was named MVP of the game. Howard is the only special teams player to ever get that award in the Super Bowl.

Also during that postseason, the kicking game was solid for the Packers, as were the coverage units.

The same held true in the 2010 postseason. In the 2010 NFC Championship Game at Soldier Field, the Packers held the dangerous Devin Hester of the Bears to a 5.3-yard average on three punt returns and one kickoff return of 24 yards.

Once again, the kicking game was solid overall for the Packers. While the return units were not eye-opening, the coverage units were also good, except for the 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Eric Weems in a divisional playoff game against the Falcons.

Going into the 2014 postseason, the Packers have some issues that they need to clean up on special teams—things like having field goals and extra points blocked. Punter Tim Masthay also needs to be more consistent. Kicker Mason Crosby has been very good when he's not having his kicks blocked.

The coverage units have been adequate, but there is still room for improvement.

In terms of the return units, the Packers have been excelling in punt returns, especially when Micah Hyde is returning punts. He had 14 punt returns for 221 yards (15.8 average) and two touchdowns in the regular season.

The Packers put running back DuJuan Harris on the inactive list for their last game of the season versus Detroit, so they also utilized Hyde as their primary kickoff returner. That may be the case against the Cowboys as well.

Dwayne Harris of the Cowboys is a decent return man for both kickoffs and punts, but he has also fumbled four times while returning punts.

Here's the bottom line: The Packers need to be special on special teams on Sunday, as a mistake can be costly.

Just ask the 1996 New England Patriots.

Protect Aaron Rodgers

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Aaron Rodgers will most likely be the NFL MVP award winner for the 2014 regular season. No. 12 had another phenomenal year, throwing 38 touchdowns versus just five interceptions for 4,381 yards. That added up to a 112.2 passer rating.

With that passer rating, Rodgers now has six consecutive seasons of having a passer rating of over 100.

That makes sense, as he is the all-time leader in NFL history in that category, as I mentioned in a previous slide.

But in the Week 16 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rodgers strained a calf muscle. That injury forced him out for a while against the Detroit Lions in Week 17. Even though the injury has affected his mobility in terms of running, Rodgers has still been effective in the passing game.

Against the Bucs and Lions, he completed 48 out of 62 passes for 554 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Rodgers was given excellent protection in the pocket by his offensive line in the game against the Bucs after Tampa Bay had pressured him early and sacked him once. The Lions never sacked Rodgers at all.

That has to continue against the Cowboys. If given time, Rodgers can carve up their secondary. Why? The Cowboys have issues with their pass defense. Dallas was ranked just 26th in pass defense this past season.

Plus, there is the history of Rodgers versus the Cowboys. In four games against the Cowboys, he has never thrown a pick. He has thrown five touchdown passes with 969 yards passing. No. 12's passer rating is 101.1 against Dallas.

If Rodgers can have time to pass and his calf injury does not flare up, I expect him to have a very good game again on Sunday afternoon.

Run the Rock

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Running back Eddie Lacy of the Packers really pushes the pedal to the metal when it comes to running the football late in the season.

In the eight games played in November and December in 2014, Lacy had 711 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

Last season, he did the same thing. He rushed for 376 yards and three touchdowns in November. In December, he was just as good, running for 356 yards and five touchdowns.

In the 2013 postseason, Lacy had 81 yards rushing against the 49ers.

He only has one career game versus the Cowboys, but he rushed for 141 yards on just 21 carries and one touchdown in that game last year in Dallas, as the Packers stormed back to beat the Cowboys 37-36.

With Aaron Rodgers ailing with a calf muscle injury, the Packers need to have some success toting the rock against the Cowboys. Lacy can do just that, based on his late-season history and track record against the Cowboys.

Lacy can also help in the passing game. Rodgers has dumped the ball off to Lacy often on screen and swing passes, and No. 27 has looked very good in that area. Lacy had 42 receptions for 427 yards and four more scores in 2014.

He has also markedly improved his pass blocking in blitz-pickup situations this season.

Expect No. 27 to have a big day on Sunday.