Cowboys vs. Packers: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NFL Playoffs

Hobbling around essentially on one leg, Aaron Rodgers for almost three quarters looked nothing like his MVP self. Then, the NFL's best quarterback reminded everyone of that label with a scintillating fourth quarter that spurred the Green Bay Packers' run to the NFC Championship Game.    

Rodgers threw for 316 yards, and the Green Bay defense produced stops when it needed as the Packers earned a 26-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Much like a week ago, when a controversial pass-interference penalty was reversed and helped send Dallas to Green Bay, discussion will be rampant about a late call. Down 26-21, on a 4th-and-2 with around four minutes remaining, Tony Romo appeared to complete a 31-yard pass to Dez Bryant inside the Packers 1-yard line.

Upon a replay challenge, though, the officials determined Bryant did not complete the process of the catch and overturned the call. Green Bay was awarded the ball, and Rodgers salted the game away with a clock-clearing drive. 

Bleacher Report's Chris Simms weighed in on the controversial play following the game:

Playing despite a torn calf muscle, Rodgers was limited almost entirely to throws inside the pocket, and it showed for most of the game. The Packers offense consisted of near-constant checkdowns and Eddie Lacy runs, with Dallas holding Green Bay to a lone touchdown for the first 43 minutes.

But with their backs against the wall, Rodgers engineered a comeback from eight points down. He hit Davante Adams for a 46-yard score to close the gap to 21-20 with 1:41 remaining in the third quarter and then put Green Bay ahead for good with a 13-yard pass to Richard Rodgers with just over nine minutes left. The MVP candidate completed 24 of his 35 passes overall and appeared to find a rhythm as the game went along.

Adams and Randall Cobb helped matters by each going for more than 100 yards. Cobb had a game-high eight receptions. Andrew Quarless also contributed with 31 yards and a first-quarter touchdown on a day when Jordy Nelson was held to just 22 yards by a game Dallas secondary. Nelson and Rodgers' inability to connect came after a two-week stretch in which Rodgers was almost entirely absent from practice.

"Just because he can do so many things with his feet," Nelson told reporters of the differences in Rodgers' game. "If it's just buying some time and allowing us to get in our scramble drill and making the big plays, which is always a big opportunity for us. He can make a lot of first downs, especially when teams try to play that two-man (coverage) and everyone is running with us, it gives him a lot of room."

The Packers will play the Seattle Seahawks next week for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Seattle defeated the Carolina Panthers, 31-17, Saturday night and administered a Week 1 drubbing of the Packers earlier this season. That game saw the Seahawks hold Rodgers to 189 passing yards, which might be a repeatable feat given his ongoing injury issues.

If the Green Bay offense is held in check next week, it'll need a far more efficient performance from its defense than the one it gave Sunday. The Cowboys lost despite DeMarco Murray rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown and Romo completing 15 of his 19 passes.

A workhorse throughout the regular season, the Cowboys again fed Murray plenty on a frigid Wisconsin afternoon. Murray carried the ball 25 times, and though many of them were for minimal gains, he was effective enough to allow Dallas to dictate the game's pace. The Cowboys won the time-of-possession battle and were able to limit the amount of hits taken by Romo, who was also limping throughout the second half.

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"If you think about how we've run the ball this year, we've had to be persistent," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, per Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com. "Scott Linehan has done a fantastic job. Bill Callahan has done a fantastic job, as these guys go on finding a way for us to run the football."

As has been the case many times in the past, key mistakes are what did Dallas in. A Murray fumble leading to a Packers field goal, Dan Bailey's missed 50-yard field goal and Bryant's controversial drop all helped contribute to the loss. Bryant, overall, was largely held in check, finishing with 38 yards on three receptions. Romo went in his direction only four times, instead choosing to target his underneath options. Jason Witten finished with a team-high six receptions for 71 yards.

The Packers, meanwhile, were able to overcome gaffes of their own. Their 10 penalties accounting for 87 yards, Rodgers' lost fumble and head coach Mike McCarthy's odd decision not to attempt a two-point conversion after the third-quarter touchdown will all be lost to the football ether because they were able to eke out the win.

The margin for error will be narrow next week traveling to Seattle, where the Seahawks have lost only twice in the last two seasons. Green Bay was a perfect 8-0 during the regular season at home but was a more pedestrian 4-4 away from Lambeau Field. Rodgers, on average, completed a lower percentage of his passes for fewer yards and was more turnover-prone on the road this season.

Already hobbled by his calf, it'll be interesting to see if Rodgers can atone for the Packers' slow September start.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter