Cowboys vs. Packers: Full Report Card Grades for Dallas

It was a spectacular season for the Dallas Cowboys. All hopes of a deep playoff run were thought to go down the drain when Tony Romo went down with a back injury in the preseason. But then came along Dak Prescott, a player that drew many compared to Tim Tebow coming out of college. Led by rookies Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys transformed in front of everyone's eyes.

But sometimes, the best team in the NFC isn't always the best team in the playoffs. On Sunday, the Cowboys hosted the greatest quarterback in football at the moment in Aaron Rodgers. Riding a seven-game win streak, the Cowboys know that they were going to have their hands full with Rodgers. After last week's victory against the New York Giants, Rodgers stated that getting off to a better start was key.

The Packers got off to just that after scoring touchdowns on three straight drives, giving Green Bay a 21-3 lead in a hurry. It didn't look good for the Cowboys at that point near the beginning of the second quarter, but 10 unanswered points near the end of the first half put the Cowboys in striking distance.

Green Bay received the ball in the second half and picked up right where its prolific offense left off, putting together an easy six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. In response to that drive, the Cowboys entered the Packers red zone. But Micah Hyde read and jumped a bubble screen route for an interception. At that point, it seemed all but over as the Packers were waltzing down the field, looking to go up three possessions to put the game away.

But Rodgers finally threw a bad pass, an underthrown ball falling into the hands of Cowboys utility player Jeff Heath, giving the No. 1 seed in the NFC some life. Dallas responded with a 10-play, 59-yard touchdown drive to put them down by 8. In need of another stop, the Cowboys got the Packers to punt on a three-and-out.

In 11 plays, the Cowboys methodically moved down the field in an 80-yard drive with a terrific balance of run and pass. Near the goal-line, Prescott found Jason Witten for a touchdown pass. The reception was Witten's first in post-season play of his career. Prescott converted on the two-point conversion on a quarterback draw to tie it up.

Tied at 28, Green Bay had about two and a half minutes to work with to connect on a field goal. Despite the distance of a 58-yard attempt and a knuckleball of a kick, Mason Crosby connected to give the Packers a three-point lead.

Dallas would take over with 1:33 left to get into field goal range for Dan Bailey. However, after completions of 24 and 11 to start the drive, it looked like the Cowboys could actually take the lead by scoring a touchdown. However, the Cowboys clocked the ball on first down, stopping the flow of the offense and giving the Packers time to make adjustments and substitutions. Prescott found Cole Beasley on second down for a gain of eight. At that point, the Cowboys had a timeout to work with.

Because they were already in field goal range, it looked like the Cowboys were going to run the ball to not only move the chains, but to also wind the clock down. Instead, Prescott dropped back and dialed up a pass towards Dez Bryant's way. The play was batted at the line of scrimmage. Bailey connected on a 52-yard field goal to tie it up, but it gave way for Rodgers to have 35 seconds to drive down the field.

Green Bay was able to move 43 yards in six plays to set up a field goal attempt for Crosby. But the big play of the drive was Rodgers on the run connecting with Jared Cook near the sideline to put the Packers within field goal range. The throw came on 3rd & 20 after the Cowboys got a sack. Crosby was able to connect on the 52-yard kick, sending the Packers to the NFC Championship and booting the Cowboys from the playoffs. Another gut-wrenching defeat for the Cowboys to the same team they lost to in 2014.

Read on for full grades and analysis from the Cowboys' playoff loss.

Passing Offense

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

What more can be said that hasn't been said about Dak Prescott? The rookie out of Mississippi State truly is incredible. He has shown so much poise all season long and this game was yet another example of that. Despite going up against one of the best ever at quarterback, the pressure didn't seem to phase Prescott.

Green Bay's gameplan was for Prescott to beat them, not Elliott. At times in this game, it seemed that Prescott didn't get much help from his receivers or even the men in stripes, but those are things Prescott can't control. Sure there was an ugly interception in the third quarter, but there are things that should be expected when the play-calling is suspect. When the Cowboys needed a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie it up, Prescott answered with an 80-yard touchdown drive and two-point conversion of his own.

When the Cowboys went down 21-3, some people on Twitter were calling for Tony Romo. But Prescott answered the bell in this game, despite not getting much help from many people. It's going to be fun to watch Prescott's development in the coming years. This game is going to be so meaningful for him.

Grade: B+

Rushing Offense

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

When the Cowboys beat the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 6, Ezekiel Elliott was the key. Many thought that the key for the Cowboys to win this game would be to feed Elliott to keep Rodgers and company off the field. But when the play-calling went away from running the football at the beginning of the game and the Cowboys got behind by 18 points, the focus on running the football and sustaining drives went out the window.

Nevertheless, Elliott still had 125 yards on 22 carries. He didn't break any big runs in this game, but his impact was felt all the way through till the end of the game. In the drive when the Cowboys needed eight points with around eight minutes left, Elliott was doing what he does best by wearing defenses out.

If the script were flipped and the Cowboys had a 21-3 lead, his impact would've been noticed more. But this was the type of game where the Cowboys needed to score points in bunches and putting together long drives that had a heavy emphasis on the running game wasn't apart of the equation to come back.

Grade: A-

Passing Defense

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

With Aaron Rodgers coming to town, this was truly the matchup to watch all week. Morris Claiborne was returning from injury and Jordy Nelson wasn't suiting up for Green Bay. But that didn't matter for Rodgers and the Packers. It didn't matter whether Rodgers was throwing to Nelson or Geronimo Allison. Rodgers was Rodgers and when he's playing at that level, there truly isn't a defense in all of football that can stop him.

In-game adjustments were made that slowed the Packers offensive attack, but it wasn't enough as the Packers were able to convert on two late field goals when the defense needed to get a stop. Byron Jones' performance was back and forth to being really good and really bad. He made a few pass break-ups, but his performance in this game will be summed up the 36-yard reception he gave up towards the end of the game that led to the game-winning field goal.

Orlando Scandrick and Anthony Brown were both quiet in this game. And while Claiborne and Brandon Carr weren't particularly horrible, they weren't good either. All in all, this was a mediocre showing for the Cowboys pass defense in a game where they needed to perform. The areas where the Cowboys need to improve this offseason became apparent in this game.

Grade: C

Rushing Defense

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Because of their style of play, the Cowboys have been terrific all season at taking their opponent's rushing attack away from them. But in a game where the Cowboys got behind early, the Packers were able to take advantage of the Cowboys' thinness in their front seven.

Green Bay finished with 17 carries for 87 yards. That total isn't horrible, but it was enough for the Packers to be a two-dimensional. There were times where the Cowboys overran play-action passes, leading to easy pitches and catches for Rodgers and his receivers.

In his first playoff game, I was surprised at the performance of Sean Lee. It wasn't his best game. He struggled at times to break free from some of Green Bay's better run-blockers like David Bakhtiari and T.J. Lang. Anthony Hitchens struggled once again in this game. It may be time for the Cowboys to find a new linebacker, as Hitchens consistently struggles in run defense.

Grade: B-

Special Teams

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Many people forget about the third department in football, but the Cowboys special teams was spectacular in this game. Dan Bailey was perfect, connecting on three field goals with ease. Chris Jones had just two points, but they were both impressive. Bailey was able to consistently pin Green Bay deep in their own territory.

Dallas' special teams were a positive all season, despite the lack of a game-breaking returner. As the offseason nears, this is a unit the Cowboys could look into to make adjustments. It seemed like Prescott and the offense, despite how good they were, consistently started their drives deep in their own territory. A good return game would change that.

Grade: A

Coaching

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Let's not beat around the bush here. The Cowboys were out-coached in this game. Packers head coach Mike McCarthy isn't playing quarterback, but his gameplan was clearly executed in this game. Rodgers and the Packers carved up the Cowboys defense, accumulating 414 yards on 63 plays.

Dallas displayed rust in the early going. The Cowboys were flagged early and often with illegal substitution penalties, holding penalties, and 12 men on the field penalties. You can't give Rodgers and the Packers free plays to work with and the Cowboys did that in the beginning of the game, giving the Packers an opportunity to go up big from the start.

The offensive play-calling in this game was truly horrendous. Sure they scored 31 points and had over 400 yards, but Scott Linehan consistently opted to throw the ball rather than running the ball behind the league's top-rated offensive line. The Cowboys had three 3rd & 2s in this game. They were all pass plays and there was only one conversion, thanks to Prescott's ability to pick up yards on the ground.

Clock management was also horrid towards the end of the game. Dallas had a chance to actually go ahead by way of a touchdown near the end of the game, but they played for the field goal. That was apparent when they clocked the ball on first down rather than looking to go downfield to move further near the end-zone. I've said all season that the Cowboys' worst enemy is none other than themselves.

They put together a great performance today, despite being down 18 points at a time. However, their performance wasn't enough to beat not only the Packers, but themselves. This game will sting for awhile and the play-calling should be questioned for some time.

Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @RyanRattyNFL. I'm always willing to talk football.