Packers - Cowboys live online: stats, scores and highlights | NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Weekend

Despite recent history...

favoring the Packers, all signs point to a Cowboys win today at AT&T Stadium.

Here's why:

Home-field advantage

We all know by now that the Cowboys have won 16 in a row at home, with their last loss being their season-opener to Tom Brady's Buccaneers in 2022. They're the only team to go undefeated at home this season. And at home, they lead the league in scoring offense (37.4 points per game), turnover margin (+10), third-down conversion rate (53.2%), point differential (+172) and time of possession (34:28).   

Better Offense

I repeat, Prescott leads the league in touchdown passes. He's also second in rating and third in yards. His offensive crew ranks among the top in the NFL as well - CeeDee Lamb leads in receptions and RB Tony Pollard leads in yards per touch. Then you have TE Jake Ferguson and WR Brandin Cooks, who've added a combined 125 receptions and 13 touchdowns.

Better Defense

Despite losing three of their key defenders this season (DeMarvion Overshown, Trevon Diggs, and Leighton Vander Esch), the Cowboys have managed to finish as the league's fifth-best scoring and total defense. 

LB Micah Parsons led the league in QB pressures (103), QB pressure rate (21.8%), and pass rush win rate (35.3%). It should definitely be noted that this was with Parsons double-teamed on 35% of his pass rush plays, more than any other edge rusher in the league. Yeah, he is impressive. Then you've got DaRon Bland who set a record of five pick-sixes in the regular season of his nine interceptions. They're going to put the pressure on young Jordan Love.

Better Special Teams

Cowboys' punt returner KaVontae Turpin averaged 29.2 yards per kickoff return, helping the Cowboys finish third in average starting position after a kickoff. Kicker Brandon Aubrey ranked first in touchback percentage. As a kicker, he's gone 36-of-38 on field goals (94.7% success rate), the third-best in the league. And punter Bryan Anger ranks second with an average of 44.9 yards.

The Cowboys have the advantage in every phase.

Some of that history I wrote about earlier, in a video

Cowboys-Packers INACTIVES for Wild Card Weekend

Green Bay Packers INACTIVES

WR Malik Heath

RB AJ Dillon

CB David Long Jr.

S Benny Sapp III

LB Brenton Cox Jr.

T Caleb Jones

Dallas Cowboys INACTIVES

QB Trey Lance (emergency 3rd QB)

CB Eric Scott

T Asim Richards

T Matt Waletzko

WR Jalen Brooks

LB Tyrus Wheat

DL Viliami Fehoko Jr.

Less than an hour to go now!

The dynamic duo: Prescott and Lamb

Much of Dak Prescott's case for MVP this season is due to help from his wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. 

Lamb recently broke former Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irvin's single-season record for catches (135) and receiving yards (1,749) and leads the league in targets (181), catches, and catches of 20+ yards (tied with Dolphins' Tyreek Hill at 29).

The two of them have proven to be a dual threat, and especially when it comes to third-down conversions. Lamb was targeted 46 times on third downs this seeason - Prescott was able to complete 69% of his third-down passes and Lamb caught 29 of those 46 targets (63%),

Prescott vs Love

Prescott is the quarterback with the most touchdown passes in 2023 with 36.

Jordan Love is the quarterback with the second-most touchdown passes in 2023 with 32. 

Their stats really are quite comparable.

Cowboys and Packers: Playoff history

The Cowboys and Packers are no strangers in the post season. Indeed, there is plenty to talk about when it comes to these two teams. And for the Cowboys fans, they'll be thankful to finally have a bit of an advantage. So let's take a look at these storylines.

Mike McCarthy's time with the Packers

Sorry, Mike. I know you're tired of talking about it, but we aren't. McCarthy was the head coach for the Packers from 2006-2018, and during that time, he beat the Cowboys many times. He's now been with the Cowboys for four years, but he's only faced his former team once, until today.

He and the Cowboys will both be anxious to avenge that one game, which resulted in a 31-28 overtime loss in which the Cowboys blew a 28-14 lead in the 4th quarter. 

It was a catch!

That's not the only game the Cowboys will want to avenge. It was McCarthy who was at the helm for the Packers when they eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs in both 2014 and 2016. 

You remember that game in 2014, don't you? Tony Romo's last postseason appearance, and the Dez Bryant catch that wasn't a catch...bring back memories? If you're a Cowboys fan, you don't need reminding. It was as heartbreaking a loss as the next one in 2016, when the Cowboys rallied from a 28-13 deficit to tie up the game only to lose on an Aaron Rodgers late pass to Mason Crosby that set up the winning field goal for the Packers.

But this time, there's no Rodgers. And McCarthy is on the other side. 

Deep history

But it's more than just the last decade that's created this rivalry between the Cowboys and Packers. Back in the 1960s, the Packers gave plenty of reasons to make the Cowboys rage. They were the ones to eliminate Dallas from the playoffs in both 1966 and 1967, both games within just a score. 

The 90s were the Cowboys' time to shine. For three years in a row, from 1993-95, the Cowboys played the Packers in the postseason, and each of those years were in Dallas, and in each of those years, the Cowboys came away with the win. It also happens to be the time period when the Cowboys won two Super Bowls.

Packers-Cowboys record

Overall, the Packers are 17-13 on the Cowboys in the regular season and 4-4 in the playoffs. Much of that winning record is from the last 15 years. Since 2009, the Packers are 9-1 against Dallas. And in fact. they are 4-0 at AT&T Stadium. 

That could well change today though, as the Cowboys have not lost a game at home in the last 16 games and were 8-0 at home this season. The Packers were 4-5 on the road this season. The Cowboys are the favorires this time around, but if they do happen to lose, they may start thinking of Green Bay as an Achille's heel.

Gooood afternoon, everyone and a big welcome to our LIVE text coverage of this Wild Card Weekend's Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys Game!

Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. ET from AT&T Stadium. It's Jen with AS USA here to bring you the pre-Game buildup, the scores, highlights, stats, and commentary throughout and after the Game. 

Here. We. Go.