Dallas Cowboys fans sprinted to their seats inside AT& Stadium when doors opened before their playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.
They didn’t have to wait long to start going home.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and led Green Bay seven touchdown scoring drives with a near-perfect 157.2 passer rating in his first playoff game to dominate the Cowboys from start to finish with a 48-32 beatdown in Dallas on Sunday.
Running back Aaron Jones scored three rushing touchdowns, and safety Darnell Savage returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown before halftime to help the Packers dismantle the Cowboys.
The Packers advance to face the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend.
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But that’s a concern for next week.
Sunday’s game was a masterclass display by Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur and the Packers, one of the youngest teams in the NFL and the No. 7 seed entering the playoff mix this postseason. On the other side, the offseason is underway for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, coach Mike McCarthy and America’s Team despite winning the NFC East and entering the playoffs as the No. 2 seed.
The Cowboys fell behind 27-0 until scoring just before halftime. By the end of the third quarter, it was 41-16. They added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make it 48-32 with 3:25 left, but Dallas ran out of time.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed 41 of 60 passes for 403 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, while running back Tony Pollard added a score.
Love finished 16 of 21 for 272 yards, while Jones had 115 yards rushing, and Packers receiver Romeo Doubs led all players with 151 yards on six catches with a touchdown. — Safid Deen
WINNERS
Joe Barry
His defense (rightfully so) has been criticized for much of the season, but Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry deserves a ton of credit for completely unsettling Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. Barry alternated and disguised zone and man coverages during the first half, often forcing Prescott into a misread. When combined with modest pressure that hurried Prescott’s timing, the Packers intercepted Prescott twice and forced him into attempting 60 passes. Much of Dallas’ production came in the second half, when the blowout was already underway. But in the first half, Barry’s coverages on Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb were superb; Lamb recorded just two catches on seven targets for just 18 yards. One of the passes intended for Lamb, late in the second quarter, was intercepted by Darnell Savage Jr. and returned 64 yards for a touchdown.
Jaire Alexander
He was dealing with an ankle injury, but you never would’ve guessed. Alexander was the primary defender tasked to rein in All-Pro Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb. He was up to the task. Alexander was physical, especially at the line of scrimmage, to throw off the timing of the routes. And then, at the top of routes, he deftly placed his hands on opposing receivers to gain positioning and leverage. That was evident most clearly on his key first quarter interception that gave Green Bay excellent field position and helped set up an early 14-point lead.
LOSERS
Mike McCarthy
Another promising team, another inexplicable meltdown. And now, the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones must seriously consider a coaching change. Mike McCarthy’s postseason record dropped to 11-11 all-time, including a 1-3 mark with the Cowboys. It gets worse: Two of those losses were first-round exits at home, both with Dallas favored by at least a field goal.
McCarthy is continually outclassed in big games. He took over play-calling duties last offseason and the Cowboys came out of the locker room flat and sluggish. It wasn’t until Dallas was in a 27-point hole with two minutes left in the first half that McCarthy began calling a no-huddle offense. McCarthy also has been incapable of adjusting at halftime. Per ESPN, he now dropped to 2-22 since 2020 when the Cowboys have been trailing by at least 14 points. — Lorenzo Reyes
Since they are the No. 7 seed, the last team into the postseason, Green Bay already knows it will play the No. 1 seed San Francisco 49ers, who had the luxury of being a bye this week. The day and time of that game is unknown, but it will be either Saturday or Sunday, and it will be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
These are the kinds of embarrassments that can get a coach fired.
Especially when it happens for the Dallas Cowboys at Jerry World.
Visions of the franchise's first Super Bowl in 28 years went up in smoke at AT&T Stadium on Sunday as the Green Bay Packers trounced Dallas, 48-32, in a stunning NFC wild-card playoff opener.
The shocker snapped Dallas' home winning streak at 16 games and immediately fuels speculation that Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy's job is in jeopardy after a performance that was so thoroughly inept that it has to force franchise owner Jerry Jones to again assess whether to move forward with the status quo.
After a week of huge surprises on the NFL coaching landscape, is another big move coming?
Read Jarrett Bell's full column by clicking here.
“America’s Team” as Bill Belichick’s team?
Could you have imagined such a thought just a week ago? Can you really wrap your head around such a notion even now – despite what happened to the Dallas Cowboys in their 48-32 implosion against the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s wild-card game at AT&T Stadium?
Regardless, prepare yourself for a wave of supposition that’s going to be as unrelenting as the Arctic blast consuming the country.
Read Nate Davis' full column by clicking here.
Final
Time is running out for the Cowboys, but they finally made it a two-possession game with 3:25 to play.
Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb connected for a 47-yard gain. An unnecessary roughness penalty on the next play brought the Cowboys into the red zone. Then tight end Jake Ferguson hauled in his third touchdown of the game, and Prescott rushed in a two-point conversion to make it 48-32.
Dallas went 91 yards in 84 seconds. — Chris Bumbaca
Green Bay has installed key backups into the game, including backup QB Sean Clifford taking over at quarterback for Jordan Love, who went 16 of 21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns. — Safid Deen
Dak Prescott found tight end Jake Ferguson for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 5:54 left in the fourth quarter, and running back Rico Dowdle scored on the 2-point conversion to trim the deficit to 24 points. — Safid Deen
Pretty soon, you’ll be able to hear "Go Pack Go!" chants loud and clear throughout AT&T Stadium, aka "Jerry World."
With a short field, the Packers ran it six times in seven plays to reach the Dallas 3-yard line. On fourth down, Jordan Love rolled right and fired a frozen rope through the middle of the Cowboys defense to a wide-open Romeo Doubs (six catches, 151 yards). It was Love’s third touchdown pass of the game.
Green Bay led 48-16 with 10:23 left in the game.
The score tied the most points in Packers playoff history. They previously did it during the 2010 divisional round against the Atlanta Falcons. — Chris Bumbaca
The Cowboys turned the football over on downs at the end of the third quarter.
After the Packers went up 41-16, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys failed to respond on the ensuing drive.
On fourth-and-5 at their own 41-yard line, Prescott was under pressure and tossed an incomplete pass that was intended for wide receiver Jalen Tolbert.
The Packers took over possession of the football as the third period expired.
The Cowboys had scored points on three consecutive possessions during their comeback attempt. But the Cowboys’ turnover on downs might be their last-ditch effort at a comeback attempt. — Tyler Dragon
It only took three plays for the Packers to score yet again.
After Aaron Jones ran for 10 and then 27 yards, Green Bay had first-and-10. Jordan Love tossed the ball downfield and found tight end Luke Musgrave, who was wide open and easily scampered in for a 38-yard touchdown.
The Packers are up 41-16. — Victoria Hernandez
Make that three consecutive possessions the Cowboys have scored.
They’ll need at least two more – and some help from their defense. Dallas went 88 yards in 11 plays that took 3:35 off the clock and ended with a Tony Pollard 1-yard rushing touchdown. A two-point conversion was negated by Dallas penalties and Mike McCarthy sent the kicking unit out for the extra point.
Rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey missed the 43-yard extra point by doinking it off the right upright.
Green Bay leads 34-16 with 3:03 left in the third quarter. — Chris Bumbaca
Packers running back Aaron Jones hit the trifecta.
Jones found an opening and rushed between the tackles for a 9-yard touchdown to end Green Bay’s five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Jones’ TD extended the Packers’ advantage to 34-10 midway through the third quarter.
The Packers running back has 59 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the game thus far. His three rushing touchdowns matched a Green Bay single-game playoff high.
Jones’ touchdown gave him seven career postseason touchdowns, the most in franchise history.
Jordan Love's 46-yard pass to Romeo Doubs got the Packers into the red zone. Doubs has five catches for 148 yards to this point in the game.
— Tyler Dragon
The Cowboys started the second half on a better note than the first one and scored some points on their first drive after the break.
Brandon Aubrey kicked a 34-yard field goal to cap off a 60-yard drive.
Dak Prescott found CeeDee Lamb three times during the drive, including for 13 yards on the first play. The drive stalled when the quarterback was sacked and then threw two incomplete passes.
Green Bay is up 27-10. — Victoria Hernandez
Jimmy Johnson still has it.
The former Cowboys Super Bowl-winning coach was passionate and upset during the halftime show with Dallas trailing the Green Bay Packers 27-7.
"Well, first of all, I can’t say what I would say now on television, but I’ll just say this," Johnson said before his coaching rant.
It was so inspiring former New York Giants standout Michael Strahan got into a defensive end stance, and former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was ready to line up on offense.
"It’s embarrassing," Johnson shouted. — Safid Deen
Since the NFL postseason expanded to include seven teams from each conference, no No. 7 seed has upset the No. 2 seed.
The Packers are halfway there, and the first 30 minutes couldn’t have been more of a disaster by the Cowboys.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, both of which led to Packers touchdowns. The second pick was returned 64 yards to the house by Darnell Savage, and Green Bay led 27-0 inside of the two-minute warning. A touchdown from Prescott to tight end Jake Ferguson with no time left on the clock was the lone Cowboys’ score. They will start the second half with the ball.
Packers running back Aaron Jones punched in a pair of touchdowns, and quarterback Jordan Love (13-for-16, 185 passing yards) found Dontayvion Wicks while facing a zero blitz for a 20-yard touchdown that put the Packers up 20-0. Romeo Doubs already has a career high in receiving yards (102).
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Prescott have not been in sync. Lamb has two catches for 18 yards on seven targets, including a pair of drops. — Chris Bumbaca
The Cowboys had to score points to end the half, and they did.
Down 27-0, Dak Prescott put together his best drive of the first half. Prescott completed six passes, including a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 to tight end Jake Ferguson as the clock expired in the first half.
Ferguson’s touchdown – and the extra point by Brandon Aubrey – cut the Cowboys’ deficit to 27-7 as both teams retreated to their locker rooms at halftime.
Prescott’s touchdown came after the quarterback threw a pick-six on the previous possession. The Cowboys QB has 87 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in what’s been a rough first half for Dallas. — Tyler Dragon
Dak Prescott was looking for CeeDee Lamb on a slant route. The ball never arrived.
The pass ended up going 64 yards the other way for the Packers, as Darnell Savage read Prescott’s eyes, jumped the route and had nothing but turf in front of him.
Green Bay leads 27-0 with 1:50 left in the half. It has been a disastrous 28 minutes for the home team, with Prescott throwing two interceptions and the defense not being able to stop Packers QB Jordan Love. — Chris Bumbaca
The Packers have stormed out to a 20-0 lead in the first half.
Jordan Love led the Packers on a 10-play, 93-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by Love’s 20-yard touchdown strike to Dontayvion Wicks with 3:23 remaining in the second quarter. The Packers missed the ensuing extra point try.
The missed extra point is just about all that’s gone bad for Green Bay thus far in the first half. The Packers have scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions.
Love already has 185 passing yards and a touchdown. Aaron Jones’ scored two rushing touchdowns and Romeo Doubs has four catches for 102 receiving yards. — Tyler Dragon
The frustration is mounting in Dallas.
The Cowboys' next drive after falling behind 14-0 ended in a punt after nine plays and 44 yards.
While the Cowboys crossed midfield after Dak Prescott’s 22-yard pass to tight end Jake Ferguson, Dallas went backward on three of its last four plays before punting.
The drive effectively ended when Prescott scrambled, but was sacked by Packers defensive back Keisean Nixon. —Safid Deen
After his second touchdown of the game, Aaron Jones needed a tailor.
Jones punched in another short-yardage TD to give the Packers a two-possession lead following the Jaire Alexander interception. A holding call backed up the Packers in its goal-to-go situation, but a completion from Jordan Love to Romeo Doubs brought them back to the doorstep.
The Packers lead 14-0 45 seconds into the second quarter. On the sideline, Packers staffers worked to stitch up Jones’ ripped jersey on the right shoulder pad.
Jones has 370 rushing yards and six touchdowns in three career regular-season games against the Cowboys. Jones’ six rushing touchdowns are the second-most he’s scored against any NFL team in the regular season. — Chris Bumbaca & Tyler Dragon
The Cowboys’ second drive ended with disappointment.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott was intercepted by Green Bay cornerback Jaire Alexander on a pass intended for receiver Brandin Cooks. While Alexander made a diving catch and got up to run toward the end zone, he was ultimately ruled down by contact.
Still, the Packers secured the game’s first turnover and are in prime position for another score as the first quarter ends. — Safid Deen
The Cowboys' head coach has an all-time record of 11-10 in the postseason. That includes 1-2 with Dallas and 10-8 in 13 seasons with Green Bay, where he won Super Bowl 45 against the Steelers.
Dallas finished the regular season tied with the Cleveland Browns for second in the NFL in penalties called against.
The first 12 minutes of the postseason hasn’t made much of a difference. League interception leader DaRon Bland was whistled for an illegal contact penalty on a second down play during which the Cowboys sacked Packers QB Jordan Love.
Later in the drive, with Green Bay facing a third-and-5 from the Dallas 6-yard line, edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence jumped before the snap and committed a neutral zone infraction. Aaron Jones scored his touchdown on the next play.
Following the Cowboys’ first drive, Sam Williams ran into Packers punt returner Jayden Reed, who signaled for a fair catch and certainly sold the amount of contact from Williams. Nonetheless, the officials threw a flag and the Packers had an extra 15 yards, moving the ball from their own 9-yard line to the 24. — Chris Bumbaca
The Cowboys were unable to answer the Packers' opening drive touchdown.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys picked up one first down on their opening drive. However, on third-and-8 from the Packers’ 49-yard line, Prescott’s pass to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell incomplete. The Cowboys were forced to punt the football away.
The Cowboys were called for fair catch interference on the punt. — Tyler Dragon
The Packers took an aggressive approach to begin their NFC wild-card game against the Cowboys. After winning the coin toss, Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur chose to take the ball, rather than deferring the option until the second half.
With the aid of an illegal contact penalty on the Cowboys that wiped out a sack of QB Jordan Love, the Packers drove 75 yards in 12 plays to put the first points on the scoreboard.
Aaron Jones carried seven times for 25 yards on the drive, taking it the final three yards for a touchdown.
Love completed all four of his pass attempts for 42 yards. — Steve Gardner
Green Bay won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. That means Dallas will get the ball to start the second half.
The Packers vs. Cowboys wild-card playoff game is set to kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET. The game will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The Packers-Cowboys playoff game can be seen on FOX. Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play) and Greg Olsen (analyst) will be on the call, with Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi providing updates from the sideline. The game will be streamed via FOX Sports and is also available to stream for free on Fubo.
The Cowboys are favorites to defeat the Packers, according to BetMGM NFL odds.
USA TODAY Sports' staff picks for the game:
The Cowboys are 7-point favorites to defeat the Packers, according to BetMGM NFL odds.
The over-under is 51, according to BetMGM.
When the Cowboys host the Packers on Sunday, it will mark the ninth time that the two teams have met in the NFL playoffs. The two teams have had some epic postseason encounters.
Read Jim Reineking's rankings of the two teams' epic postseason encounters.
Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons showed up at AT&T Stadium wearing a white Bobby Boucher jersey, paying homage to the fictional Adam Sandler character from "Waterboy."
Dallas is 36-30 all-time in the NFL playoffs. The Cowboys have played in eight Super Bowls, going 5-3. They last went to the Super Bowl after the 1994 season, beating the Steelers for their fifth Super Bowl championship. That was also the last time they advanced out of the divisional round of the playoffs.
Green Bay is 36-25 all-time in the NFL playoffs. The Packers have played in eight Super Bowl, winning six. They last went to the Super Bowl after the 2009 season, beating the Steelers for their sixth Super Bowl championship. They've been to the NFC championship game four times since then, most recently during the 2019 season when they lost to the Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
QB Dak Prescott, G Zack Martin, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, CB Stephon Gilmore, K Brandon Aubrey and P Bryan Anger will be the Cowboys captains Sunday against the Packers, and for the entirety of the postseason.
The two historic franchises have played against each other 30 times, with the Packers holding a 17-13 advantage. The last time they played in the regular season was Nov. 13, 2022 when the Packers won 31-28 in overtime.
The Cowboys and Packers have played another eight times in the postseason, with each time winning four times. The last time they met in the playoffs was Jan. 15, 2017 in the divisional round, when Mason Crosby made a 51-yard field goal as time expires to lift the Packers to a 34-31 win.
Offense
Defense
Offense
Defense
CB Keisean Nixon, LB Rashan Gary and RB Aaron Jones are Green Bay's captains for its wild-card game against Dallas.
Dallas will wear its white jerseys with blue stripes on the sleeves, and silver pants with blue and white stripes on the side.
Green Bay will be wearing its green jerseys with gold and white stripes on the sleeves, along with gold pants with green and white stripes on the side.
American gymnast and Olympic legend Simone Biles is at AT&T Stadium to cheer on her husband, Packers starting safety Jonathan Owens.
Biles showed up in a black leather jacket, black pants and tall black boots with green, yellow and white accents.
Biles and Owens dated for two years before getting engaged in 2022. They wed in April 2023.
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