2016 NFC Divisional playoff game (Green Bay–Dallas)
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.jpg) AT&T Stadium, the site of the game. | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 15, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Cowboys by 5[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Tony Corrente | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 93,396 | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Fox | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers | ||||||||||||||||||
On January 15, 2017, the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys and the fourth-seeded Green Bay Packers played an NFC Divisional Playoff game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game is best remembered for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing a game-winning 36-yard pass to tight end Jared Cook on third-and-20, which led to kicker Mason Crosby kicking a game-winning 51-yard field goal to send the Packers into the NFC Championship game to take on the second-seeded Atlanta Falcons. The game-winning play was known as Rodgers to Cook, 3rd and 20, and Half Mary.[2]
Background[edit]
This game was a rematch of the Week 6 game in the season, in which the Cowboys defeated the Packers, 30-16, at Lambeau Field in the season.[3] The top-seeded Cowboys were coming off a first-round bye, while the fourth-seeded Packers were coming off a 38-13 victory against the New York Giants in the Wild Card. This was the seventh postseason meeting between the Cowboys and Packers, with Green Bay winning the previous matchup in 2014, which became known as the Dez Caught It game. This game was the first playoff game for quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. Unlike the Week 6 matchup, the Packers were expected to give the Cowboys difficulties as they gained momentum throughout the season after starting the year 4-6.[4]
Game summary[edit]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 10 | 0 | 18 | 31 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
| Game information | ||
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First half[edit]
Dallas took the opening kickoff and drove 43 yards in 8 plays, scoring on Dan Bailey's 50-yard field goal to take a 3–0 lead. Green Bay appeared to go three-and-out when Aaron Rodgers threw an incompletion on 3rd down, but a defensive holding penalty on Benson Mayowa gave them a first down. Taking advantage of their second chance, Ty Montgomery rushed for 15 yards and Randall Cobb caught a pass for 16 yards before Aaron Rodgers finished the drive with a 34-yard touchdown pass to tight end Richard Rodgers II. The next time Green Bay got the ball, they scored again, driving 90 yards in 13 plays, including a 32-yard completion from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams. On the third play of the second quarter, Montgomery finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, making the score 14–3.[5]
Following a punt, Aaron Rodgers led the Packers back for more points, completing 6 of 7 passes for 59 yards, the longest a 26-yard completion to Geronimo Allison. Fullback Aaron Ripkowski also made a big impact with a 20-yard run, while Montgomery finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the team a 21–3 lead.[5] After being dominated until now, Dallas scored 10 points before halftime. On their ensuing drive, Dak Prescott made two key completions to receiver Dez Bryant, the first for 21 yards and the second a 40-yard touchdown pass that cut their deficit to 21–10. On the kickoff, Packers returner Christine Michael muffed the kick and was downed on the 6-yard line, leading to a three-and-out that gave Dallas good field position when Cole Beasley returned the punt 8 yards to his own 49-yard line. Dallas then drove 36 yards in 10 plays, including an 18-yard catch by Beasley on 3rd-and-4, to score on Bailey's 33-yard field goal, cutting the score to 21–13 going into halftime.
Second half[edit]
Green Bay took the second half kickoff and scored quickly, with Aaron Rodgers hitting Cobb for 25 yards, Adams for 14 yards and Cook for 26 yards, before finishing the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Cook. Dallas responded with a drive to the Packers' 19-yard line, only to lose the ball when safety Micah Hyde intercepted Prescott's screen pass and returned it 18 yards to the Green Bay 39-yard line.[6] Dallas' defense took the ball back with an interception by safety Jeff Heath, who returned the ball 27 yards to the Cowboys' 41-yard line.[7] From there, Prescott completed 5 passes for 69 yards, the last a six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jason Witten, making the score 28–20 with 11:39 remaining.[8] After a Green Bay punt, Dallas drove 80 yards in 11 plays; the key player of the drive was rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed five times for 34 yards. Bryant also played a major role, catching three passes for 24 yards, the last a 7-yard touchdown catch. Prescott scored the subsequent two-point conversion with a quarterback draw and the game was tied at 28–28.[9] Green Bay got the ball back with 4:08 left and drove to a first down on the Cowboys' 35-yard line. A big play on the drive was a pass interference penalty against Anthony Brown that eliminated an interception.[7] Two runs by Montgomery resulted in a net loss of 3 yards and an incompletion subsequently forced Crosby to try a franchise record 56-yard field goal with 1:38 left. Crosby's kick was good, the third longest in NFL postseason history, and the Packers took a 31–28 lead. Following a touchback on the kickoff, Prescott's completions to Terrance Williams, Witten and Beasley for gains of 24, 11 and 7 yards respectively got the team close enough for Bailey to make a 52-yard field goal, tying the game back up at 31–31 with 40 seconds remaining.
Following a touchback, Aaron Rodgers completed a 17-yard pass to Montgomery, but was then sacked for a 10-yard loss by Heath. On the Heath sack, Rodgers hanged on to the ball despite being a blindside sack which would have forced a fumble.[7] On 2nd-and-20, Rodgers threw an incomplete pass toward Cook on the right side.
The play[edit]
Facing a 3rd-and-20, with 12 seconds left on the clock and one timeout remaining, Aaron Rodgers took the snap, rolled left and launched a 35-yard pass to Jared Cook, who caught the ball while just barely keeping his feet in bounds along the left sideline.[10] One referee initially ruled him out before another overturned him and called it a catch. After a booth review, the catch was upheld, giving Green Bay the ball at the Dallas 33-yard line with 3 seconds left. After being "iced" by the Cowboys on his initial kick,[11] Crosby successfully kicked again from 51 yards, giving Green Bay a 34–31 win.[12]
Aftermath[edit]
The Packers went on to lose the NFC Championship game, 44-21, against the second-seeded Atlanta Falcons.
See also[edit]
- 2014 NFC Divisional playoff game (Dallas–Green Bay), also known as the Dez Caught It game
- Cowboys–Packers rivalry
References[edit]
- ↑ "NFL Divisional Playoffs, NFL Odds: Las Vegas NFL football odds from divisional playoff games. Pro football betting odds". web.archive.org. May 31, 2017.
- ↑ "Rodgers to Cook, call it a "Half Mary" in Packers win". January 16, 2017.
- ↑ Adams, Jonathan (January 8, 2017). "Packers vs. Cowboys: Playoff Date, Time & TV Channel".
- ↑ "Cowboys, Prescott face acid test against Packers in NFL action". RFI. January 13, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Reid, Jason (January 19, 2017). "Green Bay's Ty Montgomery has no time to look back — the NFC title game lies ahead".
- ↑ Klemko, Robert. "Packers-Cowboys: What Micah Hyde's Pick Shows". Sports Illustrated.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Dallas Cowboys should find a bigger role for Jeff Heath". FOX Sports.
- ↑ George, Brandon (January 15, 2017). "Cowboys TE Jason Witten knows 'there's a shelf life for everybody,' but plans to return next season". The Dallas Morning News. Arlington, Texas: A. H. Belo Corporation. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
- ↑ Jones, Lindsay (January 15, 2017). "Dak Prescott shines, but playoff debut spoiled by Aaron Rodgers, Packers". USA Today. Arlington, Texas: Gannett Company. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
- ↑ Jones, Lindsay (January 15, 2017). "Packers TE Jared Cook on catch: 'I knew it was good'". USA Today. Arlington, Texas: Gannett Company. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ↑ Wood, Ryan (January 15, 2017). "Crosby has 'ice in his veins' on winning kick". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Arlington, Texas: Gannett Company. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- ↑ Wood, Ryan (January 15, 2017). "Crosby kicks Packers past Cowboys in thriller". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Arlington, Texas: Gannett Company. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
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