Tag: 2023 wild card

What went wrong in Cowboys’ wild card loss to the Packers

The Dallas Cowboys fell victim to their own history in their embarrassing wild card loss to the Green Bay Packers. | From @BenGrimaldi

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, the Dallas Cowboys came up short in the playoffs. And not just a little short either, this wasn’t losing by a few inches, this was all the way short.

As good as Mike McCarthy’s team was in 2023, and as much fun as the regular season was, it all went wrong in their wild card loss to the Green Bay Packers. If you’re counting – who are we kidding, everyone is – that’s 28 straight years without an NFC championship appearance for a franchise that prides itself on Super Bowl success. That’s where the Cowboys are now, the bar has been lowered from 28 years removed from the Super Bowl to 28 years since making an NFC title game.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. For the third consecutive season, the Cowboys got embarrassed in the postseason, leaving questions to where Jerry Jones goes from here. At 81-years old, time isn’t on Jones’ side to win another Super Bowl, which means he needs to make some quick decisions.

First, Jones needs answers. He needs to find out what went wrong with his Cowboys in the wild card loss to the Packers.

Cowboys News: ‘Dak Prescott trade’ thought exercise, and is McCarthy safe?

Early onset of the offseason means questions about McCarthy, a look at who wants Quinn and wondering what kind of compensation could come in a Prescott trade. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Reacting as if the sky is falling is a popular move once a team with high hopes has a season end abruptly as it did for the Cowboys on wildcard weekend. Once doubt starts to creep in, thoughts you may not have had a few days ago could make you wonder about the future of your favorite football team. Like most pain, time will heal the wound but the memory won’t be forgotten. After taking time to allow you to collect your thoughts and gather the most pertinent information, questions can start to be asked. A popular inquiry would be the immediate status of head coach Mike McCarthy. Some may even question if a move at quarterback may be warranted.

While many may have had the questions above cross their mind, rational thinking allows you to double-check if saying those things out loud, or on Twitter, is a good idea. What is a good idea is getting to know the available players in this year’s NFL draft as well as where Dallas will be picking. Speaking of picking, multiple teams without head coaches sure seem to like Dallas defensive coach Dan Quinn. Will someone pick him in the coming days? Lastly, as the season comes to a close with exit interviews and parting words among teammates, how many people are expected back in Dallas? All that and more in the latest edition of Cowboys News and notes.

Twitter reacts to Cowboys crapping the bed, Michael Irvin calls for heads to roll

The Cowboys’ lackluster performance has led to a mixture of frustration and solution suggestions on social media.

The Dallas Cowboys are in offseason mode much quicker than anyone would’ve imagined. The club was in beatdown mode from the opening whistle, and never recovered as the Green Bay Packers walloped them, 48-32.

The game was hardly that close. A third-straight 12-win season led to a third-straight playoff loss to Kyle Shanahan and his expansive coaching tree, this time it was Matt LaFluer and young QB Jordan Love doing the most damage. Dan Quinn’s defense was exposed once again and Mike McCarthy’s offense played tight in another big contest. As such, the Twitter streets erupted with disappointment and frustration.

Why this loss might be it for Mike McCarthy as Cowboys head coach

Our @ReidDHanson checks in with a sobering evaluation of what McCarthy has brought to the table, and whether it’s enough to invite him back for Year 5.

Three consecutive 12-win seasons. That was the reflexive response when the job security of Mike McCarthy was publicly questioned this past week. In today’s up-and-down NFL, the Cowboys have been the epitome of consistency during the McCarthy era. Aside from Dak Prescott’s missing season, the Cowboys have been perennial contenders; Something they hadn’t been since the Super Bowl teams of the 1990s.

Yet McCarthy’s limited postseason success as the Cowboys head coach has kept the topic alive and his seat uncomfortably hot. McCarthy’s Cowboys have now gone 1-3 in postseason games as a 12-win team following Sunday’s 48-32 debacle. They’ve been upset, bullied and embarrassed. Aside from one big win over an 8-9 Buccaneers team in 2022, Dallas has consistently disappointed in the postseason. Hence the hot seat.

Lone Star Stunner: Packers demolish Cowboys, season ends in dud performance

The Cowboys didn’t just lay an egg, it cracked when it hit the ground and got smeared all over the faces of anyone who believed.

The Dallas Cowboys had everything in front of them this postseason, but once again they were unable to get out of their own way. Owning the No. 2 seed as NFC East champions, the club was guaranteed at least two home playoff games at AT&T Stadium, where they had won 16 consecutive contests. All they had to do was dispatch the 9-8 Green Bay Packers, who had to win three straight games to end the year just to qualify for the dance.

They couldn’t.

Neither Dan Quinn’s defense nor Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott’s offense resembled anything they had put forth all season long, and the team got trampled in an embarrassing blowout loss to end their season, 48-32.

The 48 points was the most Dallas has ever given up in a playoff game, and the writing was on the wall from the opening kickoff. The Packers are the first No. 7 seed to win a playoff game ever.

A questionable game plan to move away from man coverage was augmented by badly timed penalties on the opening drive of the defense. Jordan Love marched the Packers down the field, allowing Aaron Jones a short touchdown for the early 7-0 lead.

From there, it was all downhill. A far-too-common deer-in-headlights offense was met by timid playcalling and before anyone knew it, Dak Prescott had thrown his second interception, a Pick-6 that made it 27-0 in the second quarter.

Prescott was objectively horrible in the first half, missing targets and making questionable decisions. By the time they got into any sort of rhythm, the game was on miracle-comeback status.

And that never got off the ground because Dan Quinn’s defense couldn’t stop a sneeze.

Dallas won 12 games for the third consecutive season, a first since the glory days of the 1990s, but after such a demoralizing, lethargic performance, there are going to be major questions about the future of the coaching staff and the direction of the team.

Cowboys Twitter prepares for the wild-card game vs Packers

Bobby Boucher for Micah? Ice Cold for CeeDee? Fans in their jerseys and all the prep for Sunday’s action.

There isn’t much left to do but don the jerseys and get things going. No, not for the players on the field; they are already locked in. No, Cowboys Twitter is prepared for another wild-card contest, this time against the Green Bay Packers.

America’s Team is hopeful that after 26 years, the curse is lifted thanks to Jimmy Johnson being added to the team’s Ring of Honor at AT&T Stadium. The first step in getting Lombardi No. 6 would be winning against the Packers on Sunday, and the fans are putting on their favorite jerseys and getting ready for the game. Whether at home or in person, everyone is locked in. Check out some of their posts below.

Wild-card Inactives: Cowboys’ Trey Lance not up, Packers’ Alexander and Watson to play

The Cowboys and Packers are near full strength for the wild card matchup as key corners are active and AJ Dillon is out for Green Bay. | From @CDBurnett7

It’s all hands on deck for the wild-card round. The Dallas Cowboys have been battling an illness as a team for the last month. On Saturday, backup quarterback Cooper Rush became the latest to be impacted, being a late addition to the injury report. He’s apparently recovered well enough to be active as Dak Prescott’s backup. Trey Lance will be inactive as the emergency third quarterback yet again.

As for their opponents, the Green Bay Packers are without running back A.J. Dillon. Wide receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) and cornerback Jaire Alexander (anle)are both active after being game-time decisions and listed as questionable this week. Cowboys-Packers kicks off at 3:30 p.m., and here’s the full list of inactives ahead of kickoff.

How to watch, stream Cowboys-Packers wild-card round, plus top prop bets

Here’s how to catch the action, in more ways than one, when the Cowboys take on the Packers in the wild-card round.

It’s finally gameday and the Dallas Cowboys are on their way. The 2023 playoffs started off with both home teams securing easy victories on Saturday, and Mike McCarthy’s troops will look to continue the trend in the first game on Sunday.

The first game, now, after the Steeler-Bills kickoff was moved from Sunday at noon to Monday afternoon thanks to the wintry weather in Buffalo. Things will be cold in Dallas, but playing indoors at home where the team has won 16 straight games will protect the Cowboys from inclement weather and hopefully give them an advantage. Here’s a look at all of the game info, how to watch, stream and listen and a couple prop bets for those inclined.

Cowboys 55-man roster for wild-card round: Elevations add needed depth at LB

The Cowboys begin their playoff journey with a roster slightly tilted towards defensive depth after two wild-card call-ups. | From @KDDrummondNFL

One of the biggest discussions over the last month of the regular season was the Dallas Cowboys’ plan at the off-ball linebacker position. Entering training camp, the plan was clear. Dallas had found a gem in third-round pick DeMarion Overshown and planned to pair him with Leighton Vander Esch as the starting duo. Behind them, second-year man Damone Clark would be the fill-in, and depth behind them could easily be managed.

By December, only Clark remained and he was being pair with converted safety Markquese Bell. The club has brought in and let go former first-round pick Rashaan Evans, and used a rotation of practice squad call-ups to help with the depth. That’s the angle the team is taking entering their home playoff game against Green Bay, using both of their call-ups on the position.

Dallas has activated both Malik Jefferson and Buddy Johnson, eschewing help from late practice squad signing Damien Wilson and offensive lineman La’el Collins.

Here’s a look at the 55-man roster for the contest.

Quarterbacks (3)
Running Backs (3)
Wideouts (6)
Tight Ends (3)
Offensive Tackles (5)
Offensive Guards (3)
Centers (2)

Defensive Ends (5)
Defensive Tackles (5)
Linebacker (5)
Cornerbacks (6)
Safeties (6)

Special Teams (3)

Michigan, South Carolina, Mississippi St. have most alums in Cowboys-Packers matchup

How well represented is your favorite school or university in Sunday’s showdown between the Cowboys and Packers? | From @KDDrummondNFL

With college football crowning their champion earlier in the week, fans of the professional amateurs will have a huge void to fill in their lives now. It’s been over a month since Saturday action was a regular occurrence in their lives, but there’s now a finality of the season seeing the Michigan Wolverines earn the title.

But that doesn’t mean fans have to curtail their rooting interests until September. No, alumni are still represented when the NFL takes the field, as they will for the next five weeks with the playoff tournament leading to the Super Bowl. Fans of college teams track their players into the pro ranks, so it’s a fun exercise to see which schools are most represented.

For the wild-card matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, a whopping 28 schools have at least two representatives on a roster.

Including players who have been placed on IR throughout the year, the two clubs have 140 participants. 86 different schools are represented by those players, some of which attended junior colleges and others who transferred.

Admittedly, this list is going to contain a few errors and omissions. Pro Football Reference is the best resource for this list, but even they have some misses.

For instance, they didn’t list Butler CC among Michael Gallup’s schools, but he was there for two years before transferring to Colorado State. Butler’s own website didn’t even list Dallas CB Eric Scott.

Schools and alums, please forgive any errors.