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The time of year when you are ultimately judged in the NFL is playoff time.
For the Dallas Cowboys, anything short of an appearance in the NFC Championship Game this season would be a failure.
That’s a game this franchise hasn’t been a part of since the 1995 season, the last time they won the Super Bowl.
On that occasion they beat the Green Bay Packers for the conference title, getting the better of Brett Favre and company 38-27.
For multiple reasons, being the #2 seed in the NFC should give Dallas an excellent chance to get back to the conference championship.
Home Sweet Home
Nothing is ever a sure thing in the playoffs, but there’s reason to be optimistic in Cowboys Country.
Firstly, they won’t play away from home until the NFC Championship Game if they get there, and there’s a chance that could take place at AT&T Stadium.
That all hinges on how the San Francisco 49ers fare in the Divisional Round.
Dallas is unbeaten at home since the opening game of the 2022 campaign (19-3 loss to the Buccaneers).
In their 2023 regular-season home contests, the Cowboys scored nearly 300 points (299), averaging 37.4 points per game in eight outings.
Defensively, they only conceded 127 points at home, giving them a points differential of +172.
Of Dak Prescott‘s league-leading 36 touchdown passes this season, over half were at home (22), while tossing just three interceptions over that stretch.
Brandon Aubrey, meanwhile, has yet to miss a field goal under the retractable roof in Arlington.
Role Reversal
You never want to look too far ahead when you get to the postseason, but there’s plenty to like about the Cowboys’ chances.
On Sunday, they host a young Green Bay Packers team, including Jordan Love, starting in his first postseason affair.
The last time the Packers and Cowboys locked horns in the playoffs, it was the opposite as rookie Dak Prescott took on veteran Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field with the Packers winning 34-31.
While Matt LaFleur has guided Green Bay to two NFC Championship appearances in the past, he’s never won a postseason outing away from home.
Love threw the second-most TD passes in 2023 (32) behind Prescott, but he’s only been a spectator in the postseason.
Prescott’s been in the trenches for these big games.
In CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys have arguably the best receiver in the NFL this season, but the Cheesheads don’t have anyone in that category.
Jayden Reed led them with 793 yards through the air.
Mike McCarthy knows the Packers like the back of his hand, guiding them to a Super Bowl victory in the 2010 season, and though this team’s completely different, his experience could be of value.
What’s next if Cowboys beat Packers
If the Cowboys can knock off Green Bay, they could face the Detroit Lions next.
The Lions are Dallas’ biggest competition in their quest to get to the NFC Championship Game.
Dan Campbell, though, is coaching in the playoffs for the first time, and for many of his players, it will be their first experience in this pressure cooker.
If the Rams beat the Lions, Dallas plays Philly or Tampa.
The Bucs are 1-5 against playoff teams in 2023, while the Eagles are reeling, going 1-5 in their last six games.
Nothing is set in stone, but this is probably Dallas’ best chance at returning to the NFC Championship Game, a probable showdown against the San Francisco 49ers.