AlwaysWrite
Addicted Member
But for one player's ineptitude, it could well be the Dallas Cowboys -- rather than the Green Bay Packers -- advancing to Sunday's NFC title game.
Green Bay is certainly well deserving of its advancement, and the Packers made some key clutch plays when it mattered most, but even though they were eliminated from Super Bowl contention, the Cowboys played at a championship level -- except for important mistakes by one player.
Dallas certainly got first-class performances from key players, including: quarterback Dak Prescott, who passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns, while posting a better quarterback rating (103.2 to 96.7) than Aaron Rodgers; Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for 125 yards in 22 carries; and Dez Bryant, who caught nine passes (two for touchdowns) for 132 yards. And the Cowboys accumulated more total yardage (429-414) than the Packers.
But then, there was Dallas receiver Brice Butler, whose "unsportsmanlike" action put an abrupt halt to Cowboys' momentum after the Packers had taken a 7-3 lead midway through the opening period. And a crippling penalty against Butler produced a massive shift in field position and helped provide impetus for Green Bay to move to a 21-3 advantage.
After Green Bay's first TD, the Cowboys launched a quick, effective drive, but Butler's penalty erased a completed pass into the red zone and moved the Cowboys back into their own territory. The rarely called 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty came when Butler went into the offensive huddle and then left the field without participating in the play. So instead of a golden scoring opportunity, the Cowboys were forced to punt, and momentum immediately shifted to the Packers.
In addition to that huge infraction, Butler contributed nothing to the Dallas offense. He was targeted on three pass attempts by Prescott, and he dropped all three, including a would-be touchdown in the end zone.
Dallas was also plagued by several other key penalties, and they also had major problems with regard to player substitutions and clock management that forced the team to waste all three of its timeouts, so the Cowboys were helpless to stop the clock after intercepting a Rodgers pass with plenty of time to mount a potential scoring drive had they not been out of timeouts.
The Packers had many players who contributed to their victory, but they also got a big "contribution" from Dallas receiver Brice Butler.
Green Bay is certainly well deserving of its advancement, and the Packers made some key clutch plays when it mattered most, but even though they were eliminated from Super Bowl contention, the Cowboys played at a championship level -- except for important mistakes by one player.
Dallas certainly got first-class performances from key players, including: quarterback Dak Prescott, who passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns, while posting a better quarterback rating (103.2 to 96.7) than Aaron Rodgers; Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for 125 yards in 22 carries; and Dez Bryant, who caught nine passes (two for touchdowns) for 132 yards. And the Cowboys accumulated more total yardage (429-414) than the Packers.
But then, there was Dallas receiver Brice Butler, whose "unsportsmanlike" action put an abrupt halt to Cowboys' momentum after the Packers had taken a 7-3 lead midway through the opening period. And a crippling penalty against Butler produced a massive shift in field position and helped provide impetus for Green Bay to move to a 21-3 advantage.
After Green Bay's first TD, the Cowboys launched a quick, effective drive, but Butler's penalty erased a completed pass into the red zone and moved the Cowboys back into their own territory. The rarely called 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty came when Butler went into the offensive huddle and then left the field without participating in the play. So instead of a golden scoring opportunity, the Cowboys were forced to punt, and momentum immediately shifted to the Packers.
In addition to that huge infraction, Butler contributed nothing to the Dallas offense. He was targeted on three pass attempts by Prescott, and he dropped all three, including a would-be touchdown in the end zone.
Dallas was also plagued by several other key penalties, and they also had major problems with regard to player substitutions and clock management that forced the team to waste all three of its timeouts, so the Cowboys were helpless to stop the clock after intercepting a Rodgers pass with plenty of time to mount a potential scoring drive had they not been out of timeouts.
The Packers had many players who contributed to their victory, but they also got a big "contribution" from Dallas receiver Brice Butler.
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