Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers Prediction: Can Aaron Jones, Packers Stun Cowboys in NFC Wild Card?
Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers Prediction: Can Aaron Jones, Packers Stun Cowboys in NFC Wild Card?
The Green Bay Packers mustered up a three-game win streak at the end of their season to finish 9–8 and get a spot in the wildcard round of the 2024 playoffs. For their efforts, they get to travel on the road to Dallas to take on the Cowboys, who surged over their last two games to finish in first place in the NFC East over the Eagles. With the Cowboys having Super Bowl expectations all season, they enter this game as hefty 7-point favorites to beat the Green Bay Packers. Can Dak overcome his playoff curse and get it done for the Cowboys today?
Packers vs. Cowboys Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date:Â January 14, 2024
- Game Time:Â 4:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch:Â FOX
Packers vs. Cowboys Odds
- Spread: Packers +7 (-110), Cowboys -7 (-110)
- Total Odds: O/U 50.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds:Â Packers (+260), Cowboys (-325)
Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers Prediction
The Green Bay Packers have done an exceptional job this season behind a lot of young players, including their starting quarterback, Jordan Love. He is not a rookie, but had his first season as the sole starting quarterback after Aaron Rodgers took off to New York. Love wasted no time putting up significant stats in his first season as the starter. He finished the regular season with 4,159 passing yards (7th), 32 touchdowns (2nd), and a 62.2 average quarterback rating (9th). A lot of people were skeptical about Jordan Love coming into the season, including me, but he passed the test by finishing 6-2 over the last eight games of the season to give Green Bay a spot in the playoffs, after many thought their postseason hopes were dead after a 2–5 start to the season.
Aside from quarterback play behind Jordan Love, Aaron Jones has been exceptional in his role down the later stretch of the season. After battling injuries early on in the season, Aaron Jones has exploded over the last three games, topping 111+ rushing yards in each of the last three games of the season. Aaron Jones and Jordan Love are peaking at the right time this season and will be integral to the Packers upsetting the Cowboys today. Dak Prescott addressed controversy this off-season after struggling with interceptions last year, and not finishing the season on the note the Cowboys wanted. This year, he has thrown just nine interceptions, which sounds very high, but three of them came in one game. He has just six interceptions in the other 16 games this season. Dak Prescott finished the season with 4,516 passing yards (3rd), 36 passing touchdowns (1st), and a 72.5 average quarterback rating (2nd).
It wasn’t just the offense that was good for the Cowboys. DeMarcus Lawrence had a monster year on the edge. Second-year cornerback DaRon Bland had a massive year, setting the NFL record with five pick-sixes himself this season. Overall, Bland finished with nine interceptions, which was the most in the NFL. This Cowboys defense is balanced and deep at almost every position, and they were exceptional at home. The Cowboys as a whole played their best football at home, as they finished 8-0 on their home turf.
The X-factor in this game for me is Jordan love. Since Week 10, the top players in average quarterback rating have been Dak Prescott and Jordan Love. However, everyone knows the struggles that Dak Prescott has had in the playoffs. He is 1-5 against the spread all time in his playoff career. He also has had a problem with turnovers, not only in the regular season, but also in his playoffs career. If Love can find leaky spots in this Dallas defense, the Green Bay defense may be able to force a mistake or two out of Dak Prescott and turn this game on its head. Much has been said about the Cowboys' dominance at home this season, so they are getting a lot of love from the public and from the books with this large touchdown spread. However, Jordan love, Aaron Jones, and the rest of this Packers team are playing their best football that we have seen from this unit over the last few weeks. For that reason, I will back this Green Bay team to go into AT&T Stadium and do the unthinkable and upset the Cowboys today.
Pick: Green Bay Packers +7 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.