The air was different that night in Arlington. People talk about the "energy" in a stadium like it's some mystical thing, but at AT&T Stadium on January 14, 2024, the air felt heavy. Brittle. The Dallas Cowboys were the No. 2 seed. They hadn't lost at home in ages—16 straight games, to be exact. Then the Green Bay Packers walked in with a first-year starter named Jordan Love and basically set the building on fire.
It wasn't just a loss. It was an interrogation of the entire Cowboys identity.
If you're a Dallas fan, you've probably tried to scrub the 48-32 final score from your brain. You can't. It’s the most points the franchise has ever given up in a playoff game. Ever. And honestly, it wasn't even as close as that score looks on paper.
The Jordan Love Masterclass Nobody Saw Coming
Most experts—and definitely the betting lines—had Dallas winning comfortably. Jordan Love had other plans. In his postseason debut, he didn't just play well; he played perfectly. He finished with a 157.2 passer rating. That's nearly the highest a human being can mathematically achieve.
He looked like a veteran. Calm. Efficient.
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Love went 16-of-21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He didn't turn the ball over. He didn't even get sacked. While Dak Prescott was under siege, Love was back there picking apart a Dan Quinn defense that people thought was elite. It was a cold, clinical dismantling.
Then there was Aaron Jones. The man has a weird, almost personal vendetta against the Cowboys. He grew up in El Paso, idolizing Emmitt Smith, yet he treats the Cowboys' defensive line like a revolving door every time they meet. Three touchdowns. 118 yards. He ran with a sort of violent grace that the Dallas linebackers just couldn't solve.
Why the Dallas and Green Bay Game Broke the Internet
It’s the "how" that matters. Most people expected a shootout, but nobody expected a 27-0 lead for Green Bay before halftime. When Darnell Savage stepped in front of a Dak Prescott pass and took it 64 yards for a pick-six, the stadium went silent. Not "disappointed" silent. We're talking "existential crisis" silent.
You could see the shock on Jerry Jones' face in the owner's box.
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Dallas tried to make it a game late. Jake Ferguson caught three touchdowns. Dak threw for over 400 yards. But it was "junk food" yardage. The game was over by the third quarter. The Packers were essentially playing prevent defense and subbing in backups while Dallas was still trying to figure out which way was up.
The Recent 2025 Rematch: A Weird Bit of History
Fast forward to September 28, 2025. The teams met again in the regular season. If the playoff game was a blowout, this one was a fever dream. It ended in a 40-40 tie. A tie!
In a league that hates ties, these two found a way to trade punches for four quarters and an entire overtime period without a winner. It was the first time the Cowboys had tied a game since 1969. Brandon McManus and Brandon Aubrey traded field goals like they were playing a game of H-O-R-S-E.
- Total Offense: 925 combined yards.
- Touchdowns: Romeo Doubs caught three for Green Bay; George Pickens (newly in Dallas) had two.
- The Drama: A blocked PAT returned for two points by Dallas—the first in their history.
What This Rivalry Teaches Us About the Modern NFL
You've got to look at the coaching. Mike McCarthy's history with Green Bay is well-documented. He won a Super Bowl there. Now, he's the guy tasked with beating his own legacy. It’s gotta be weird for him. Every time these two teams meet, it feels like McCarthy is coaching against his own shadow.
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Green Bay seems to have a psychological edge. They are 6-0 at AT&T Stadium. That's including Super Bowl XLV. For whatever reason, the "Star" doesn't intimidate them. It invites them.
The disparity in playoff success is the real kicker here. Since 1995, the Cowboys are 5-13 in the postseason. The Packers? They’ve moved from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love without skipping a beat. It’s a masterclass in organizational stability versus high-octane volatility.
Actionable Insights for the Next Matchup
If you're looking at the next time these two face off, forget the regular season stats. They don't matter.
- Watch the "Home" Advantage: It’s a myth in this series. Green Bay plays better in Arlington than some of the Cowboys do.
- The Aaron Jones Factor: Even if he’s in a different jersey (now with Minnesota), the blueprint he provided on how to run against Dallas remains. Watch for Green Bay to use Josh Jacobs in that exact same gap-scheme role.
- Pressure vs. Coverage: Dallas tends to rely on Micah Parsons to "save" them. Green Bay’s offense is designed for quick releases. If the ball is out in 2.3 seconds, Parsons is neutralized.
- The Psychological Wall: Dallas needs to win a high-stakes game against a North team to prove the "culture" has actually shifted.
The Dallas and Green Bay game isn't just a contest; it's a barometer for where both franchises stand. One is constantly searching for its former glory, while the other seems to reinvent its future every Sunday.
To prepare for future meetings, fans should track the defensive snap counts for Dallas's interior line. The ability to stop the run early has been the deciding factor in their last three meetings. Additionally, monitoring Jordan Love's efficiency against zone coverage will reveal if he’s still the Cowboys' "kryptonite" or if they've finally found a scheme to contain him.