Game 3: Cowboys at Packers

Dallas vs. Green Bay... in Green Bay. The Cowboys have played five games in Lambeau Field and are 0-5 in the regular season.

The Cowboys have never won a game in Green Bay. They have won road games against the Packers, but those were played in Milwaukee. Dallas is 0-5 at Lambeau Field, yet still leads the series 15-12, due partially to quarterback Brett Favre's inability to win a game at Texas Stadium. Favre, straddling the retirement fence, has lost all nine games he's played in Irving, including three postseason games. Of those five Cowboys losses in Green Bay, however, none of them have been played as early as September, when the weather in Wisconsin is unlikely to be as harsh.

Having just come off a huge win in the Eastern Conference Championship at home against the Browns, the Cowboys were set to face the Packers for the second straight year in the NFL Championship. Having lost the year before at the Cotton Bowl, Dallas knew it had a tough task ahead in Green Bay. Dubbed the Ice Bowl - the temperature was 13 degrees below zero at the opening kickoff - the game was characterized by lackluster passing. Cowboys quarterback Don Meredith completed only 10 passes for 59 yards, and even Packers quarterback Bart Starr, more used to the harsh weather, only managed 14 completions for 191 yards, although he did throw two touchdowns. Ironically, the only Cowboys touchdown pass was thrown by running back Dan Reeves, putting the Cowboys up 17-14 in the fourth quarter. The score would remain that way until the final 16 seconds of the game. Green Bay, devoid of timeouts, found itself on third down inside the Cowboys' one-yard line. Instead of passing, in which case an incompletion would stop the clock and allow the Packers to set up the tying field goal, Starr opted for a quarterback sneak. It worked, and the Cowboys went home empty handed with a 21-17 loss.

Sunday’s game may have extra meaning for Romo, who grew up in Burlington, Wis., and will make his first start in his home state. It remains to be seen, though, how much meaning the contest will have down the line.

Last year’s late-season showdown gave Dallas a clear path to the NFC’s top seed, as both teams finished 13-3 and earned first-round byes in the playoffs. Both clubs also lost at home to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the postseason.

Now, Dallas and Green Bay will be looking for an early edge in this year’s race, and the Cowboys will have to win for the first time at Lambeau to get it.

DeMarcus Ware. Tony Romo. TO. Marion Barber. 'Nuf Said.
Forecast: I do not know if I can really make a prediction on this game... I like that Romo is from Wisconsin and would love to put up some great numbers in the house that Favre built... (at least the last dozen years). I think this could be very much like the Monday night game, two Class Act Boxers exchanging slugs in the middle all the way to the end. Score: 45-39, Packers.

Home Plate