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So public opinion is once again stacked against the Cowboys. What else is new?
Last Week, 92% of the media experts and algorithms tracked by NFLPickwatch.com favored the Commanders, and the eight-man panel of writers we've followed all season unanimously picked the Commanders for the win.
Even Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas and the entire 9-person panel of the Dallas Morning News picked the Commanders for the win. To which we had a two-word comment: "Big deal."
It wasn't pretty, but the Cowboys came away with the win on Monday Night in Washington, and now the question is whether they can repeat in Green Bay.
Name (Cowboys Accuracy) Pick Score Comment
Michael Smith, Pro Football Talk (9-3)
28-13
Give the Cowboys credit for finding a way to win ugly in Washington, but they won’t be able to do it in Green Bay.Sam Farmer, LA Times (8-4)
24-13
Two struggling teams, even though the Packers are coming off the Hail Mary win over the Lions. The Cowboys defense will turn up the heat on Aaron Rodgers but in the end will not be able to keep pace.David Steele, Sporting News (8-4)
17-10
The quest to get into the playoffs despite so many losses continues for the Cowboys at Lambeau Field. The win in Washington in an awful slog of a game isn’t as relevant as the narrow escape by the Packers in Detroit last week, a game Green Bay was losing until the miracle finish. The Packers are vulnerable all over. The problem is, Matt Cassel and the offense aren't remotely capable of capitalizing on it.Elliot Harrison, NFL.com (7-5)
28-17
Don't see Green Bay blowing another game at home. While the Cowboys' D kept the team on the saddle Monday night, Kirk Cousins is no Aaron Rodgers, no matter how much you like that.Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (6-6)
30-23
This is a rematch of the NFC playoff game last season. You would never know it. Both teams are alive, but they haven't looked like the same teams. The Cowboys are dinged without Tony Romo. The Packers still have Aaron Rodgers. Packers take it.Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk (6-6)
28-17
The Packers dodged a cannonball last Thursday night, and they should be able to close out the season with another division title, especially against a Cowboys team that lucked into a Monday night win in Washington.Greg Cote, Miami Herald (4-8)
31-16
Green Bay uncharacteristically has lost two in a row at Lambeau, but it’s hard to image a third — not with Tony Romo’s absence emasculating the Cowboys. Also uncharacteristically, Aaron Rodgers has gone six consecutive games without topping a 100 passer rating. That ends, too. Pack beat ’Boys in a playoff thriller last year 26-21. This won’t be as competitive.Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/greg-cote/article49098895.html#storylink=cpy
98% of the media experts and algorithms tracked by NFLPickwatch.com favor the Packers, and in the pick'em panels below that we've followed all season, only two of 66 panelists like the Cowboys for the win on Sunday.
Site Cowboys Packers Cowboys Season
Pick Accuracy
Bleacher Report Pick Accuracy
0 8 .697 (62-27)
CBSSports 0 8 .614 (54-34)
NFL Around The League 0 5 .625 (35-21)
SB Nation 0 7 .618 (47-29)
NJ.com 2 7 .615 (48-30)
ESPN 0 13 .601 (83-55)
USA Today 0 7 .590 (46-32)
Dallas Morning News 0 9 .545 (60-50)
Total
2 64 .610 (435-278)
So public opinion is once again stacked against the Cowboys. We still have the same two-word comment as last week: "Big deal."
So people have seen one too many discount double-check ads, and not a single Matt Cassel ad recently. But that shouldn't keep you from looking a little closer at this matchup between the 8-4 Packers and the 4-8 Cowboys. Because over the last six weeks, the packers have looked nothing like the Packers that started the season.
In fact, over the last six games, both the Cowboys and Packers have a 2-4 record. And the similarities don't end there. Here's a look at the points scored an points allowed over the last six games for each team:
Points per game over last six games
Team Points for Points against Point differential
Packers (2-4) 20.8 22.8 -12
Cowboys (2-4) 17.0 19.8 -17
Going strictly by their performance over the last six games, the two teams don't look that much different, and while it's perfectly possible that Aaron Rodgers and his wide receivers have suddenly re-discovered their mojo over the last week, it's equally possible that the entire Cowboys offense has re-discovered its mojo too.
Barring major mojo discoveries though, recent performance by the two teams suggests this could be a pretty tight game that could be decided by a field goal or less.
Yeah, the Cowboys are 7-point underdogs. Big deal.
Smart money will come in on the Cowboys' side over the next two days, and the betting public will likely follow the smart money, which could move the line closer to a 3-4 point Packers advantage by the time the game kicks off. And from there, anything is possible.
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