Cowboys vs Packers Prediction: Time for Prescott to lead Dallas to big January win

The Dallas Cowboys continue to flatter to deceive when it comes to the NFL Playoffs and they start their run this year with a home match-up against the Green Bay Packers.

@NFLGirlUK gives us her views on the game and we've picked out a couple of bets for you to consider heading into this clash at AT&T Stadium...

The Green Bay Packers surprisingly made the postseason after a rough start to the year, but their Wild Card match-up isn’t easy. They have to hit the road to take on the Dallas Cowboys, a team that’s been firing on all cylinders down the stretch of their own season. Which of these teams will come out on top and keep their season alive?

The Packers are an interesting team. They were on a three-game winning streak to end their season, but their match-ups weren't great. They beat the Carolina Panthers by three points, then dominated the Nick Mullens-led Minnesota Vikings, before ending the year with a 17-9 win against the Chicago Bears.

You might not be impressed with any of those and might feel worse about them considering that they lost to the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in back-to-back games before that winning streak. Then, you look further back and see them rip off three straight wins again, this time against the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs.

There’s really no telling what this team might do in any given week. They look phenomenal one week, then get outplayed by an inferior team the next. One thing is for sure though, Jordan Love looks like the next best quarterback in Green Bay with the young weapons they got for him out there.

The Dallas Cowboys on the other hand is a team that nobody really wants to square off with right now. They’ve dominated teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and pretty much every other non-playoff team that they’ve gone up against.

The concern in Dallas is that they consistently underperform in the postseason and were embarrassed a couple of times by some other playoff contenders. One of those teams, the Buffalo Bills, beat them 31-10 in Week 15. That loss aside, Dallas has taken care of business in games that they’re expected to do so, and the production has come from everybody.

Dak Prescott has thrown for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions to lead the way on offense. Tony Pollard broke 1,000 rushing yards, CeeDee Lamb had 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, Micah Parsons had 14 sacks, and Daron Bland had nine interceptions with five of them being returned for touchdowns. Everywhere on this Cowboys team, you’ll see statistical production.

The Cowboys should be the favourites to win this game at home, a place where they are undefeated this season. If it were any other team besides the Cowboys, they’d likely be overwhelming favourites to win this one and advance further into the postseason.

The real issue that everybody has is the fact that Dallas keeps getting upset in the playoffs early on. They’ve been thought to have a great team the last few years, and every time they fall short of their ultimate goal.

Prescott and company have to prove that this year is different against a very young Packers team with a quarterback in his first postseason run as the starter.

Match Odds:

Dallas are big favourites with Green Bay getting a 7.5pt head start on the handicap. Betting this one on the Money Line will see you getting 13/5 for the G Men and 3/10 if you think Dak & co will progress.

The Total Points number is high at 50.5 with both Tony Polland and CeeDee Lamb coming in at 8/13 to score in the Sunday evening clash.

Bet 1 - Dallas Cowboys -7.5 on the Handicap @ 20/21

As I said previously, this is the time for Prescott and company to prove to the watching world that they can actually get the job done when the pressure is on.

The Packers have had a very decent first campaign with Jordan Love under Center but this is a tough assignment for any side. The home team have plenty of attacking weapons and with the likes of Micah Parsons on defense, they can force big plays on both sides of the ball.

Bet 2 - Christian Watson to score anytime @ 13/8

This selection is obviously heavily-dependent on the fitness of the second-year player out of North Dakota State.

We've not seen him in over a month since injuring his hamstring against Kansas City at the start of December but before that, he'd caught four touchdowns in three games. He was clearly starting to find a real rapport with Jordan Love and should he be good to go, expect the QB to look his way often. Watch the injury report closely.

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