8. Packers 37, Cowboys 36 (2013)

Somehow, even at 6-6-1, the Green Bay Packers were in contention for an NFC North championship. Green Bay started out 1-2, but won four in a row to improve to 5-2 heading into a Monday night showdown against Chicago. On the first drive, the Packers were moving down the field, but Aaron Rodgers was sacked and broke his collarbone. The whole season would change for the team, especially since the Packers were on the verge of running away with the division. Green Bay would go onto lose against the Bears to start a five game winless streak. The only non-loss was a tie against Minnesota in week 12. After a 40-10 blowout loss to Detroit, Green Bay found itself at 5-6-1 with four games remaining. After a comeback win against Atlanta, the Packers traveled to AT&T Stadium in need of a win to stay in the hunt for the division title. The first half in Dallas saw the Packers trail 26-3, and it looked like the season was over for Green Bay. The Packers then proceeded to have the largest comeback in franchise history. Tony Romo threw two big interceptions late in the game to help the Packers win. Eddie Lacy scored with a minute and a half left to give the Packers their first lead of the game. Tramon Williams picked off Romo on the following possession to wrap up the game.

Both teams started out by kicking a field goal on their first possession. James Jones caught a 39-yard pass to move the ball into Dallas territory to set up the Packers field goal to tie it up. But then the Cowboys dominated the rest of the half. Dallas came down and kicked a field goal to take the lead right back. DeMarco Murray had a 41-yard run and Dez Bryant had a 22-yard catch to give Dallas a 1st-and-Goal. But the Green Bay defense would hold and the Cowboys kicked a field goal to give them a 6-3 lead.

After a three-and-out by the Green Bay offense, Dallas moved right back down the field to score the first touchdown of the game. After a punt, the Cowboys took over on their own 35. Dallas would motor down the field and drive 65 yards in just four plays. The series would end when Romo found Jason Witten down the seam for the 25-yard score to take the 13-3 lead. The score would remain that way at the end of the first quarter.

It would be that score until late in the second quarter. Dallas would get a field goal from Dan Bailey with six minutes left in the half to put the Cowboys in front 16-3. It would be the first of 13 points scored in the final six minutes to put Dallas in command at halftime.

Flynn was intercepted on the following drive by Sterling Moore, so Dallas started its next drive on the Green Bay 20. But the Packers defense held strong and forced Bailey into another long field goal attempt after a sack by Mike Daniels. Bailey’s field goal was good and the Cowboys led 19-3. But when facing a team, having to constantly settle for field goals could get you into trouble. However, the Cowboys were facing a Packers team without their starting quarterback.

Dallas would tack on one more score before the end of the half. After a 6-yard run by Murray, Romo found a wide open Bryant for 37 yards down to the 32. Bryant would also make a 16-yard catch three plays later to move the Cowboys down to the 1. Murray took it in on the following play and Dallas had a 26-3 lead with less than a half minute to play in the half.

With the score 26-3 heading into the second half, nobody thought the Packers stood a chance to come back. Packers fans thought the game and the season was over, but the Packers themselves had other ideas. Lacy got the half started on a good note, rushing down the left sideline for 60 yards to move to the Dallas 20. Three plays later, Flynn threw it to the end zone for Nelson and the big-play wide receiver reached over the defensive back for the 13-yard touchdown to cut it to 26-10.

Bailey would boot another long field goal to give Dallas a 29-10 lead. But back came the Packers. Flynn would go 5-for-8 for 73 yards on the 80-yard drive march. The touchdown would come on a Flynn 3-yard pass to Andrew Quarless over the middle on a slant and the Cowboys lead was down to 29-17. Of Flynn’s five completions, only Jarrett Boykin caught more than one pass on the drive. The score would remain that way at the end of the third quarter.

The Packers forced a three-and-out and Dallas had to punt it back to the suddenly red-hot Green Bay offense from deep in its own territory. The punt would be returned by Micah Hyde 26 yards to the Cowboys 22. Green Bay converted a third down on a pass to Quarless to the 10 for a first down. After a Lacy loss on first down, Flynn dumped it over the middle to James Starks. The running back would catch it and blast his way into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown to cut the deficit even further, down to 29-24 with less than 13 minutes to play.

It looked like the Packers would have a chance to either tie or take the lead after Romo had his first pass of the possession intercepted by Tramon Williams. However, the play was reviewed and it was determined that the ball hit the ground and it was changed to an incompletion. Dallas received a break as it looked like Williams may have had control of the ball even though the tip hit the ground. The Cowboys took advantage. After Dallas moved to the 49 of its own, Romo threw a 27-yard pass to Witten to the Packers 24. Dallas would drive inside the 10, but would have a 3rd-and-4 from the 5. Romo would throw it in the back of the end zone to Bryant, who would make an incredible catch in between a pair of defenders and somehow kept both feet in bounds. Bryant’s catch put the Cowboys in front 36-24 with less than eight minutes to go in the game.

But the Packers would come right back. Just when you thought Dallas had withstood the flurry by the Green and Gold and the Cowboys would win the game in the end, Green Bay fought back. Flynn had 55 yards passing on the 80-yard drive, with Boykin having 27 of those yards. He would have 83 yards receiving on the day. On the score, Flynn threw it to the left side at the goal line to Jones for the score. That cut it to 36-31 with 4:17 left in the game and it came down to Romo choke time.

After a gain of four by Murray on first down, Romo went to the air on second down. Murray was gashing the Packers defense, so everybody was thinking why Murray did not get the ball on the second down play. Romo would escape a sack attempt from Clay Matthews and throw a pass over the middle intended for Miles Austin, but he was picked off by Sam Shields and Green Bay took over at midfield. Green Bay would travel 50 yards in seven plays and Lacy would score from a yard out to give the Packers their first lead of the game and coming back from 23 points down in the second half. The two-point conversion was no good and the Packers held the 37-36 lead.

Dallas would have one final chance to win the game, but the chance did not last long. After a 9-yard completion to Cole Beasley on the first play of the drive, Romo wanted to go back to Beasley on second down. His throw was off the mark and Williams made a diving attempt at the interception. It was initially ruled incomplete, but after review, it was clearly an catch by Williams. The play was reversed and the Packers had the ball, and after the three Flynn kneel downs, the win as well.

This win helped them win the NFC North almost as much as winning in Chicago two weeks later. Following a loss to Pittsburgh at Lambeau Field the next week, the Packers would rebound to win in Chicago in week 17 to win the division in the return of Rodgers. The loss for the Cowboys kept Dallas one game back of Philadelphia in the NFC East race.