Cowboys–Packers rivalry

The Cowboys–Packers rivalry is a professional American football rivalry in the National Football League (NFL) between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. The two teams do not play each other every year; instead, they play at least once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium during which the NFC East and NFC North are paired up against one another. In addition, not only the two teams could meet in the playoffs in a given season, but also if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions in any season, they will play each other the following season. The rivalry has also resulted in several notable games, including nine playoff games. CBS ranked this rivalry as the No. 3 NFL rivalry of the 1990s.

History
Although the rivalry has existed throughout the history of each team, it was most notable during two time periods. The first period occurred during late 1960s as both teams were highly successful prior to the AFL-NFL merger, which culminated in meeting in consecutive NFL Championship Games in 1966 and 1967. The 1967 meeting has been labelled the "Ice Bowl", with the temperature at kick-off at -13 °F (-25 °C). The Packers won the game on a late quarterback sneak by Bart Starr, which sent them to the Super Bowl. Each game ended in dramatic fashion in favor of the Packers, which led to them winning the first two Super Bowls (Super Bowl I and II). The Cowboys never defeated the Packers in the time Vince Lombardi was Packers head coach.

The second period of notability occurred throughout the 1990s as both the Packers and Cowboys, alongside the San Francisco 49ers, were amongst the strongest teams in the NFC. The Packers and Cowboys met in the postseason three straight years from 1993 to 1995, with Dallas winning in each encounter, all of which were in Dallas. The Cowboys won two of their three Super Bowls in this period after defeating Green Bay in the postseason and won nine of ten meetings in the 90s. From 1992 to 1997, the Cowboys and Packers combined for five Super Bowl appearances and four Super Bowl championships. Additionally, the Packers won Super Bowl XLV in AT&T Stadium in 2011. Even during periods where one or both teams were not successful, the match-up was still considered a "storied championship rivalry".

During the Brett Favre era in Green Bay, the Cowboys dominated the rivalry, going 9–2, with a 9–0 at home in Dallas against the Packers when Favre was the quarterback. However, the Aaron Rodgers era saw the Packers dominate the rivalry, as Rodgers compiled an 8–2 record against the Cowboys during his time as Packers starter, including a perfect 3–0 record in Dallas. This notably included the infamous Dez Caught It game in Green Bay in the 2014 playoffs. Late in the game, quarterback Tony Romo completed what was initially called a catch on 4th down to wide receiver Dez Bryant near the goal line. After review though, the referees especially Gene Steratore, who previously overturned Calvin Johnson's catch, overturned Dez's catch, saying that Bryant "did not complete the act of making the catch" after he bobbled the ball as he hit the ground. The Packers gained possession on the turnover on downs and ended up winning the game. This subsequently prompted the rule change three years later, that allows the receiver's ability to make a football move when the receiver gets control of the ball and gets two feet or another body part on the ground inbounds. The NFL was hopeful of the new rule, saying "It will eradicate some of the frustration fans, coaches and players had with apparent catches -- like Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant's against Green Bay in the 2014 playoffs, or Steelers tight end Jesse James' reversed TD against the Patriots this past season – being deemed incomplete."

Two seasons after the controversial 2014 NFC Divisional Game, the 4-seeded Packers again faced off against the top-seeded Cowboys in a 2016 NFC Divisional Game, which was played in Dallas. The Packers, who lost soundly to the Cowboys earlier that season in Green Bay, raced out to a 21-3 lead in the first half. However, Dallas, behind the efforts of Bryant and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, fought back to tie the game at 28 in the 4th quarter. After the teams traded field goals, Green Bay had a chance to drive into field goal range and win the game at the end of regulation. However, the Packers faced a 3rd and 20 at their own 32-yard line with 12 seconds left in regulation and just one timeout at their disposal. Although their chances of getting into field goal range were highly improbable, Rodgers threw a laser to tight end Jared Cook, who caught the ball along the Dallas sideline and barely managed to drag both feet in bounds while possessing the ball for an incredible 36-yard completion that got Green Bay into field goal range with time remaining. Kicker Mason Crosby then converted the ensuing 51-yard field goal attempt as time expired to send the Cowboys home and the Packers to the NFC Championship Game. With this defeat, Green Bay remained undefeated at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, while Dallas failed to participate in a conference championship game for the 21st consecutive season.

The two teams played their first overtime game in the series on November 13, 2022. The 3–6 Packers, riding a five-game losing streak, entered the game as 3.5-point underdogs to the 6–2 Cowboys, led by former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy in his return to Lambeau Field since getting fired by the Packers in 2018. After a scoreless first quarter, the two teams entered halftime tied at 14 after each team scored two touchdowns. The Cowboys would score two more touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 28-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Cowboys had never lost a game in franchise history when leading by 14 or more points in the fourth quarter, but two touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers to rookie wide receiver Christian Watson allowed the Packers to tie the game and send it to overtime. After getting the ball first to start overtime, the Cowboys marched down to the Packers' 35-yard line and faced a fourth down and three, but couldn’t convert and turned the ball over on downs. On the Packers' ensuing drive, Rodgers completed a 36-yard pass to wide receiver Allen Lazard on third down to set up Mason Crosby's game-winning field goal. This would be the final start in the series for Rodgers, who was traded to the New York Jets the following offseason.

The two rivals most recently met in the wild-card round of the 2023–24 NFL playoffs at AT&T Stadium on January 14, 2024. In an upset, 7th-seeded Green Bay defeated 2nd-seeded and McCarthy-led Dallas by a final score of 48–32. At one point, the Packers led their rival by 32 points in the fourth quarter. This was the first time a 7th-seeded team won a playoff game since the NFL expanded the playoffs to 14 teams in 2020.

Not only did the win prevented the Cowboys from having a third straight matchup with the teams' fellow rival, the San Francisco 49ers, but also set up a record 10th playoff meeting between the Packers and 49ers.

As of the 2023 season, Green Bay is one of two NFC teams (along with the San Francisco 49ers) with a winning record against the Cowboys, and one of only six teams in the NFL with a winning record against the Cowboys. Moreover, after that season the Packers earned more postseason wins in AT&T Stadium than the Cowboys (Packers won 3 including Super Bowl XLV, Cowboys have won 2).

The two teams have met nine times in the postseason, with Green Bay leading the series 5–4.