Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby booted a pair of 50+ yard field goals in the final minutes, helping the Green Bay Packers hold off the Dallas Cowboys 34-31 in the NFC Divisional playoffs on Sunday.
The Packers (12-6) went into the game as 5 1/2 point underdogs and came out of AT&T Stadium with their 8th straight victory.
The Packers won for the second time in this postseason, something that’s happened only one other time under Mike McCarthy. They had lost on the final play five times in the last seven years.
Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott finished with a passer rating of 103.2, throwing three touchdown passes and one interception. Fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott rushed 22 times for 125 yards, but couldn’t bust a long one or reach the end zone.
The Packers jumped out early, hitting the Cowboys with three touchdowns on their first three possessions. But Dallas slowly chipped away and used an Aaron Rodgers interception to help keep the Packers from putting the game on ice.
Eventually the Packers defense got a stop and Dan Bailey buried a 52-yard field goal to tie the game at 31. But they left 35-seconds on the clock for the Packers, who also had two timeouts.
After Rodgers threw incomplete to Jared Cook, the Packers hooked up with Ty Montgomery on a 17-yard screen pass. It was a great call by Mike McCarthy, a call that is overshadowed by what was coming next.
Rodgers was sacked for a 10-yard loss by safety Jeff Heath on the very next play, but he called time out with 18-seconds left.
One more incomplete pass to Cook left the Packers at their own 32 with 12-seconds left. The Cowboys dialed back the pressure and Rodgers rolled to his left, finding Cook down field for a 35-yard catch as the Packers tight end was able to drag his feet on the sidelines and out-of-bounds.
Mason Crosby then came on to hit a 51-yard field goal, not once, but twice after the Cowboys were granted a timeout before the snap on the first kick. Crosby extended his streak of successful postseason field goals to 23. He made a 56-yard field goal before his game winner.
The Packers improved to 5-4 in road playoff games under McCarthy. They’re also one more win away from playing for the franchise’s 14th NFL Championship.
The Packers will square off against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday (2:05 pm CT) in Atlanta. It will now officially be the final game played at the Georgia Dome, with the Falcons moving into a brand new stadium next season.
Atlanta beat the Packers 33-32 in week eight this season. It was the first of four straight losses for the Packers before starting their eight-game win streak.
AUDIO: Aaron Rodgers on the big play to Jared Cook to set up game winning FG :20
AUDIO: Mason Crosby on getting the game winning opportunity :19