We’ve had six NFL playoff games so far this January and not one has been what could be described as a good football game. I don’t believe any of the six have even been a one possession game. Today could be potentially the best day of NFL football in quite some time if both games play out to their potential with Green Bay at Dallas in the first game and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Kansas City Chiefs in the second game.
And for me it’s NFL nirvana as the Green Bay Packers are my favorite NFL team period, while the Steelers are my favorite AFC team easily. Probably the two classiest, successful NFL franchises with the Dallas Cowboys, the New England Patriots, and 49’ers (pre self implosion) right there in the mix as well. But I would give the Packers, the Steelers, and the Cowboys the edge because they’ve all three won multiple championships with different quarterbacks and different coaches, while in New England it’s basically just been Tom Brady and Bill Bilichick. As far as the 49’ers, they’re so bad currently I’m not even sure Joe Montana and Steve Young actually existed or if Bill Walsh was just a figment of the Bay area’s collective imagination.
Conversely, the Packers have won championships with three different three head coach-quarterback duos in the Super Bowl era…Vince Lombardi-Bart Starr, Mike Holmgren-Bret Favre, and Mike McCarthy-Aaron Rodgers. The Cowboys have done it with four different coach-quarterback combos…Tom Landry-Craig Morton, Tom Landry-Roger Staubach, Jimmy Johnson-Troy Aikman, and Barry Switzer-Troy Aikman, Suffice it to say if the Jason Garrett-Dak Prescott combo garners the Cowboys another Super Bowl Trophy it will be a testament to how great the Cowboys’ offensive line truly is in this era of collective bargaining.
Packers vs. the Cowboys will pit the most talented quarterback in the league in Aaron Rodgers vs. that Cowboys’ offensive line and the two rookie sensations in Prescott and Elliott. In the history of the NFL, rookie starting quarterbacks have gotten their teams into the playoffs nine times, but they have a collective record of 8-15. Of the nine quarterbacks, only four have gotten their teams to the conference championship game. No rookie starting NFL quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl. Okay, so you must be wondering, who were the four? The answer to this great NFL trivia question is Shaun King of the Tampa Bay Bucs, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens, and Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets.
But here’s the thing which gives Dallas Cowboy fans hope, none of those four quarterbacks had this offensive line and a running back like Zeke Elliott alongside him. So even though Aaron Rodgers is the most talented QB in the league, I don’t feel it’s improbable the Cowboys could get to the Super Bowl with Prescott, that offensive line, Elliott, Dez Bryant, and home field potentially in the NFC Championship Game.
The Packers are my favorite team, the Cowboys are my wife’s favorite team, though I’m not sure we’ll be able to watch this game in the same room.
Two games like the ones on tap in Dallas and Kansas City later today are what you hunger for as an NFL fan in January. I’m set with the pizza and the wine. Not sure what arrangements my wife has made for food and drink. If she’s nice she can have some of my mine. Can’t wait.