14. 2021 DALLAS COWBOYS at 3. 1961 NFL CHAMPION GREEN BAY PACKERS
3. 1961 NFL CHAMPION GREEN BAY PACKERS
Record: 11-3
Pythag: 11-3
Off: 1st
Def: 2nd
1st NFL West
d. Giants NFL Title 37-0
HC Vince Lombardi DC Phil Bengsten
New City Stadium: 45 degrees
Ray Scott
Offense
QB Bart Starr (27 Alabama)
RB Paul Hornung All Pro (26 N Dame)
FB Jim Taylor (26 LSU)
WR Max McGee (29 Tulane)
WR Boyd Dowler (24 Colorado)
TE Ron Kramer (26 Michigan)
LT Bob Skoronski (27 Indiana)
LG Fuzzy Thurston All Pro (28 Valpo)
C Jim Ringo All Pro (30 Syracuse)
RG Jerry Kramer (25 Idaho)
RT Forrest Gregg (28 SMU)
Defense
LDE Willie Davis (27 Grambling)
LDT Dave Hanner (31 Arkansas)
RDT Henry Jordan All Pro (26 UVA)
RDE Bill Quinlan (29 Michigan St)
LLB Dan Currie (26 Michigan St)
MLB Ray Nitschke (25 Illinois)
RLB Bill Forester All Pro (29 SMU)
LCB Hank Gremminger (28 Baylor)
RCB Jesse Whittendon All Pro (27 UTEP)
LS John Symank (26 Florida)
RS Willie Wood (25 USC)
K Paul Hornung (26 N Dame)
P Boyd Dowler (24 Colorado)
KR Herb Adderley (22 Mich St)
PR Willie Wood (25 USC)
The '62 Packers have already advanced as the top seeds from Region 5, here's the team before; NFL Champs, 3rd seed in the region, number one in offense, 2 in defense. Bart Starr's 27, 17 scores and 16 picks. Paul Hornung's a 26 year old All Pro, he had 10 scores. Jim Taylor's 26, he rushed for over 1300 yards and scored 16 times. 28 year old Fuzzy Thurston and 30 year old Jim Ringo are All Pros on the OL. 3 All Pros on the other side of the ball - 26 year old Henry Jordan, 29 year old Bill Forester, 27 year old Jesse Whittenton and you dont have to look hard to find more Hall of Famers. Green Bay will run and dare you to stop them.
14. 2021 DALLAS COWBOYS
Record: 12-5
Pythag: 12-5
Off: 1st
Def: 7th
1st NFC East
lost WC 49ers 23-17
HC Mike McCarthy OC Kellen Moore DC Dan Quinn
Offense
QB Dak Prescott (28 Miss St)
RB Ezekial Elliott (26 Ohio St)
WR Ceedee Lamb (22 Oklahoma)
WR Amani Cooper (27 Alabama)
WR Cedrick Wilson (26 Boise)
TE Dalton Schultz (25 Stanford)
T Tyron Smith (31 USC)
G Zach Martin All Pro (31 N Dame)
C Tyler Biadasz (24 Wisconsin)
G Connor Williams (24 Texas)
T Terence Steele (24 TTech)
Defense
DE Tarrell Basham (27 Ohio)
DT Osa Odighizuwa (23 UCLA)
DE Dorance Armstrong (24 Kansas)
LB Micah Parsons All Pro (22 Penn St)
LB Leighton Vander Esch (25 Boise)
LB Keanu Neal (26 Florida)
CB Anthony Brown (28 Purdue)
CB Trevon Diggs All Pro (23 Alabama)
CB Jourdan Lewis (26 Michigan)
SS Damontae Kazee (28 S Diego St)
FS Jayron Kearse (27 Clemson)
K Greg Zuerlein (34 Miss West St)
P Bryan Anger (33 Cal)
KR Tony Pollard (24 Memphis)
PR CeeDee Lamb (22 Oklahoma)
The best offense from 2021 is the Cowboys; they'll take that and a 60 year difference into Green Bay to try to oust Lombardi's Pack. 38 scores/10 picks for 28 year old Dak Prescott. 26 year old Zeke Elliott had a dozen scores; 31 year old Zach Martin is the offense's All Pro. The defense is okay, the Pack will look to run and probably be successful; the rookie Michah Parsons is an All Pro on defense with 13 sacks. 23 year old Trevon Diggs is also an All Pro, he had 11 picks and scored twice. Can Dallas ride that ultramodern passing game into a 14/3 upset? Let's head to Wisconson for the kick.
1st Qtr
Dallas starts at the 32.
1/10 - Zeke Elliott is stopped at the line.
2/10 - Incomplete
3/10 - Dak Prescott flushed - Prescott escaped - Prescott outruns the Packer defense to a first down, 16 yards.
1/10 - Henry Jordan rushes up the middle and drops Dak.
2/19 - Elliott stopped at the line.
3/19 - Prescott going deep -- downfield to Cedrick Wilson - 37 yards - another first down - Cowboys are at the Packer 24.
1/10 - Elliott gets six.
2/4 - Nothing for Elliott.
3/4 - Willie Davis is into the backfield for a sack -- Zuerlein will hit the FG and Dallas is on the board.
Pack at the 37.
1/10 - Jim Taylor gets a yard.
2/9 - Paul Hornung gets 6.
3/3 - Bart Starr goes to Taylor out of the backfield and he picks it up.
1/10 - Starr over the middle, Max McGee in traffic, 15 yards to the Cowboy 36.
1/10 - Jim Taylor, busts through the line -- Taylor blows through the secondary - Jim Taylor is into the endzone -- TOUCHDOWN PACKERS - in less than 3 minutes the Packers go 63 yards and take the lead.
Cowboys at the 35.
1/10 - Tony Pollard carries for 2.
2/8 - Prescott to Amani Cooper, 10 yards and the first.
1/10 - Elliott gets 2, a holding call makes it 2nd and 18.
2/18 - Prescott to CeeDee Lamb, 9 yards.
3/9 - Prescott hits Cooper again, 13 yards and the Cowboys are at the Packer 39.
1/10 - Prescott going downfield -- Michael Gallup -- 25 yards and Dallas is at the 14 - both teams really moving the ball here in the first quarter.
1/10 - The Pack get another sack, it's Nitschke, right up the gut and he hits Prescott before he can even drop back.
2/20 - Pollard - sweep -- Pollard gets the edge -- Tony Pollard down the sideline --- TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS - Dallas comes right back and goes 65 yards of their own - the Cowboys take the 10-7 lead - the top offense from 2021 going right at the 1961 Packers.
Herb Adderley with the big KR -- all the way to the GB 49 and tack on another 5 for a penalty to make it 1st and 5 inside Dallas territory.
1/5 - Hornung gets 2.
2/3 - Hornung stopped - and that ends the qtr.
2nd Qtr: Cowboys 10 Packers 7
Scores on each possession; the Pack have a third and 3 at the Cowboy 44.
3/3 - Starr picks it up, 6 yards to Hornung.
1/10 - Taylor for 3.
2/7 - Taylor again - 32 yards to Jim Taylor - Taylor busts to the 3 yard line and it is a first and goal.
1/goal - Hornung stopped.
2/goal - Play action - Dallas bites -- Max McGee wide open in the back corner of the endzone -- TOUCHDOWN PACKERS -- 2 Packer drives -- 2 Packer TDs.
Dallas at the 29.
1/10 - End around, Lamb gets 10.
1/10 - Nothing for Pollard.
2/10 - 2 for Elliott
3/8 - Dak picks it up - a dozen to Lamb and Dallas is in Packer territory.
1/10 - Give to Pollard, he gets 15 to the GB 32.
1/10 - Prescott to Wilson, taps the toes on the sideline and is inbounds for a dozen, Dallas at the 20.
1/10 - Prescott - End Zone -- Michael Gallup --- TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS -- 71 yards in 7 plays -- each drive hgas ended in a score, we still have 7:45 left in the second quarter and we have a full on shootout here in Green Bay between the third seeded Pack and the 14th seeded Cowboys. 17-14 Dallas
Pack at the 30.
1/10 - Hornung gets 13. These offenses have been unchallenged today.
1/10 - Tom Moore gets his first carry, 3 yards.
2/7 - Jim Taylor gets 6, just short.
3/1 - Taylor picks it up.
1/10 - Starr hits Boyd Dowler for 4.
2/6 - Taylor for 11. The Pack reached the Dallas 31.
1/10 - Taylor gets 9 more - Dallas has no answer for this Packer run game.
2/1 - Hornung picks it up - Pack at the 18.
1/10- Taylor gets a yard.
2/8 - Moore gets 2, Pack will have a third and 7 at the 2 minute warning.
3/7 - Starr - over the middle -- Ron Kramer - Kramer bounces off a defender -- Kramer is into the endzone -- TOUCHDOWN PACKERS -- this 1961 Packer offense just chewing up the Dallas defense and it's 21-17.
Cowboys at the 39, 1:50 left in the half.
1/10 - Prescott to Cooper for 10. Dallas timeout.
1/10 - Prescott to Elliott for 16 and he's out of bounds at 1:36.
1/10 - Bill Forester gets the 4th GB sack of the day - it's an 11 yard loss and the second Dallas timeout at 1:20. Big, sack.
2/21 - Incomplete
3/21 - Prescott has the pull the ball down and run -- he picks up 6 to the Packer 40 -- the Cowboys decide to punt - rolls down at the GB 9 and they take over with 45 seconds left.
Lombardi doesn't play it conservatively -- big pass plays here, 23 to Taylor, 14 to Hornung, 16 to Knafelc, 28 yards to Mac McGee -- Packers use all of their timeouts - and they have a short FG at the gun....but miss it/...and it's halftime.
Third Qtr: Packers 21 Cowboys 17
We've seen a couple of heavy defensive games back to back - this is not that, the teams moving up and down the field, Packers lead as we come out of the locker room.
Packers at the 29.
1/10 - Jim Taylor goes for 17 yards - just a monster performance for Taylor.
1/10 - Lew Carpenter picks up 10 yards on his first carry.
1/10 - Taylor goes off left - AND HE'S GONNA GO! Jim Taylor blows through the Cowboy defense -- 44 yards to paydirt -- TOUCHDOWN PACKERS -- and now GB has opened it up a little, 28-17. Jim Taylor's second TD of the day.
Cowboys at the 27.
1/10 - Elliott gets 6.
2/4 - Prescott is sacked -- 5th Packer sack of the day - that's Willie Wood's second sack.
3/10 - Prescott to Pollard in space -- Pollard outruns the Packer defense -- Pollard's got the first down and he's into GB territory.
1/10 - Prescott to Dalton Schultz and the Cowboys are at the GB 26.
1/10 - Prescott to Zeke - 16 yards and it is a first and goal.
1/goal - Elliott gets 1
2/goal - Pollard gets 1
3/goal -- Prescott rolling out - Firing - Wilson - Goal Line -- TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS - Dak Prescott 8 yards to Cedric Wilson and the Packer lead is again 4.
What a game, goodness.
Pack at the 27.
1/10 - Taylor for 1.
2/9 - Horning for 1.
3/8 - Starr to Ron Kramer -- 18 yards and the Pack is again - again on the move -- the Packers have yet to punt today, only one punt all day from either side.
1/10 - Hornung for 2.
2/8 - Moore gets 18 yards, Packers are at the Dallas 33 yard line.
1/10 - Taylor for 3.
2/7 - Incomplete
3/7 - Starr looks downfield -- Kramer in traffic -- Caught -- Down at the 8 yard line for a first and goal for GB.
1/goal - Taylor gets 2
2/goal -- Taylor -- Taylor Cannot Be Stopped -- TOUCHDOWN PACKERS - it's the hat trick for Jim Taylor, his 3rd TD of the day and it is 35-24 Packers, Dallas to start at the 29 with 2 minutes left in the third qtr.
1/10 - Pollard...21 yards on the ground -- Dallas doesn't stop - they take every Packer blow and they keep coming.
1/10 - Elliott big yards -- 17 yards and the Cowboys are at the Packer 33 yard line.
1/10 - Prescott planned run -- 4 yards, the quarter ends.
4th Qtr: Packers 35 Cowboys 24
Just a tremendous offensive performance from both squads - it's the Pack up 11, Jim Taylor has 3 scores. Dallas has a 2nd and 4 at the Packer 29.
Dallas doesn't pick it up - GB with its 6th sack of the day - Henry Jordan's 2nd, Zuerlein hits the 50 yard FG and it's an 8 point game.
Pack at the 29. Can Dallas get the stop it needs?
1/10 - Jim Taylor, oh Lord -- Jim Taylor with a 64 yard run -- Jim Taylor with a historic, absolutely historic performance against the 2021 Cowboys -- Jim Taylor sets up a first and goal at the 7.
1/goal - Hornung for 3.
2/goal - Starr to Carpenter -- he's stopped right at the goal line.
3/goal - Hornung is stopped.....just short....it is 4th down at the goal line. Packers up 8, a little more than 10 minutes left.
Lombardi decides to go for it.
4/goal - Taylor's the upback - the veteran Elijah Pitts gets the carry - disappears into the line ---- TOUCHDOWN PACKERS -- Elijah Pitts is into the end zone and it's 42-27 Green Bay, their biggest lead of the day, with a little more than 10 minutes to go.
Cowboys at the 30.
1/10 - Dak to Zeke. 6 yards.
2/4 - Incomplete
3/4 - Prescott to Gallup -- first down.
1/10 - Give to Elliott -- Pack not fooled, he loses 1.
2/11 - Prescott to Amani Cooper for 10, Dallas crosses midfield and has a third and short.
3/1 - Incomplete. No choice here, down 15 with 7:26 left.
4/1 - Play action -- Prescott is going downfield -- CeeDee Lamb -- Caught! 27 yards to the Packer 20 yard line. Dallas throws it downfield on 4th and 1 and picks it up.
1/10 - Prescott to Schultz - 2 yards.
2/8 - Incomplete
3/8 - Prescott to Lamb - Lamb with the circus catch - Dallas is at the 4 yard line for the first and goal.
1/goal Dak to Zeke -- he bowls into the endzone -- TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS - it's now 42-34.
Dallas kicks it deep - Packers at the 30, 5:25 left in the football game. Once again, can Dallas find a way to stop GB? The Packers have yet to punt, only a missed FG at the end of the half keeps them from having scored on each possession.
1/10 - Hornung gets 10. What can Dallas do?
1/10 - Tom Moore breaks one -- Moore goes 45 yards - - Moore all the way to the Cowboy 10 yard line and that is probably the backbreaker.
1/goal - Taylor gets right to the goal line and is stopped.
2/goal - Hornung stacked up. 3rd and goal at the 1.
3/goal - Starr, the play fake is to Taylor -- Starr to Max McGee in the back -- TOUCHDOWN PACKERS - a tremendous, overwhelming performance by the Packer offense - it's 49-34 with a little more than 2 minutes to go.
Dallas will drive down --- and they score again right before the final whistle -- Prescott with medium range completions, to Galluop, Cooper, Gallup, Pollard all the way down the field, ending with a 9 yard TD pass to Schultz with just a few seconds left - game ends with an onside kick, Pack recovers and it's over.
Final: Packers 49 Cowboys 41
The Green Bay Packers don't punt, score on every possession save a missed FG at the end of the first half. GB marches onto Rnd 2. Starr with just one incomplete pass. Jim Taylor has what might be the game of the tournament to date.
Starr: 14 for 15, 177 yds, 3 TD
Prescott: 27 for 33, 354 yds, 4 TD
Taylor: 18 carries, 242 yds, 3 TD
Pollard: 9 carries, 56 yds, 1 TD
McGee: 4 catches, 52 yds, 2 TD
Gallup: 5 catches, 70 yds, 1 TD
Jordan/Davis: 2 sacks
Player of the Game: Jim Taylor
