5 questions with LeRoy Butler: How will the Packers attack the Cowboys?
LeRoy Butler wants cornerback Jaire Alexander to cover Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb and see if Mike McCarthy would stick with the running game.
On Thursday, former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant took to X to remind his followers of a dubious Cowboys anniversary, the playoff game at Lambeau Field in which ‘Dez caught it.’ Or, you know, didn’t catch it.
“9 years ago. The whole world know I caught! I changed the game forever!” he wrote.
Former Packers players who were on that field eagerly disagreed, namely Casey Hayward and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, both of whom shared thoughts on the post.
It was Jan. 11, 2015, in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs that Bryant was matched up on Sam Shields and went up for a brilliant Tony Romo pass that would have put the Cowboys down at the 1-yard line with 4:42 left in the game and the Packers clinging to a 26-21 lead.
The pass came on 4th and 2 from the 32-yard line and would have been good for 31 yards. But because Bryant didn’t maintain control going to the ground, the play was overturned on replay, and Green Bay took over possession of the ball.
The Packers were able to run out the rest of the clock and advance to face … actually, let’s not talk about what happened next.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, of course, has been asked about the play a lot over the past couple years. The Packers coach at the time has a new reason to talk about it with his Cowboys getting set to face the Packers in the playoffs again Sunday.
Three years later, the league took steps to clarify the rule and it’s quite likely Bryant would have awarded the catch in today’s game.
It was quite the sequence of playoff outcomes that year. The Cowboys had advanced to face the Packers at Lambeau after a controversial fourth-quarter decision by officials to pick up a flag for pass interference, though the initial call was correct.
After the Dez game (OK, we’ll talk about it, let’s take a deep breath), the Packers famously lost to the Seahawks in overtime in the NFC championship game thanks to a botched onside kick among other strange mistakes. Then, Seattle advanced to the Super Bowl and lost the Patriots when Russell Wilson threw the ball on 2nd and 1 at the goal line, and the Patriots intercepted to end the game with a 28-24 win.
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Gregory Daniels is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, he explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture. Gregory enjoys staying ahead of the curve and sharing emerging trends with his readers.
