Packers: Does win over Cowboys keep season alive?

“We’re not dead.”

Those were three of many words that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers uttered following the Packers’ 31-28 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Maybe they mean nothing. Maybe they’re just a brief moment of optimism amidst an otherwise bleak season, the words of an aging four-time MVP who refuses to accept that his time in the limelight is coming to an end.

But these words, this phrase, as simple as it is, feels like something different. It harkens back to Rodgers’ prophecies of the past, like in 2014 when he famously told Green Bay fans to “R-E-L-A-X” following the team’s disappointing 1-2 start. The Packers finished the season 12-4 and were a botched onside kick away from a Super Bowl appearance.

Perhaps an even better comparison is in 2016, when, following a loss to Washington that extended the team’s losing streak to four games, the Packers’ record 4-6, Rodgers boldly predicted that the Packers could “run the table.”

The Packers went on to rattle off eight straight wins, finishing the season 10-6 before falling to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game.

Let’s not get anything twisted; the Packers are still in a very bad spot. They sit in ninth place in the NFC, a game-and-a-half behind the San Francisco 49ers for the last wild card spot.

Football Outsiders gives the team just an 18.3% chance of making the playoffs.

Their star pass rusher, Rashan Gary, is out for the season. So is their second best cornerback, Eric Stokes.

They still don’t know who their punt returner is (although they should know by now that it’s definitely not Amari Rodgers), and their receiver room is a hodgepodge of veterans who were never good enough to be a true number one receiver and rookies that have the potential to be a top target but are too inconsistent to be considered one right now.

Their defending MVP quarterback, who was supposed to carry that subpar receiving group, is struggling through one of his worst seasons since taking over as starter fifteen years ago. His 39.7 QBR ranks 25th in the NFL, per ESPN, and his seven interceptions are already the most he’s thrown since 2015, when he threw eight.

His play has been so poor that some fans have clamored for the Packers to start 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love, effectively initiating a rebuild.

With all of that working against them, is it even possible for Green Bay’s season to still be alive?

After all, just a week ago, the Packers fell to the lowly Detroit Lions, Rodgers tying a career high by throwing three interceptions, two of which came in the red zone.

This week’s team, however, felt different. Perhaps they were invigorated by the Lambeau Field crowd. Maybe they were motivated by the need to win. Maybe they wanted to prove that everyone who had already written them off was wrong.

Whatever it was, they looked like a completely different team than the one who had lost five games in a row, including losses to Washington, Detroit and both New York teams.

Once again, adversity stared this team in the face, but instead of running away, the Packers stared back, rolling with the punches and becoming the first team in NFL history to hand Dallas a loss after the Cowboys held a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys weren’t a bad team, either. Coming into their bout with Green Bay, they were 6-2, playing in the best division in football.

The Packers still won, despite missing All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and star rookie receiver Romeo Doubs.

Head coach Matt LaFleur finally fed star running back Aaron Jones the ball, and he rewarded him to the tune of 24 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown. Rookie receiver Christian Watson had his long-awaited breakout game, amassing over 100 yards and three touchdowns.

The defense, while imperfect, managed to intercept Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott twice, and came up with a crucial fourth-down stop in overtime.

Jones is the team’s best playmaker. For the Packers to stay alive, LaFleur has to continue to trust him. Watson is its most talented receiver. Rodgers has to continue to trust him.

The defense has to weather its injuries and continue to make key plays, even if it’s not the shutdown unit many expected it to be at the start of the season.

A lot has to go right for Green Bay’s season to stay alive.

Watson has to stay healthy. LaFleur has to continue to feed Jones the ball. Rodgers has to return to MVP form. There’s a decent possibility that the Packers will have to run the table once again, and will almost definitely not be able to lose more than one game.

But this victory over the Cowboys serves as a stark reminder to the rest of the NFL; the Green Bay Packers are not dead, and they’re ready to finally make some noise.