The Green Bay Packers were in danger of missing the playoffs this season after a 4-6 start. However, the Packers have turned it around and they are on a hot streak heading into the NFC Divisional Round matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Green Bay was among the favorites to make it into the playoffs when the season started. But a cold streak and poor performance from quarterback Aaron Rodgers saw the Packers drop to 4-6 in the first ten games.
According to USA Today, the bad performance put head coach Mike McCarthy in the hot seat. Fans were calling for his head to be fired. The 53-year-old coach has been with the Packers for ten seasons and he led them to a Super Bowl championship in 2011.
The Packers front office remained patient and retained McCarthy despite the fans uproar. The Super Bowl-winning head coach did not disappoint as Green Bay turned around their season after losing to the Washington Redskins.
McCarthy got Rodgers going again as the Packers did not lose a single game for the rest of the regular season. They defeated teams such as Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
The team had the momentum going into the playoffs as they faced off against the New York Giants. The Packers and Rodgers were unstoppable as they blow out the Giants 38-13 at Lambeau Field, per ESPN. Green Bay heads to Dallas with a lot of confidence but who's responsible for this turnaround?
According to Michael Silver of NFL.com, it all started with McCarthy, who set the tone for the Packers after that fateful night in Washington last November. Silver pointed out that McCarthy calmly weathered the adversity his team faced and stayed positive.
"He stayed positive, and it really set the tone. We understand that coaches get down, too, especially when they hear people say they're all getting fired and stuff like that. He did a really good job of keeping the room together and tuning out the noise," Packers guard T.J. Land told NFL.com.
The Packers have been here before since they were the sixth seed during their championship run in 2011. They can do it again this season but they have to overcome a Cowboys team that boasts the best offensive in football. The game between the Packers and Cowboys will be on Sunday at the AT&T Stadium.
