Green Bay Packers beat Dallas Cowboys to move clear in NFC North
Monday 14 December 2015 10:36, UK
The Green Bay Packers improved their post-season hopes with a dominant 28-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field.
Aaron Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes to move the Packers to 9-4, a game clear of sole NFC North title rivals Minnesota with three games remaining in the regular season.
After a scoreless opening 15 minutes, the Packers broke the game open in the second quarter, where Rodgers threw both of his touchdown passes, opening up with a 13-yarder to James Starks.
He found tight end Richard Rodgers for a second score, making it 14-0 at half-time, before Dallas briefly showed signs of life in the third with what turned out to be their only score, a seven-yard rushing touchdown from Robert Turbin.
But Green Bay were able to control the clock with their running game and Starks scored his second touchdown in the fourth quarter, this one coming on a 30-yard run.
Eddie Lacy plunged over from a yard to complete the scoring, and the lead back enjoyed one of his best games of the season as he piled up 124 yards on 24 carries.
The Cowboys, despite their 4-9 record, remain in the hunt for the NFC East title although they are two games adrift of the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.
But they will need to win their last three games of the season and require much more from veteran quarterback Matt Cassel, who completed only 13 of his 29 passes for 114 yards and was intercepted by Sam Shields.
"These teams, teams like Green Bay, they're going to go to another level here as they get on near the playoffs," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "That's the way you do it in the NFL, and we weren't up to it tonight."
Elsewhere in Week 14, Khalil Mack produced one of the defensive displays of the season to help the Oakland Raiders to a surprise 15-12 win over the Denver Broncos.
Mack sacked Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler five times, one of those earning the Raiders a safety, as they battled back from a 12-0 half-time deficit to beat the AFC West leaders, who failed to score a touchdown.
Brandon McManus hit four first-half field goals to give Denver a handy lead, but they would fail to score another point in the second half and Seth Roberts cut the deficit when he caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr.
Mack's safety cut Denver's lead to three points and they grabbed the lead inside the first minute of the fourth quarter when Carr hooked up with Mychal Rivera for a 16-yard touchdown.
Osweiler tried to rally the Broncos, but Mack's almost constant pressure and a lack of running game meant his efforts came up short despite completing 35-of-51 passes for 308 yards.
