'Carpe Omnia!' Can Cowboys Live Up to Their Motto vs. Packers?
"Seize everything" - that is, "Carpe Omnia" - was the mantra for the Dallas Cowboys this season as announced in September by coach Mike McCarthy. The Latin phrase has now taken hold; at The Star, in addition to signage inside the team's facility, banners fly from light poles broadcasting the phrase.
"I think themes are important,'' McCarthy said in September. "They come to you at different points of the offseason. This came a little different. I think it needs to illustrate where you feel your football team is at, where they are, in their progression towards winning a championship.''
How "seizable'' is the goal now? After 28 years of missed opportunities and disappointment, it seems for the first time since their 1995 Super Bowl win, the Cowboys have their best shot at ending their disappearance from the NFC Championship game.
After seizing the NFC East, winning seven of their last 10 on their way to denying the Philadelphia Eagles their chance at becoming the first repeat division champion since 2004, the Cowboys will open the playoffs at home inside AT&T Stadium, facing a familiar foe, the Green Bay Packers.
Oct 6, 2019; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) scrambles in the fourth quarter against Green Bay Packers linebacker Preston Smith (91) at AT&T Stadium.
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The former team of Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has also been a common roadblock for Dallas over the last few years.
The rivalry between the Cowboys and Packers is well known for the 2014 Divisional Round playoff game, where Dez Bryant made the catch that wasn't a catch. Then, a few later, the Packers escaped Jerry World again in the playoffs with a win thanks to fourth-quarter heroics from Aaron Rodgers and Mason Crosby.
However, the common denominator in each of those playoff heartbreaks for the Cowboys - Rodgers - is no longer in Green Bay. Thanks to last offseason's blockbuster trade that sent Rodgers to the New York Jets, the Cowboys won't have to worry about the reoccurring nightmare that is the 40-year-old signal-caller who boasts an 8-3 record against them.
Not only is the absence of Rodgers potentially working in the Cowboys' favor, but they'll also have home-field advantage. The Cowboys have turned AT&T Stadium into a fortress this season, sporting an 8-0 record while having won 15 straight at home across the last two seasons.
Thanks to the No. 2 seed, as long as the Cowboys can seize the opportunity on Sunday versus the Packers, they'll have another home game in the Divisional Round before potentially having to go on for the NFC Championship if the San Francisco 49ers take care of their business.
Kickoff on Sunday is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT. ... with another chapter of "Carpe Omnia'' about to unfold.
