Ten for Titletown: the things that led Packers past Dallas and into NFC Championship

Few fans will ever forget the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game two years ago, but perhaps it softens the blow a little to see Green Bay win a thriller over Dallas on Jan. 15, a 34-31 victory that ended on Mason Crosby's 51-yard field goal. Take a look back at the 10 moments that helped the Packers survive the loss of an 18-point lead and march back to the NFC Championship in 2017.

1. Crosby from 50 -- twice (0:00/4th). The longest game-winning field goal in NFL playoff history now belongs to Mason Crosby, a 10-year NFL veteran who actually hit the game-winning strike twice (the first make was negated by a Dallas Cowboys timeout). The ball initially looked like it was drifting left, but it stabilized and tucked between the goal posts as time expired to send the Packers to a 34-31 victory. Crosby also made a monster 56-yard field goal with 1:33 to play to give the Packers a short-lived lead. It was the biggest moment in Crosby's career, a path that has been arduous at times. But he has risen to the status of best kicker in franchise history.

2. The Cook Catch (0:12/4th). In truth, Cook was a big weapon all day, making a sliding third-down catch in the first quarter and also catching a touchdown on a great play fake from Aaron Rodgers to make it 28-13 in the third quarter. He set up that score with a 26-yard catch on a seam route one play earlier. But nothing beats this play, where Aaron Rodgers rolled left and threw a strike 36 yards to the tight end, who made a tight-rope catch along the sideline and put the Packers in position to kick a game-winning field goal. It's precisely the reason the Packers brought Jared Cook in as a free agent in the offseason. Cook's return in November has coincided with the Packers winning eight consecutive games.

3. Aaron Rodgers just being a boss (all game). The last time the Packers were in the position to reach the Super Bowl, they were there despite the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers was suffering from a calf injury that limited his mobility. He's not limited this time around, and teams simply can't stop him. Rodgers completed 28 of 43 passes for two touchdowns and his first interception in the team's eight-game winning streak, and he also ran for another 16 yards. He may not wind up with his third NFL MVP trophy this year, but he has delivered a worthy performance.

4. Micah Hyde jumps the route (7:19/3rd). The Packers failed to cash in on it, but Micah Hyde's ability to read a Cowboys play and jump a short pass route for an interception in the third quarter short-circuited a scoring drive that could have ended in Cowboys points and also milked 4:52 off the clock. On 2nd and 1 from the Green Bay 19, Hyde returned his interception for 18 yards. The Packers' subsequent series also ended in an interception. Hyde also had a sack in the game.

5. Clocked management (0:47/4th). One of the hottest items of discussion from the Cowboys' perspective came in the fourth quarter when Dallas was assembling the drive that resulted in a field goal, which tied the game at 31 with 35 seconds left. After an 11-yard gain to the Green Bay 40, quarterback Dak Prescott ran to the line of scrimmage and spiked the ball with 47 seconds left. Presumably, Dallas wanted to save the timeout to get Dan Bailey out for a game-tying field goal, but the Cowboys never got to use that timeout after a short pass yielded seven yards and an incomplete pass caused the drive to stall with 35 seconds on the clock. Bailey hit the 52-yarder, but the Cowboys have to wonder if that play would have been better off used as an attempt to further roll down the field.

6. Aaron holds on (0:23/4th). It certainly can't be called the biggest Rodgers feat of the game, but when the quarterback was sacked on a safety blitz from the blind side by Jeff Heath on the final drive of the game, it looked like a fumble waiting to happen. But somehow, even though he was clasping the ball with one hand, Rodgers kept possession on the way to the ground, and though he lost 10 yards, he kept the ball in Green Bay's clutches long enough for the Packers to set up the dramatic finish.

7. Going clubbing (0:44/4th). Nick Perry has been one of the Packers' bright spots this season, and he may have made his biggest play of the year when he jumped to knock down a pass with 44 seconds left on 3rd and 3 as Dallas was attempting to secure the tying or winning points. With an injury that necessitated a club on his right hand, Perry nonetheless got in the way of the ball that fell incomplete and probably would have resulted in a first-down completion. Perry also had a sack in the game.

8. The Cowboys penalties (5:55/1st and 2:00/4th). A strange, seemingly seldom-called penalty forced the Cowboys to take a 15-yard hit for unsportsmanlike conduct when Brice Butler reported to the huddle before a 2nd and 5 play on the Green Bay 37, then left the field. The result of the play as a 22-yard gain that went down to the Green Bay 15, but the flag backed the Cowboys back up to their own 48 and ultimately led to a punt. Later in the game came an even bigger penalty that negated a Cowboys interception. It's unclear why Aaron Rodgers threw the ball so recklessly with 2:00 left in the fourth quarter on a ball that was run down and intercepted by Heath, but the Cowboys were hit with a pass interference penalty on the play by Anthony Brown, which allowed the drive to continue and ended with the first of Mason Crosby's two lengthy field goals. Not only that, but the remainder of the drive forced the Cowboys to use two of their timeouts to keep enough time on the clock for an answer that eventually came.

9. Rodgers to Rodgers (8:58/1st). We've become accustomed to great throws from Aaron Rodgers, and Richard Rodgers probably won't cement a better place in Packers lore than his Hail Mary catch against Detroit last year. But this was a dandy, Green Bay's first score of the game that came on a free play after Dallas had been whistled for offsides. The throw was pinpoint, sliding through the raised arm of defender Sean Lee (whose back was to the play) and right into the arms of Richard Rodgers as he hit the turf. Dallas scored first to take a 3-0 lead, but after this touchdown, Green Bay never trailed.

10. Early incompletion on 3rd and 2 from GB 32 (11:33/1st). It's a minor footnote now, but early in the game (and for most of the first half), Cowboys fans were displeased that running back Ezekiel Elliott was used in a limited capacity. This was probably the best example of that sentiment on the first drive of the game, when quarterback Dak Prescott tried a short pass to Dez Bryant that wound up incomplete and forced the Cowboys to settle for an early field goal.

Extra: Say, Geronimo. Not having Jordy Nelson meant the Packers would be missing one of their best receiving weapons, but the presence of Gernomio Allison, a polished undrafted free agent who made the practice squad after an excellent training camp, allowed Green Bay to not miss a beat in its vaunted passing game. It's easy to forget he's only been playing NFL football since Week 8. Allison caught a 9-yard pass on third down in the first quarter on a drive that ultimately ended in a touchdown. He also caught a 26-yard pass play on the subsequent touchdown drive. He finished with three catches for 46 yards. Not to be outdone, Davante Adams caught five passes for 76 yards.