At Last, Packers Break Ice

GREEN BAY — They appeared frozen in place, more than 60,000 Cheeseheads waving yellow towels, refusing to leave Lambeau Field after waiting so long for their heroes to vanquish these hated Cowboys.

They had come early, sitting by their hibachis for four hours roasting brats and sipping cold beer, whipped by a wind chill of minus-four degrees, and yet seemingly oblivious to its bite.

Three more hours they sat in the stands, rewarded at a full day’s end with a 45-17 Packer victory, and although both teams had already adjourned to their locker rooms, the people of Green Bay remained, basking in the warm glow of victory. And although they have now witnessed 25 consecutive regular-season and playoff victories at Lambeau Field, this one was about validating Titletown as home to America’s real team.

Green Bay (9-3) won the Lombardi Trophy last year, but the Packers had not beaten Dallas (6-6). Eight consecutive times the Cowboys had whipped the Packers, the last seven having been registered in Dallas, each a Texas-size whipping with Green Bay coming no closer than 10 points.

But on this Sunday in November, a date that had been discussed around here more than the weather, the Packers defeated the Cowboys in the state of Wisconsin for the first time since 1989, and with losses by Minnesota and Tampa Bay, they took the lead in the NFC Central Division.

For Dallas, short on tiebreakers and probably needing to win the remainder of its games to qualify for the playoffs, it was an afternoon reminiscent of the Cowboys’ season. Unable to make the big plays, they also continued to stop themselves short of the end zone with penalties, and remained in character to the end, refusing to doff their 10-gallon hats to anyone.

“Winning at Green Bay you don’t prove anything,” wide receiver Michael Irvin said. “You prove something when you at win at San Diego [Super Bowl XXXII]. If Green Bay wins the Super Bowl, they prove something.”

Green Bay placed itself in position to return to San Diego the old-fashioned way with traditional smash-mouth Packer football. Dorsey Levens led the charge, trampling the Cowboys for 190 yards in 33 carries and breaking Jim Taylor’s franchise record of 186 yards set against the Giants in Milwaukee in 1961.

“I know who Jim Taylor is, and the record is nice, but this game was all about getting the monkey off our backs,” Levens said. “I remember--like it was yesterday--the picture is so vivid after they kicked the [seventh] field goal down there in Dallas last year and Reggie White was pointing at their sideline and saying, ‘Come to Lambeau.’ That’s all I could think of. . . . I mean the home field is something people just can’t understand.

“You could see it in warmups--I knew we had the advantage when those guys left about 10 minutes early. We were still out there and those guys were gone, so you knew the cold was already in their minds. You jump on a team, and it goes from being cold to unbearable, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Well, not exactly. The Packers and Cowboys played it close--so close that each team had the ball for exactly 15 minutes in the first half--and left at halftime with the score tied, 10-10.

Levens had scored the Packers’ first touchdown on a seven-yard pass from quarterback Brett Favre, and the Cowboys had come back to take their only lead with a field goal followed by a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by Deion Sanders.

“Sure, I was scared at that point,” said Favre, who finished with four touchdown passes for the 12th time in his career. “There’s been some hard times against those guys, but we said at halftime, let’s see what we’re made of.”

After the Packers ended the first half with a field goal to tie the score, they scored every time they had the ball in the second half. Two short touchdown passes to tight end Mark Chmura gave Green Bay a 24-10 lead and, after Dallas running back Emmitt Smith broke free for a 21-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter, Favre came back with a 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Freeman.

Green Bay then dedicated the final minutes to getting Levens’ his rushing record and embarrassing the Cowboys. Levens ran five yards for his second touchdown of the game and, with 1:33 to play, Green Bay cornerback Darren Sharper picked up a Sherman Williams fumble and returned it 34 yards for a score.

“Just another game,” joked Green Bay Coach Mike Holmgren. “[Beating Dallas] was one of those this things we hadn’t been able to do since I’ve been here. There’s really a good feeling in that locker room--not just for me--but for everybody. It was a very emotional game.”

Favre, 21-0 in games in which the temperature was below 35 degrees, found himself so overwhelmed by the proceedings that on two occasions he called an audible from a pass play to a running play. “Something I’m not fond of and almost never do,” he said.

“But the offensive line was doing such a good job, we just decided to let Dorsey have some fun.”

Levens, who topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the fifth time this season to join only Taylor and Tony Canadeo in achieving that feat, had been pulled aside earlier in the week and told the Packers were going to concentrate on running the ball to beat Dallas.

“I said, ‘Yeah, sure,’ ” said Levens, who also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark this season. “I’ve heard that before, and then when they made Aaron Hayden inactive for the game--the only guy with any experience to replace me--I just didn’t think they were going to stay with the run.”

Levens ran nine times in the first half and 24 times in the second half to grind down the Cowboys.

“I’m going to enjoy this one and be very emotional tonight after beating Dallas,” Holmgren said. “I have exorcised one demon--next week [in Minnesota] I will have another.”

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COVERAGE

Saints Are Getting to Ditka

New Orleans Saint Coach Mike Ditka strongly implied he will quit after the season if his team doesn’t how dramatic improvement. C4

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

AT A GLANCE

UPSETS

* Chicago: 13

* Tampa Bay: 7

Bears hold Buccaneers to 35 yards rushing and overcome Bryan Cox’s outbursts to earn 600th win in franchise history. C6

* Philadelphia: 23

* Pittsburgh: 20

Making only his second NFL start, Bobby Hoying passes for two touchdowns with no interceptions to lead Eagles. C7

THE REST

* Green Bay: 45

* Dallas: 17

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* New England: 27

* Miami: 24

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* N.Y. Jets: 23

* Minnesota: 21

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* Arizona: 16

* Baltimore: 13

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* Tennessee: 31

* Buffalo: 14

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* Detroit: 32

* Indianapolis: 10

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* Atlanta: 20

* New Orleans: 3

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* Carolina: 16

* St. Louis: 10

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* Cincinnati: 31

* Jacksonville: 26

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* Kansas City: 19

* Seattle: 14

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* San Francisco: 17

* San Diego: 10

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* N.Y. Giants: 7

* Washington: 7