ARLINGTON, Texas -- Welcome to AT&T Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys take on the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs.

The Cowboys aim to score a better ending in this year's playoff game against the Packers than they did two years ago when Dez Bryant's reception was overturned. Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Two years ago, the Cowboys’ season ended painfully at Lambeau Field 26-21 after a Dez Bryant catch at the Packers goal line was overturned by replay. In October, the Cowboys beat the Packers 30-16 at Lambeau with Dak Prescott throwing three touchdown passes and Ezekiel Elliott rushing for 157 yards as the defense contained Aaron Rodgers.

But those Packers aren’t around anymore. These Packers come to town with a seven-game winning streak, and Rodgers is playing better than he ever has in a career that has seen him named the NFL's Most Valuable Player twice.

Another threat: Jared Cook did not play when these teams met in October, but he has become one of Rodgers’ trusted targets down the stretch with 18 catches in the last four games.

“He’s a deep threat,” said safety Byron Jones, who will be matched up on Cook. “He’s a tight end who can run and catch the ball pretty well. They seem to have a good connection, him and Aaron Rodgers.”

The Cowboys have done a solid job on tight ends this season, but in the Week 17 regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, tight end Zach Ertz caught 13 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Jones was not solely responsible for Ertz, but it’s not the best of ways to go into the postseason.

Still, Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has faith in Jones.

“I think overall he’s been really good,” Marinelli said. “He’s a great matchup guy. He’s got height, he’s got length, he can jump and he can really cover. He’s got great feet. So we like our matchups. The game is about really mindset and who wants to execute.”

2016 NFL Playoff Coverage • Schedule and top stories for every team

• FiveThirtyEight predictions

Still going: In 2003, Julius Peppers, then a defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, intercepted a pass in their wild-card win against the Cowboys. On Sunday, the Cowboys still have to account for Peppers, who is among the Packers' better pass-rushers.

He had a sack in last week’s wild-card round win against the New York Giants and has 8.5 on the season. In five playoff games for the Packers, he has 4.5 sacks.

In the first meeting with the Cowboys, Peppers had one of the 3.5 sacks he recorded during the first nine games as the Packers limited his work. Due to injuries and a need to bolster the pass rush, Peppers has played more, and he has five sacks in his last eight games.

“You think about when he came up with Carolina, and then what he did in Chicago, and now what he’s doing in Green Bay, he was described as kind of a freakish athlete coming out. I think we’ve all seen that,” Jason Garrett said. “Again, where he gets my respect and the respect of coaches and players all around the league is just what he’s done on a consistent basis over the course of his career. He’s a great, great football player. He’s great defending the run. He’s great affecting the quarterback. He’s made a ton of plays throughout his career. Regardless of what stage he’s on, what team he’s playing for, he always seems to show up. We certainly have a healthy respect for him and what he’s done.”

The ref: For the third time this season, the Cowboys will see Tony Corrente as the referee, but he will not have his crew. The NFL uses mixed crews in the postseason. The Cowboys won both of their games with Corrente in 2016, beating the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings. Since 2010, the Cowboys are 5-2 with Corrente as the referee, but they have been more penalized than their foes (59 times for 493 yards compared to 41 penalties for 353 yards). In Week 17, Corrente and his crew worked the Seattle Seahawks' win against the San Francisco 49ers and called just eight penalties for 59 yards. Corrente’s last playoff game was in last year’s divisional round between the Carolina Panthers and Seahawks, and his crew called just six penalties for 45 yards.