ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky explains why the Packers' effort in their thrilling win over the Cowboys needs to be duplicated next week in the NFC Championship game against the Falcons. (0:48)

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Any number of thoughts could have entered Aaron Rodgers' mind with 35 seconds left in Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, and none of them would be considered tranquil.

So with most of the 93,396 at AT&T Stadium crazed that the home team had just tied the game at 31-31, the Green Bay Packers quarterback had one focus.

"I was thinking about on that last drive just thinking about my breathing and trying to steady that," Rodgers said. "I felt good. I felt very calm, and I was very positive in the huddle and felt like we were going to go down and score."

That calm during what may have seemed like a storm to most after the Cowboys came back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit ultimately lifted the Packers to a 34-31 victory over the NFC's No. 1 seed. It showed once again that Rodgers is better than most. With him at the helm, next Sunday's NFC Championship Game at the Atlanta Falcons could be just another conquest on the way to another Super Bowl title.

Aaron Rodgers' 36-yard pass set up Mason Crosby's game-winning field goal. Dan Powers/The Post-Crescant

That calm also could explain how Rodgers didn't buckle -- or fumble -- when safety Jeff Heath drilled him from behind on a blitz and sacked him for a 10-yard loss with 18 seconds to play. Or how two plays later, Rodgers rolled to his left and lofted the pass of the game that tight end Jared Cook collected as he dragged both feet in bounds for a 36-yard gain with 3 seconds left to set up Mason Crosby's game-winning 51-yard field goal.

"[No.] 12 makes it easy," said Cook, the eighth-year veteran who signed with the Packers last offseason. "He communicates with you, tells you how he wants certain routes, just describes to you how important it is to be on the same page with him. So he makes it easy for you by keeping up communicating constantly."

In those final seconds, Rodgers' instructions were simple yet clear.

"I was just speaking very positively about our opportunity, and reminded them that, with two timeouts, we don't need to be in a hurry to get out of bounds," Rodgers said. "Let's get yards because yards are going to be more important with two timeouts."

So where does Rodgers find the composure?

From practice.

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"We made those throws before in practice so it was a matter of trusting your muscle memory and your training and thinking about a positive picture when you're breaking the huddle and executing the right way," he said.

Or as veteran pass-rusher Julius Peppers put it: "That was pretty much the normal stuff that he does every week, so no surprise there."

Pressure? What pressure?

"I love that part; I love the challenge," Rodgers said. "I love the opportunity to go out there and make plays."

Rodgers has made so many of them since that day in November, when he stood at his Lambeau Field locker and said he thought the 4-6 Packers could run the table. Eight straight wins later, and Rodgers has only added to his remarkable legacy. He threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns and although his interception-free streak ended at 318 straight attempts, there's little reason to think he can't repeat that performance against the Falcons.

And he might have to, considering Atlanta's high-powered offense could turn the NFC title game into another shootout like the two teams had back in October, when the Falcons escaped with a 33-32 win at the Georgia Dome.

"It's incredible watching him, Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott said of Rodgers. "I hate it in this circumstance, but he's an incredible quarterback."