Live Commentary: Dallas Cowboys 21-26 Green Bay Packers - as it happened

Good evening! It's just over half an hour until the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys go head-to-head for a place in the NFC Championship game next weekend. Let's start with a look at both teams' inactive lists.

PACKERS INACTIVES: Harris, Goodson, Bradford, Gerhart, Perillo, Janis, Gaston

COWBOYS INACTIVES: Vaughan, Smith, Anderson, Free, Hawkins, Boatright, Terrell McClain

Probably the most notable thing about the Packers' inactive list is the absence of a quarterback. Starter Aaron Rodgers has been struggling with a calf injury sustained during the final game of the regular season, and there are some fears over how ready he is to play this evening. The Packers have frequently left third-stringer Scott Tolzien on the inactives throughout the season, but he'll have to be ready to go if Matt Flynn has to take over from Rodgers at some point tonight.

The good news for the Cowboys is that linebacker Rolando McClain, who was listed as questionable on Friday, has passed the NFL's concussion tests and starts this evening. The formerly retired linebacker has had a huge impact on his return to the NFL, and will be key if the Cowboys are to stop Green Bay this evening. The fact that Dallas have left two linebackers, Keith Smith and James Anderson, on the sidelines suggests that they feel confident that McClain can shoulder a full workload this evening.

The current Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, await the winner of this game in next week's NFC Championship game. The Cowboys beat the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field during the regular season, but the Packers were well beaten in week one.

Here's Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo taking part in warmups a short while ago:

Homecoming #DALvsGB pic.twitter.com/O14R7N0nQG

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 11, 2015

Lambeau Field has a notoriously hostile climate at this time of year. It's not too bad at the moment though, as the latest forecast suggests that it is -4C with a 10% chance of snow. Volunteers have been helping clear the last bout of snow from the stadium over the last couple of days though.

These two sides did not meet in the regular season, with their last game coming late in the 2013 campaign. On that occasion, the Packers clinched a narrow 37-36 victory at the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.

Let's take a look at the two quarterbacks before the action gets underway. Aaron Rodgers completed 4,381 passing yards and threw 38 touchdown passes during the regular season with just five interceptions. Tony Romo missed a game with a fracture in his back, but still managed to notch up 3,705 passing yards and 34 touchdown passes, but has almost twice as many interceptions as his opposite number with nine.

Of course, in order for the quarterbacks to make an impact in the passing game they will need their leading receivers to have an impact. Dez Bryant has had another sensational year for the Cowboys, with 1,320 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches. The eternally underrated Jordy Nelson will be one of the main threat for the Packers, having posted figures of 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014.

The players have made their way out ready for kickoff. Rodgers seemed to run out relatively comfortably, so it doesn't look like that calf injury is giving him too much concern at the moment.

Player introductions are complete. Almost time for kickoff. #DALvsGB pic.twitter.com/ofauo0IL9c — Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 11, 2015

The Cowboys have won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first, so it will be the Packers to kick off the game in a matter of moments.

KICKOFF! Mason Crosby takes the opening kickoff, and the Cowboys will start their opening drive from their own 23-yard line.

DeMarco Murray had the opening two carries, picking up five yards on his first running, but he's pushed out of bounds for no gain on second down.

FUMBLE! Tony Romo gets ready to make his first throw of the day, but he's hit by Julius Peppers as he gets ready to make the pass and loses the football. The quarterback reacts quickly though as recovers it, but the Cowboys will still have to punt.

Eddie Lacy can't pick up a gain on the run with the first play of the day for the Green Bay offense, but Jordy Nelson collects an 11-yard pass on the next play to get the first down, before Lacy breaks free for a 19-yard run.

Lacy is finding plenty of gaps against the Cowboys defense at the minute as he gets another five yards, quickly followed by a 10-yard burst for another first down inside the Dallas 16.

The Green Bay Packers strike first as Eddie Lacy moves the home side to the four-yard line before Rodgers spots tight end Andrew Quarless at the back of the end zone, making the pass on the run to put the Packers ahead.

A good kick return from Dwayne Harris gives the NFC East side a better starting field position this time as he runs the ball out 30 yards to the Dallas 38 on the kickoff.

Murray runs the ball for six yards, but incomplete passes from Romo to Jason Witten and Murray mean it looks like another quick three and out for the visitors. However, the Packers are flagged for a defensive hold, so Dallas get an automatic first down.

The Cowboys move into Packers territory as Colt Beasley picks up a short ball from Romo before dodging several tackles for an 18-yard gain. That's also Romo's first completion of the game.

A couple of short runs from Murray move the chains for the Cowboys, but Romo looks to pass on the next play, and ends up having to run for a seven-yard gain as none of his receivers are open. Witten gets free a few plays later though, gaining eight to leave the Cowboys at the Green Bay 22. This is a promising looking drive for the Cowboys.

The Packers defense comes up strong to leave the the Cowboys on 3rd and 1. It comes at a cost though as Josh Boyd is down and seems to be in some pain.

There's also an injury concern for the Cowboys as Rolando McClain has gone into their locker room after sustaining a head injury. That would be a huge loss so early in the game, and is a worry given that he's only just returned from a concussion.

The Cowboys get the first down, and Romo tries to find Terrance Williams in the end zone on the next play, but it's almost intercepted by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Fullback Tyler Clutts is the surprise recipient of a Tony Romo touchdown pass as he hauls in just his second reception of the season. Clutts is left uncovered, and runs into the corner of the end zone before collecting the ball from the quarterback. Dan Bailey adds the extra point to level the scores.

The Packers start their second drive of the evening from their own 32 after a 23-yard kick return from Randall Cobb. Stark runs for four, but Rodgers' pass for Cobb is overthrown.

SACK! Rodgers takes his time waiting for Jordy Nelson to get free, but he's brought down by Jeremy Mincey before he can make the play. However, the reason the receiver wasn't where Rodgers wanted him to be was because he was being held by Brandon Carr, giving the Packers an automatic first down.

.@TylerClutts44 with his 1st career TD #DALvsGB pic.twitter.com/qj8WvmvA4o — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 11, 2015

John Kuhn can't hold on to the ball with the first play of the second quarter. However an offside from Spencer left the hosts with a free play, and Rodgers looked deep down field for Nelson, but the ball drifted just out of bounds before the receiver could haul it in.

On third down, Randall Cobb gets free to grab a 12-yard ball down the middle from Rodgers, before Starks picks up four on the run on the next play, moving Green Bay to the Dallas 39.

Starks continues to see plenty of the ball, battling for a three-yard gain before finding a gap to pick up six on the next play. Rodgers tries to keep hold of the ball and wait for a pass to open up, but he comes under pressure and throws it out the back of the end zone.

FUMBLE! Rookie center Corey Linsley snaps the ball before Rodgers is ready for it, and the quarterback initially appears to have the ball, but he drops it while coming under pressure from Mincey, and the defensive tackle makes the recovery to give the ball back to the Dallas offense.

Murray combines two runs for 12 yards to get a quick first down for the visitors, before Beasley completes an 11-yard gain to move the ball into Green Bay territory.

Romo finds Terrance Williams with a short pass, and the wide receiver avoid a couple of tackles before sprinted to the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys the lead for the first time this evening.

The Packers come back onto the field a they try to get the game back on level terms. After a couple of short gains, Jordy Nelson makes a catch at the 33-yard line for a first down.

Rodgers can't find Cobb before Lacy makes just a couple a yards, forcing the quarterback to try an ambitious long pass for Nelson on third down. The receiver can't make the catch though, so the Packers are forced to punt. Rodgers has been started to hobble a little more in the last couple of plays, indicating that he may be starting to feel that troublesome calf.

Dez Bryant makes a catch as the Cowboys offense comes back onto the field, but he comes up a yard short of the first down. Murray moves the chains on the next play though, forcing his way through the middle for a four-yard gain.

Tight end Jason Witten gets free to pick up an 18-yard reception on third down, leaving Murray to run for five on the next play to take the ball to the Green Bay 42. The Cowboys are looking good to extend their lead before the end of the second quarter.

Romo continues to look for Witten, and the veteran tight end gets the yardage for another first down. The quarterback is hit late and looks a bit shaken as he slowly gets back to his feet.

The Green Bay defense are really struggling to keep track of Witten on this drive as he has the time and space to make another catch, moving Dallas to the Green Bay 25.

The Cowboys have lost their first down as the officials reviewed Witten's catch, and the replays showed that he was down short, so the Cowboys are facing third down, but they need just a yard to move the chains again.

Romo can't keep hold of the snap, dropping the ball before eventually gathering it. He doesn't have time to look for an open receiver so just throws it out the back of the end zone. Dan Bailey will come on for the field goal, but the kicker will have to wait as Terrance Williams has picked up an injury.

MISSED FIELD GOAL! Bailey is initially left with a 45-yard effort, but a false start from the long snapper moves the visitors back to the 50-yard line, and he can't make the field goal, slicing the kick well wide of the right upright.

SACK! After finding Randall Cobb for a first down, Rodgers holds onto the ball too long, and is sacked for a loss of 10 by DeMarcus Lawrence.

Randall Cobb makes a big play, keeping his feet just in bounds for a 31-yard gain after a deep pass from Rodgers, getting the Packers into field goal range to give them a chance to cut the Dallas lead just before the break.

Mason Crosby easily makes the 40-yard field goal attempt with the final action of the first half to cut the Cowboys' lead the four points going into the break.

The Packers made a quicker start to the game, but the Cowboys' offense has looked in fine form once again. The late field goal will give Green Bay a boost at the break though as they will have the ball first in the third quarter, so could soon find themselves back in front.

Let's take a look at some of the stats from the first half. Tony Romo was the better of the two quarterback, completing nine of his 12 attempts for 114 yards, including two touchdowns, compared with nine completions from 15 for 90 yards and a touchdown from Aaron Rodgers.

Romo's success has come from spreading the ball around. DeMarco Murray has 57 rushing yards, while Jason Witten and Terrance Williams picked up 38 receiving yards, and Jason Witten's four receptions added up to 29. Dez Bryant hasn't had much of an impact yet though, making just one eight-yard catch so far.

Rodgers has relied on his top two receivers, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Eddie Lacy made rushing look easy on the first drive with 45 rushing yards from seven carries, but has been restricted to two carries for three yards since then.

Defensively, the Cowboys have had the edge, with Jeremy Mincey forcing a fumble from Rodgers, and DeMarcus Lawrence sacking the Packers quarterback, who has been struggling to protect a calf injury. Julius Peppers made a big play early on for the Packers, forcing a fumble from Romo, but the Dallas offense has shown the Green Bay defense up since then.

The Cowboys' first touchdown of the night came from fullback Tyler Clutts, who was in the end zone for the first time in his NFL career. Here he is celebrating with his teammates:
© Getty Images

The players are back out ready for the second half, with the Cowboys to take the kickoff.

KICKOFF! Mycah Hyde returns Dan Bailey's kickoff to the Green Bay 34.

Eddie Lacy is handed the ball on the first two plays of the quarter, picking up nine yards. Rodgers looks to the running back again to get the first down, and after a measurement Lacy is credited with the yard, so the Packers have the first down.

Rodgers really isn't looking himself this evening. He tries a deep pass for Nelson, but the ball is too high. After a short gain by Lacy, the quarterback turns to Cobb, but this time the pass is overthrown, forcing the hosts to punt.

INJURY UPDATE! The Cowboys have confirmed that Rolando McClain has a concussion, so will not be returning again today. It's the second playoff game in a row that the linebacker has been forced out of the game after a hit to the head.

The errors are starting to really cost the Packers now as a pass interference call against Julius Peppers gives the Cowboys a first down before Clay Matthews is penalised for false start.

FUMBLE! Romo hands the ball off to DeMarco Murray, who cuts to the left looking to move down field, but a big hit from Peppers results in the ball coming loose, and Jones pounces on it to recover for the Packers.

Eddie Lacy shows his power speed as he burst through the Cowboys' defensive line before sprinting for a 29-yard gain, taking the Packers to the Dallas 16 before being forced out of bounds by Church.

After Davante Adams picks up five yards, a fight breaks out involving players from both sides, but it's TJ Lang who gets the blame from the officials, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty which moves the home side back 15 yards.

Lacy can't get the yards for the first down so the Packers will attempt another field goal. That penalty has really cost the Packers as that had been a really strong drive that could have given them the lead again.

Mason Crosby makes it two from two with field goal attempts this evening, easily making the 30-yard attempt to cut Dallas's lead to just a single point. That will feel like mere consolation though after giving up such a promising field position a few plays earlier.

Dez Bryant finally gets free for a big gain, hauling in a 20-yard ball from Romo. Randle takes over from Murray on the run and sprints for 13 to move Dallas to the 42-yard line.

Romo comes under pressure in the pocket, and gets the ball to Witten, but a hit leaves him clearly in pain. He hands it off to Murray on the next play, who is forced out of bounds just a yard short by Clinton-Dix.

With Romo still wincing, the Cowboys stick with the running game, and Murray comes through, powering through from just a yard out. That was a quick drive from the Cowboys to give them an eight-point advantage. With Romo struggling though, this game could come down to which quarterback can last longest.

FUMBLE! Randall Cobb is back to receive the kickoff, but he fumbles while looking to make a run down the sideline. CJ Spillman forced the ball out, but he could not make the recovery, allowing the Packers to keep possession of the ball.

The Packers start their drive back in their own 10-yard line, but John Kuhn manages to get seven with the first catch of the drive, before a wayward pass from Rodgers intended for Adams is almost picked off by Hitchens.

Cobb makes amends for his fumble on the kickoff return, losing his marker to pick up a 26-yard gain and move the Packers across midfield.

Back-to-back incompletions intended for Nelson and Adams leave the Packers on third down, and their moved back further when Quarless false starts.

Needing 15 on third down, Rodgers goes deep to Davante Adams, but the wide receiver has plenty of room after the catch, and burst down field to the corner of the end zone for a 46-yard score. That gets the Packers right back in this game.

SACK! The Cowboys come back onto the field, and after picking up a few short gains, Romo is brought down by Perry for a loss of eight as his offensive line let the Packers through.

SACK! Romo is down again as Perry and Daniel find a way through this time to drop the quarterback for a loss of five. The Cowboys need 23 on third down, but Murray is brought down well short by Clay Matthews, so the Cowboys will punt.

Rodgers comes back onto the field and avoids a sack to get the ball to Quarless, who gains 13 before being pushed out of bounds.

Adams causes problems for the Dallas defense again, breaking free down the sideline for an 18-yard gain. Rodgers then picks out Cobb on back-to-back plays to move the home side to the Dallas 27.

Green Bay keep the ball moving as Quarless is left free down the right sideline, allowing the quarterback to get another six yards. The tight end gets the ball again on the next play for a first down. It feels like all the momentum has shifted to the Packers after the last couple of drives.

Aaron Rodgers was superb all through that drive, and he makes another well-placed pass to pick-out Richard Rodgers in the back corner. The home side leave the offense on the field to try for a two-point conversion, as the single would have only left them six points clear of Dallas, but Quarless could not make the catch.

DeMarco Murray quickly moves the Cowboys to midfielder as they try to restore the lead that they had held since the first half. The running back slips through the defensive line for a 30-yard gain, before Hyde trips him.

Bryant hasn't had the busiest game, but when he gets free he's making some stunning catches. Romo tosses the ball over the middle, and the wide receiver dives to pick up a 10-yard gain.

SACK! Romo moves to the side to try and escape a sack, but he just gives the Packers more time to prepare to bring him down, as Neal and Jones take him down for a pass of three. Once again the sack clearly leaves him in pain, but he eventually gets back to his feet.

Just after mentioning that all of Bryant's plays have been huge today, he comes up with the goods again, leaping high into the air to come down with a 31-yard pass. He tries to reach out for the end zone but is ruled just short. Green Bay have challenged the call as the ball did move once he had hit the ground, so they want the pass to be ruled incomplete.

OVERTURNED! The replays showed that the ball did move as Bryant hit the turf, so the reception is chalked off. The Cowboys also lose a down so the ball goes straight back to Green Bay. Bryant is clearly living with the call, he thought he had it!

After a couple of short gains from Lacy, Adams has yet another impact on this game, out-muscling Heath to get the first down and more, moving Green Bay to the Dallas 26. The rookie has really shown up in this season half - he currently has 117 yards and a touchdown.

Lacy tries to slip around the edge, but Hitchens keeps hold of him to bring the running back down for a gain of three. However, the Packers are now within Mason Crosby's field goal range, so they'll be hoping to extend their lead one way another before the end of the game.

Crawford tips the pass as Rodgers looks for Cobb, but the receiver makes the catch anyway, giving the Packers a first down. Barring a turnover, Green Bay will now be able to manage to clock to keep possession until the end of the game.

Rodgers kneels three plays in a row to run down the clock, and that seals the win for Green Bay.

So the Packers come from behind late on to move to the NFC Championship game, where they will take on the Seattle Seahawks for a place in this year's Super Bowl.

That's all from this game, but stick around as we'll have live coverage of the final game of the divisional round between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts starting shortly. Thanks for joining me this evening, goodbye.