When the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Detroit Lions 24-20 on Sunday in the wildcard round of the playoffs, it assured the Cowboys would travel to Lambeau Field for the divisional round as the highest-seeded winner in the NFC.

That win, even though it came at AT&T stadium in Arlington, Tex. where the Cowboys lost four games this season, made an impression on Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.

"The thing that I've been really impressed with and was evident in the Detroit game was they were down 14-0, and they just keep battling," said McCarthy. "They had a lot of big plays go against them. So they have that mental toughness to just keep going.

"You don't win eight games on the road without that, that's for sure. This will be a big challenge, but this is definitely something that jumps off the stat sheet when you see the eight wins on the road."

Remarkably, the Cowboys have been undefeated as the visiting team this season, and they'll take on a Packers team this upcoming weekend that's undefeated at home. 

Sunday Jan. 11 will mark the first time in NFL history that a team that went 8-0 at home in the regular season is hosting a team that went 8-0 on the road.

Although he's biased and his job description is primarily concerned with stopping the opposing team's offense, Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers thinks the key is the Cowboys rushing attack.

"I think what they've done speaks volumes," said Capers. "They've won every game on the road. They're obviously a good road team, and I guess it starts with their ability to run the ball, having a really good offensive line."

The Cowboys finished as the NFL's second ranked rushing offense, averaging 147.1 yards per game on the ground. Dallas running back DeMarco Murray, a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro selection, led the league in rushing 1,845 yards.

"I think he's a combination of size, I think he's got good vision and instincts," said Capers. "I think this offense is kind of built for him too."

It's been Murray and the Cowboys rush offense that's spurred them onto outscoring opponents 275 to 181 on the road this season.

Even Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson, someone who is generally unconcerned with the Cowboys offense, recognized the strength of their team.

"They're a good football team," said Nelson. "The way they run the ball and are able to play defense, you're going to win games on the road. They've won some very quality games on the road. But we're very good at home, and it's just going to make for a good match-up.

"We're going to have to come out and execute. These games are going to come down to execution. Whoever takes care of the ball and probably scores the most in the red zone is going to win it."

As Nelson notes, however, the Packers are pretty darn good when playing in the confines of Lambeau Field, outscoring opponents 318 to 163, outpacing the Cowboys' impressive output both offensively and defensively.

The traditional advantage the Packers have playing at home is that they're accustomed to the cold weather, which may or may not be all that favorable of a situation as many make it out to be.

On one hand, the Cowboys have not played a game below 35 degrees this season. On the other hand, even though the Packers are used to the cold weather, they have yet to play in one of those memorable bitterly freezing games yet this season either.

"We're going to have to deal with it," said Nelson. "If it gets too cold, which I don't think it's supposed to, it'll be new for us, especially this year, we've been very fortunate with our weather. But it will be an adjustment for them. But I think once the game gets going, it'll be fine."

A streak is going to come to an end on Sunday.

All things being equal, however, the Packers are grateful not to be in the Cowboys' shoes.

“It’s great to be playing at home, we prefer to play here,” said McCarthy. “This is playoff football and everything changes. But this is definitely where we want to play.”

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor at Cheesehead TV and its "Pro Football Draft Preview." To contact Brian, email [email protected].