Aaron Jones grew up as a Cowboys fan after inheriting the fandom from his father. His favorite player was running back Emmitt Smith, who made a Hall of Fame career in Dallas by carving up defenses.
Jones also put himself on the football map in the state of Texas. He played high school football in El Paso and spent his college career at UTEP.
So every time he gets the chance to play against the Cowboys, it feels like a “full-circle moment,” the Packers running back said after Sunday’s 48-32 wild-card win vs. Dallas.
“My dad did get to see me play here my rookie year, but other than that, he hadn’t and I know he was in there tonight,” Jones said after the game. “So it was just a special place, Dallas is a special place to me so just a full-circle moment. Feels like home.”
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Jones shows that comfort every time he faces the Cowboys. And he did again Sunday in the No. 7 seed Packers’ routed of the No. 2 Cowboys. Jones played a major role in knocking his former favorite team out of the playoffs and stunning the hometown crowd at AT&T Stadium.
Aaron Jones stats vs. Cowboys
Jones stood out as one of many reasons the Packers cooked Dallas’ vaunted defense in the wild-card round. He finished the game with 21 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
To put that stat line in perspective, Jones finished the regular season averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and he scored just two rushing touchdowns in 11 games this season.
This success against Dallas isn’t anything new for Jones. He has played just four games against the Cowboys in his career, and he has surpassed 100 yards every time. Since he started his career in 2017, he has rushed for at least 100 yards in 21 games (regular or postseason), including the four against Dallas.
| Date | Final Score | Atts | Yds | TDs |
| Oct. 8, 2017 | 35-31, Packers | 19 | 125 | 1 |
| Oct. 6, 2019 | 34-24, Packers | 19 | 107 | 4 |
| Nov. 13, 2022 | 31-28, Packers | 24 | 138 | 1 |
| Jan. 14, 2024 | 48-32, Packers | 21 | 118 | 3 |
| Career | — | 83 | 488 | 9 |
Opposing running backs vs. Cowboys
Since Jones entered the NFL in 2017, no opposing running back has had such success against the Cowboys. Only Giants running back Saquon Barkley has had more rushing yards against Dallas with 581, but he’s done that in 10 games compared to Jones’ 4.
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Jones hasn’t just been dominant among recent running backs. Even historically, few can compare to his dominance over Dallas. His average of 5.9 yards per attempt is the most for any running back with at least 80 attempts against the Cowboys. Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is the next closest, averaging 5.6 yards per attempt on 114 career carries against Dallas, per Stathead.
Jones’ nine rushing touchdowns already rank third all time for any player against Dallas. The only players above him, John Riggins (10) and Stephen Davis (10), played in 19 and 14 games against the Cowboys, respectively.
And according to the NFL, his 122 rushing yards per game are the most for any player with at least three games played against Dallas.
With numbers like that, it’s easy to see why many think Jerry isn’t the only Jones to hold an ownership stake of the Cowboys.
Aaron Jones is the Owner of the Cowboys according to Wikipedia 🤣 pic.twitter.com/uLpnu5mNgj
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 14, 2024
