As soon as the Wild Card Round was set in stone for the playoffs, the NFL world quickly realized the obvious: Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy will be taking on the team he won a Super Bowl with, the Green Bay Packers in the opening weekend of the postseason.

Naturally, the opening question in McCarthy's press conference on Monday was related to his time in Green Bay and specifically, about playing Dak Prescott in the quarterback's first career playoff game back in January of 2017.

"I'm not reflecting this week," the Cowboys head coach was quick to respond.

Although he ended up sharing some thoughts on the match-up, McCarthy made it clear that this year, he's preaching selfishness over nostalgia as he gears up to play a team he knows very well.

"The biggest thing is, it's playoff time and it's really, I talked about in the team meeting today, this is a time for all of us to be selfish," McCarthy said. "Every player, every coach, every support staff member, because we put so much into this season getting ready for the season and we're right where we need to be. We need to take full advantage of that, and that's just really the tightness that we want in the commitment."

The strategy stands out because it's a different tune that McCarthy is singing as opposed to last season when the Cowboys traveled to Green Bay in Week 10 before losing at Lambeau Field. After losing in overtime, it seems like the head coach learned his lesson.

"Last year, I thought it was important for me to talk about Green Bay at the beginning of the week," McCarthy confessed. "I did it with the team, and I regretted it. I don't think that needs to come into our energy base. You live and learn; this game is about our commitment. It doesn't matter who we're playing, it really doesn't. (…) It's just no time for that. I answered the questions honestly and here last year about my experience up there. It will not help us win. So if it doesn't help us win the game, I'm not interested. I apologize."

That's a strong stance to take from McCarthy in a week where he can expect to be swarmed with more questions on his relationship to Green Bay. But it's clearly the correct one. He isn't messing around with the dangerous foe that is nostalgia and looking at the past when all the focus has to be in the present.

The Cowboys will have their hands full against the Packers in a game in which they're considered significant favorites at -7.5. Although it's a struggling team defensively speaking, Jordan Love is absolutely legit.

In his first year as a starter, Love threw 32 passing touchdowns and ranked 11th in passer rating and 5th in EPA/play, per RBSDM. When you watch the tape, you see high-difficulty throws and an ability to extend the plays. It might not be Rodgers up there but Dallas' defense will be challenged.

In other words, it's no walk in the park. And the Cowboys head coach knows better than to be caught up in nostalgia. It's do-or-die football and selfishness is the order of the day. The team is locked in and fans should love it. 

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