The Dallas Cowboys are back on the road in Week 6, trying to shake off another frustrating loss and find some answers under the bright lights at Lambeau Field.
After falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-16, at home in Week 5, Dallas now heads into Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers in a game that could turn into a shootout. The two teams played to a 40-40 tie last season, and both sides bring strong passing games into this matchup.
For Dallas, though, the biggest question is whether the defense can do enough to change the script. That’s where the Cowboys’ outlook gets interesting, because the matchup leans into a few areas where they might finally have the upper hand.
Javonte Williams has been productive in one sense, scoring six touchdowns through five games, but the rushing efficiency hasn’t matched the output. He’s averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and has 276 yards on the season. His best day came in Week 3, when he ran for 98 yards, and Dallas will need more than that if it wants to keep pace with Green Bay.
This week, though, the matchup gives Williams a real opening. The Packers have struggled to slow the run, sitting 24th in run defense, and injuries have thinned out their front seven. That sets up the Cowboys to lean on Williams early and often, with the expectation that he finally breaks through for his first 100-yard rushing game of the season.
There’s a similar edge on the other side of the ball. Dallas has been one of the league’s weaker run defenses, but Green Bay is missing Josh Jacobs to suspension and has been the NFL’s worst rushing offense. For once, the Cowboys should have the better of that battle, which opens the door for Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Otito Ogbonnia to make life hard for the Packers on the ground.
Brian Schottenheimer has already said the Cowboys will make some changes on defense, and one potential adjustment is getting rookie Malachi Lawrence more snaps. Lawrence has been trending upward and picked up his first sack of the season against Tampa Bay last week. The bold call here is that he keeps the momentum going and strings together back-to-back games with a sack.
Then there’s the takeaway drought. Dallas hasn’t intercepted a pass since Quinnen Williams picked off J.J. McCarthy in Week 15 of the 2025 season, and it came close to ending last week when DaRon Bland dropped what should have been an easy pick-six.
That streak finally gets snapped here, with the Cowboys coming away with an interception off Jordan Love.
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CBS Sports John Breech was among those to float the Cowboys as a possible fit, citing Jerry Jones long-standing connection with Deion Sanders as part of the logic. Even so, the football case for a deal is thin right now, since the Cowboys already have established backup quarterbacks and no obvious need to chase another arm, which makes the speculation interesting more for the name recognition than for the odds of an actual trade. [Read more 🡒]