The Cowboys came to Lambeau Field looking for a clean reset after the Tampa Bay loss, but the same issues followed them to Green Bay. Dallas spent much of Sunday night digging out of a 17-0 halftime hole, and the combination of turnovers, penalties and sluggish offense left the Cowboys chasing the Packers all evening in a 23-13 defeat.
There were a couple of bright spots mixed into the mess, but not nearly enough to change the story of the night.
Dee Winters gave Dallas the kind of defensive spark it has been missing. Late in the first quarter, he jumped Jordan Love’s throw, stepped in front of it and looked like he had a touchdown return before replay placed him down at the Green Bay 42-yard line.
Even without the score, the interception was exactly the sort of turnover the Cowboys had been waiting for. The problem was that the offense immediately gave it back with an interception of its own, but Winters still delivered a momentum play on a night when those were hard to find.
Quinnen Williams also showed why Dallas wanted him in the middle of the defense. He recorded a sack on Jordan Love and helped the Cowboys generate a more disruptive start up front.
Green Bay still found plenty through the air, but the Packers’ traditional run game wasn’t nearly as effective, and Williams’ pressure was one of the defense’s most useful early snaps. That’s the version of Williams Dallas expected when it paid the price to get him, the one affecting the game instead of just eating blocks.
On the other side of the ledger, Brian Schottenheimer lands in the wrong column again. For the second week in a row, Dallas looked unready offensively for long stretches, and the halftime line told the story: no points, two turnovers, and a defense that had already handed the offense chances it couldn’t cash in. That’s especially ugly against a Green Bay defense missing major pieces, including Micah Parsons, Javon Hargrave and Edgerrin Cooper.
Dallas spent the week talking about finding an offensive identity, with Javonte Williams and the run game part of that answer. Instead, the same problems showed up again.
Williams carried only 11 times, the Cowboys managed just 48 rushing yards, and the offense again seemed to need halftime before it found any pulse at all. At some point, the repeated slow starts fall on the head coach.
Dallas can’t keep showing up needing the second half to look prepared.
The third-down defense was another major letdown. This has become more than a one-game issue for the Cowboys, with opponents entering Week 6 already converting 30 of 57 third downs, a 52% rate.
Against Green Bay, Dallas repeatedly did the hard part by getting stops on first and second down, only to let the Packers extend drives when it mattered most. Green Bay finished 11-for-18 on third down, a 61% clip, and that kind of efficiency makes it almost impossible to control a game.
Dallas did force a key three-and-out to open the second half, which set up a touchdown drive, but that one series didn’t erase the larger problem.
Dak Prescott was another big reason the Cowboys never got fully back into it. He needed a strong response after the Tampa Bay game, but the turnovers kept coming.
Prescott threw two interceptions before the end of the third quarter, including one in Green Bay territory right after Winters had flipped the field. That wiped away a chance for Dallas to answer Green Bay’s opening touchdown.
The second pick came after CeeDee Lamb slipped, so that one doesn’t sit on Prescott, but the damage was already there. Dallas reached halftime without a point, its quarterback had two interceptions next to his name, and he looked rattled by the pressure.
Prescott didn’t throw a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter and finished with a 65.2 passer rating.
Caleb Downs also had a rough night trying to slow down Matthew Golden. Golden caught six passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, with explosive gains of 37 and 21 yards.
Dallas moved Downs around the defense, but whether he was deep or near the line, he couldn’t take away one of Jordan Love’s preferred targets. Golden found space repeatedly and made plays when Green Bay needed them, and most of that damage came with Downs in the matchup.
Rookie growing pains are part of the job, but Dallas drafted Downs to help erase explosive plays and keep dangerous receivers in check, and that didn’t happen here.
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Cowboys Lose Another Key Piece In A Night They Couldnt Afford It
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Jerry Jones still sounded encouraged by where the team is headed, pointing to the progress he sees despite Dallas sitting at 2-3. But a game like this serves as a reminder of how fragile that optimism can be when key pieces keep disappearing, especially on special teams, where Turpins speed and field-flipping ability are part of what makes this roster harder to defend. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Turn To Rookie As Pressure Builds On Struggling Defense
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Brian Schottenheimer has seen enough from Lawrence recently to make the move, and the coach signaled that more opportunities should follow. For a defense trying to steady itself, the decision gives Dallas a new look up front and a chance to see whether its young edge rusher can bring some needed energy into a difficult spot. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Sit Atop An NFC East Mess That Just Got Worse
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For the Cowboys, the bigger frustration is that the standings are still wide open even as the losses pile up. The Giants are sitting atop the division for now, but the upcoming slate could reshuffle everything again, leaving Dallas, Washington and the rest of the East to sort out whether this is a temporary rough patch or a much deeper slide. [Read more 🡒]