The Cowboys head into Sunday night’s trip to Green Bay with plenty on the line, and the matchup offers them a clean test of where this season is headed. After a rough Thursday night loss, Dallas gets a chance to steady itself against the Packers - or sink deeper into trouble.
A win at Lambeau would do more than just clean up the record. It would give the Cowboys a road statement, the kind that can drag a season back toward respectability. But if things go sideways again, the pressure only tightens.
One of the biggest questions centers on Jordan Love, who has been rolling through the air. He’s the only quarterback in the league to top 350 passing yards twice this season, and both of those outings came against top-five scoring defenses.
He lit up the Vikings, who rank first, and then did the same to the Bears, who sit fifth, last week. Love is also riding a very specific pattern: exactly two touchdown passes in each of his five games, with his yardage swinging wildly between more than 300 and fewer than 200.
He just put together his best performance of the season, finishing with a completion rate above 80% and a 137.5 passer rating. Six of his 10 touchdown passes have gone to one target, Christian Watson.
That connection is another major headache for Dallas. Watson has been thriving now that he’s healthy, putting together a standout season with two games of more than 140 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and he’s been seeing at least eight targets in nearly every game.
He has clearly taken over as the Packers’ top option in the passing game, which is bad timing for a Cowboys secondary that was thumped last week. The cornerback situation will draw a lot of attention, especially with Joey Porter Jr. newly added and DaRon Bland carrying plenty of concern around him.
How Dallas chooses to handle its coverages against Watson will be a major subplot.
If the Cowboys are going to keep pace, the offense may have to carry more of the load. Green Bay’s defense has been all over the map.
In its three wins, the Packers held opponents to 17 points or fewer, but those victories came against Geno Smith, Jalon Daniels, and Tyson Bagent. In their three losses, they gave up at least 35 points, though those games also featured Michael Penix Jr. and Carson Wentz at quarterback.
Dak Prescott is a much better passer than anyone on that list, so Dallas has reason to believe it can produce more than the Packers have seen from those backup-heavy opponents.
There’s also a pass-rush angle worth watching. Micah Parsons is still working back from the knee injury he suffered last season and won’t be out there, which removes the possibility of this being his showcase game.
That shifts the spotlight elsewhere, and Rashan Gary is the obvious candidate. The Cowboys traded for him to help secure the edge, but the production so far from him and the rest of Dallas’ pass rush has been quiet.
Green Bay’s offensive line has issues, too, especially at left tackle, where Jordan Morgan has been giving up pressure at a steady clip. That gives Gary a chance to make his old team pay.
Then there’s the run game, or the lack of one. Both teams can strike through the air, but both have struggled badly on the ground and in stopping the run.
That makes even a modest rushing attack feel vital here. Dallas needs to keep Javonte Williams involved and avoid falling into the habit of abandoning the run as soon as the game gets messy.
If that happens, the offense tends to get one-dimensional and start pressing. With Tyler Smith back, the interior should be stronger, and that could help create some room.
Green Bay has its own concerns at running back with Josh Jacobs out. MarShawn Lloyd showed some pop last week and scored twice despite gaining only 31 yards. If the Packers find any traction on the ground, it could become a long night for a Cowboys defense already bracing for a difficult matchup against Love and Watson through the air.
In Other News...
Cowboys May Be Rethinking Caleb Downs At The Worst Time
The Cowboys are heading into their next game against the Green Bay Packers with a notable adjustment in mind for rookie Caleb Downs, with the staff looking at using him differently and potentially sliding him back toward his original spot near the line of scrimmage. It is the kind of tweak that can say as much about where a defense is right now as it does about the player himself, and Dallas is making it with several contributors still sidelined by injuries.
Mike Pettines arrival as a senior defensive assistant adds another layer to the situation, giving the Cowboys another experienced voice as they sort through the latest version of their defensive puzzle. Elsewhere, the roster churn continues to be felt too, with Joe Milton having been signed off Dallas practice squad by the Philadelphia Eagles and now set to face his former team in an upcoming game. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Hit With Another Distraction Days Before Packers Game
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The play cost Dallas a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down for Tampa Bay, adding a little more irritation to a game already full of physical edge. It is the kind of detail that does not change the upcoming matchup on its own, but it does underscore how quickly the margins can become part of the conversation for a team trying to keep its focus on Green Bay. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cowboys Punters Tragic Death Brought An Emotional Family Reflection
Former NFL punter Kasey Redferns death has left a heavy mark on the football community, and for Cowboys fans it adds another somber note to a career that briefly ran through Dallas and several other NFL stops. Redfern, a Wofford product, spent time with the Jaguars, Chargers, Panthers, Browns, Lions, Cowboys and Falcons, a reminder of how many locker rooms he touched during his journey through the league.
Lauryl Redfern had shared updates as he battled brain cancer, offering a window into a fight that had become deeply personal for the family. His passing closes a difficult chapter, but it also underscores how quickly a players NFL story can become something much bigger than football, especially when the people closest to him are left carrying both the memories and the grief. [Read more 🡒]