The Dallas Cowboys need a clean rebound against the Green Bay Packers, and the offensive line sits right at the center of it. If Dallas is going to steady things, it has to start with how the big men handle a Packers front that can still create problems even if the numbers don’t all line up neatly.
Through the first part of the 2026 season, the Cowboys’ line has been a mixed bag. Dallas owns a 50% Pass Block Win Rate, which ranks 17th, and a 69% Run Block Win Rate, which sits 31st. The unit has allowed pressure on 27% of dropbacks, good for 10th, but it has also given up six sacks, tied for second-most.
Green Bay’s sack total jumps off the page at 14, but the deeper numbers tell a different story. The Packers rank 29th in Pass Rush Win Rate, which points to a defense that is not consistently winning straight-up at the line of scrimmage. Instead, Green Bay has leaned on extra rushers and disguise, and that is the part Dallas has to be ready for.
That matters because Tampa Bay already showed the blueprint for bothering this offense. The Buccaneers kept changing pressure looks and blitzing from different angles, which made life difficult for Dallas even though Dak Prescott was officially sacked zero times. The Cowboys never found a comfortable rhythm, Tampa Bay held the ball for more than 39 minutes, and Dallas finished with just 16 points.
So the job begins before the snap. Cooper Beebe has to sort out the pictures he sees.
Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker have to stay sharp when defenders cross or when linebackers show up late. Dallas handled the numbers against Tampa Bay well enough, but the next step is dealing with pressure without letting the offense get rattled every time the defense threatens to send extra bodies.
The Packers also bring a different kind of interior danger now that Micah Parsons is not expected back this week. Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur said the team is still waiting for medical clearance, which removes a major matchup headache from Dallas’ prep. But Devonte Wyatt is very much in the picture after posting two sacks against Chicago last week.
That matters because pressure from the middle changes everything for a quarterback. An edge rush can force movement, but interior pressure shuts the door in front of you. Prescott cannot just climb away if Wyatt gets loose inside.
There is a path for Dallas to create offense on the ground, too. Green Bay’s Run Stop Win Rate is 28th, and opponents have already piled up 638 rushing yards and eight touchdowns at 4.1 yards per carry. The Packers have also taken major hits in the front seven and along the defensive line.
Edgerrin Cooper is out for the season after tearing his Achilles. Before the injury, he had 30 tackles and six tackles for loss and was emerging as one of Green Bay’s most important defenders.
Javon Hargrave also suffered an Achilles injury against Chicago and is expected to miss the rest of the season. That’s exactly the area Dallas should try to exploit.
Tyler Booker has been one of the Cowboys’ best answers there. His 80.0 PFF run-blocking grade ranks ninth among guards, and Tyler Smith gives Dallas its most powerful lineman on the other side. If the Cowboys can generate movement inside with double teams, they can force Green Bay’s replacement linebackers to come downhill and finish plays.
The other big question is whether Green Bay can win without blitzing. Its sack total says one thing, but the rest of the profile says another.
The Packers’ 43% Pass Rush Win Rate ranks 29th, and their 25% QB pressure rate ranks 24th. That’s why the blitz package has done so much of the heavy lifting.
If Green Bay only rushes four, Dallas should have reason to feel good about its protection. Tyler Guyton has been one of the Cowboys’ biggest bright spots, ranking near the top of the league among tackles in several statistical categories and PFF blocking grades. If Guyton and Terence Steele can hold up on the edges, Dallas can open up more of the offense for Jake Ferguson and the running backs instead of constantly leaving extra help beside the tackles.
If the Packers do blitz, then everything again comes back to the interior. Prescott needs quick answers, and Booker becomes a central piece in both protection and the run game.
Booker’s matchup with Wyatt is the one to watch. Wyatt showed against Chicago that he can wreck a game from the middle, finishing with two sacks and a forced fumble.
Booker has become Dallas’ most dependable run blocker and has allowed only six total pressures without giving up a sack this season. He has to keep Wyatt from collapsing the pocket when Dallas throws, and he has to move him backward when the Cowboys hand it off to Javonte Williams.
That run game matters for another simple reason: Dallas has to avoid the long-yardage situations that let Green Bay unleash its pressure packages. The Cowboys ran for only 50 yards last week and now sit 29th in rushing production and 31st in Run Block Win Rate. But the Packers are vulnerable enough against the run that Dallas has a real chance to change the script if it can stay ahead of the chains.
The Cowboys’ offensive line is at full strength, while Green Bay is suddenly thin in several spots. Jordon Riley is slowly working back from the Achilles injury he suffered in Week 17 of last season, Colin Oliver and Warren Brinson are both on IR, and Anthony Campbell is questionable, so his status is one to watch on the practice report.
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