The Green Bay Packers keep tightening the screws on defense, and Sunday night in Dallas was another clear sign of where this team is headed. Green Bay rolled to a 23-13 win over the Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football,” marking the third straight game in which the Packers allowed 14 points or fewer.
And while the Cowboys’ defense has drawn plenty of attention for all the wrong reasons this season, it was Dallas’ offense that never really got going in this one. Green Bay’s defense smothered the league’s sixth-ranked scoring offense entering the night, forcing the issue early and controlling the game from there.
The Packers set the tone with two first-half interceptions. Evan Williams came down with the first one inside the five-yard line, wiping out a Cowboys chance moments after Jordan Love’s lone turnover of the night had handed Dallas favorable field position. Then, before halftime, rookie Brandon Cisse grabbed his first interception as the Cowboys were driving again, helping Green Bay hold onto a 10-0 lead.
It all fit a bigger trend for a Packers defense that has come a long way from the 1-2 start that followed a rough 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in September. Over the last two weeks, Green Bay held rookie backup QB Jalon Daniels and backup Tyson Bagent to a combined 21 points. Against Dallas, the pressure kept coming, the mistakes kept piling up for the Cowboys, and the Packers kept answering.
Green Bay still has work to do in the run game, with Josh Jacobs potentially able to help if he returns. But the defense has become the loudest voice on this team, and Sunday night was more evidence.
Matthew Golden was the offensive spark that kept the Packers ahead. The second-year wide receiver led Green Bay with six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, and he made his presence felt right away. He opened the night with a 37-yard catch, then followed that up with the game’s first score a few plays later.
Love did enough to keep the offense moving despite the missing run support, finishing 23-of-41 for 276 yards with one touchdown and one interception, along with another score on the ground. But Golden was a major piece of that production, even if his 13 targets didn’t all turn into completions. Some of that came down to drops, but it was obvious early that Green Bay liked the matchup and planned to keep attacking it.
The biggest moment of the night may have come on defense again, this time late in the fourth quarter. After a series of penalties gave Dallas another chance to climb back into the game, the Cowboys had an opening to trim the deficit to one score with five minutes left. Instead, Prescott threw the ball out of the back of the end zone, and Dallas turned it over on downs.
That stand shut the door on any real comeback attempt. Dallas did add a late touchdown in the final seconds, and Green Bay finished things off by stopping the two-point try, but the fourth-down stop was the play that broke the Cowboys’ final push.
After the game, Love put it plainly when he spoke with NBC Sports sideline reporter Melissa Stark: "The defense is, they're balling right now. Big shout out to them. ... They're playing at a high level right now."
That was the story of the night. Green Bay got enough from Love and Golden on offense, but the defense delivered the statement win and kept Dallas from ever truly finding a rhythm.
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Week 6 gave Packers fans another reason to grumble about the NFLs roughing-the-passer standard, and it came on a play that looked like it should have swung momentum the other way. On a Dallas drop back, Green Bay got what appeared to be a key turnover, only for the sequence to be undone by a roughing-the-passer flag that immediately reignited the familiar argument over how the league applies the rule.
The frustration was especially sharp because it was not an isolated moment. A similar call also surfaced in the Chiefs game the same week, and both penalties erased interceptions in plays that had the feel of game-changing snaps. Green Bay still won, but the broader issue lingered afterward, since fans were left wondering why the league keeps turning potentially decisive defensive plays into discussion points instead of takeaways. [Read more 🡒]
Dak Prescott Took A Scary Hit And Green Bay Capitalized
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Prescott later said he was winded, and the Cowboys kept him on the field as the game moved on. He did not go for x-rays after the hit, and the next snap brought an interception, with Prescott appearing affected the rest of the way as Green Bay kept pressing its advantage. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Immediately Feared The Worst After Tucker Kraft Went Down
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For now, the only thing clear is that the Packers are waiting for more information once the game reaches halftime, with the severity of Krafts injury still not known. Amid that uncertainty, Love did have reason to single out Matthew Golden, whose play on offense stood out in a first half that could have used a little more calm and a lot less concern. [Read more 🡒]