The Packers walked out of Lambeau Field with a 23-13 win over Dallas, but the message from inside the building was bigger than the final score. Green Bay is 4-2 heading into Week 7, and while Matt LaFleur made it clear there’s still work to do, linebacker Zaire Franklin sees a defense that’s moving in the right direction.
After the game, Franklin didn’t hide how he feels about where this group is headed.
“I think it’s just a credit to who we can be…Obviously we’ve got a lot of things we can clean up but I feel like we are a defense on the rise, every week we continue to get better and better…We got some stuff to clean up but I think the ceiling is extremely high,” Franklin commented after the game.
That confidence matched what Green Bay showed against the Cowboys. The defense got production from all over the field, with Keisean Nixon piling up a team-high eight tackles, Franklin adding three, and Lukas Van Ness getting to the quarterback for a sack.
The secondary also came up with a key play when first year cornerback Brandon Cisse took advantage of a CeeDee Lamb slip and grabbed an interception.
LaFleur has been pressing the importance of handling the small details, and that theme carried across the game. Jordan Love executed that idea on offense, while the defense backed it up with a solid showing of its own.
The Packers now turn to Week 7 and a matchup with Detroit. That offense will give this group a much tougher test, and Green Bay will find out quickly how far this rising defense can go on its own turf.
In Other News...
Packers Suddenly Have A Backfield Question Fans Didn't Expect
Green Bays 23-13 win over Dallas brought plenty of encouraging signs, from Matthew Goldens impact in the passing game to a secondary that helped keep the Cowboys in check. Jordan Loves offense moved efficiently enough despite a few drops, and Matt LaFleurs plan drew positive notice as the Packers continued to show a more balanced feel on that side of the ball.
The one unexpected wrinkle came in the backfield, where MarShawn Lloyd never found much rhythm and Pierre Strong Jr. ended up handling the bulk of the work early. For a team that left Week 6 feeling good about several key pieces, the running game suddenly looks like the place where Green Bay has to sort out who it wants carrying the load going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Offense Still Looks Broken After Another Brutal Loss
Dallas looked stuck in neutral again at Lambeau Field, where the Packers turned a promising afternoon into another rough result for a Cowboys offense still searching for answers. Green Bays defense bothered Dak Prescott throughout the day, and the game tilted quickly as the Packers built a lead that put Dallas in chase mode before halftime. Jordan Love did enough to keep Green Bay in control, throwing for 276 yards and accounting for two touchdowns as the Packers moved to 4-2.
The bigger concern for Dallas was how familiar the script felt, with the offense failing to find rhythm and the defense unable to keep the game within reach. Green Bays interceptions of Prescott were part of the damage, and the Packers never really let the Cowboys settle into anything comfortable on either side of the ball. For a team that came into the day at 2-3, the loss leaves another lingering question about how much better this offense can get before the standings start to harden around it. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Gannon Is Already Changing The Feel Of This Packers Defense
Six weeks into the season, Jonathan Gannon has already given Green Bays defense a noticeably different edge. The former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator has helped steady a unit that looks much more disruptive and organized than it did a year ago, with several players stepping up around him and making the group more competitive on a weekly basis.
The results have shown up even with key names missing from the lineup, which makes the early turnaround stand out even more. Green Bay has found a way to stay productive and force mistakes while waiting for pieces to get healthy, and the question now is how much higher this defense can climb once the full group is available again. [Read more 🡒]