Maybe the final score never told the full story, because the Green Bay Packers were in control for most of the afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.
Green Bay rolled to a 23-13 win, and once again the biggest takeaway was how much better the home team looked on both sides of the ball. The passing game kept pushing the action, the secondary smothered Dallas’ top targets, and the result left the Packers at 4-2 after all the hand-wringing that followed the Week 3 loss to Atlanta.
Matthew Golden was at the center of the offense again. The rookie wideout posted six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, and he also had the longest reception of the game, a 37-yard grab.
He had a chance to put up an even bigger day, but a pair of drops on deep balls from Jordan Love kept the numbers from getting even louder. Even with that, it was the third time this season Golden has led the team in receiving yards, and his 13 targets were the most by far.
Love kept attacking downfield, and the Packers didn’t shy away from letting it rip. The stat line may not fully show it, but the passing game once again carried the tone of the day. If not for drops from Golden and even Christian Watson, Love could have sailed past 300 passing yards for the fourth time this season.
The defense deserved just as much credit. Green Bay’s secondary turned in a strong all-around performance, with Brandon Cisse grabbing his first career interception before exiting late with a stinger.
Evan Williams had the first pick of the night for the Packers, while Carrington Valentine came up with another interception that was wiped out by a roughing the passer call. The coverage was tight throughout, and Dallas was limited to 7.6 yards per completion.
Keisean Nixon continued his strong start, Valentine held up well, and Javon Bullard brought the usual physical edge while leading the team with three passes defensed.
Barryn Sorrell also showed up in a useful way up front. He entered the game with only six total pressures on the season, the fewest among Packers edge rushers per Pro Football Focus, but against Dallas he logged a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. In a rotation that includes rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton and veteran Brenton Cox, it was the kind of performance Sorrell needed.
If there was one area that still dragged down an otherwise clean night, it was penalties. Green Bay finished with 11 for 96 yards, and the list included the kind of self-inflicted mess that can shift momentum.
Dennis-Sutton drew a holding flag from Dallas and then got hit with unsportsmanlike conduct, turning what should have been a major advantage into an offsetting do-over. Then there was the roughing the passer call on Lukas Van Ness, a light shove that erased Valentine’s interception.
Van Ness did later record a sack, but the penalty stood out.
MarShawn Lloyd came out of the game as another disappointment. After flashing with a two-touchdown outing against the Bears in Week 5, he managed just eight carries for 10 yards against Dallas, with some of that production coming late. Pierre Strong Jr. took over as RB1 early, and while he didn’t do much either, it doesn’t help Lloyd’s standing as Josh Jacobs nears a possible return in Week 7.
For a second straight week, the Packers had far more to celebrate than regret. The win was convincing, the offense stayed aggressive, and the defensive backs handled a dangerous receiving duo in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
Keisean Nixon Thinks Packers Could Look Dangerous Again Soon
The Packers have been waiting for a stretch like this, one where a little good health might start to change the look of the roster almost overnight. Keisean Nixon pointed to the possibility of a more dangerous Green Bay team with Josh Jacobs back in the mix, a timely thought after the club has had to navigate struggles in both the rushing game and on defense without some of its key pieces.
Nixon also brought up Micah Parsons as another player who could eventually shift the equation, even though the defender is still working his way back from a knee injury. For Green Bay, the idea is simple enough: when those missing impact players start to filter back, the Packers might finally have the kind of balance that makes them tougher to handle on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]