This weekend will be huge for the Dallas Cowboys. They enter Week 6 with a record of 2-3, and the hope surrounding their once promising 2026 campaign has been dwindling.
Even so, the door is still open for them in the NFC East, thanks to the struggles of all their rivals. Of course, the only way they can take advantage of that is to start winning games. Their next chance to do this is during a showdown on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay enters the weekend 3-2 and might feel like a daunting matchup for Dallas. While they're more than capable of running away with this one, here's a look at three reasons Cowboys fans should have some confidence against the Packers.
Extra rest for Cowboys
Losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 was horrific for the Cowboys' confidence. If there was anything positive from it though, it would need to be that they played on Thursday night. That means they had a few extra days of rest, and considering how banged up they have been this is a good thing.
Dallas had plenty of time off to recover, and it's allowed the coaching staff more time to dissect exactly what went wrong. They've toyed with moving Christian Parker to the booth and have had Jaishawn Barham play on the edge. These are things that typically happen during bye weeks, but the Cowboys had enough time this week to make some much-needed changes.
Packers coming off emotional divisional win
Green Bay started this season slow, thanks in large part to injuries. Micah Parsons has yet to return and they won't have Edgerrin Cooper or Javon Hargrave in Week 6. The Packers also won't have Josh Jacobs, who is on the Commissioner's Exempt List until Week 7.
All those reasons will help Dallas, but perhaps not as much as the fact that Green Bay is coming off an emotional win in Week 5. The Packers knocked off the Chicago Bears, keeping them in the NFC North race. As Dallas fans know, this can sometimes have a negative impact on the focus the following week, especially for a team that's dealing with so many absences.
Mike Pettine should be a huge help for the defense
One factor that could really help this week for the Cowboys is the addition of Mike Pettine. The newly-signed senior defensive assistant is expected to help Christian Parker, who has seemed overmatched at times this season.
Pettine not only brings plenty of coaching experience, but he's no stranger to the NFC North. Not only was he previously a defensive coordinator for the Packers (2018-2020), but he spent the past four seasons as an assistant with the Minnesota Vikings where he was on the winning side in three of the past four meetings with Green Bay.
The Packers have been inconsistent on offense, thanks in large part to their struggles in the run game, which could play into the hands of Parker and Pettine as they look to get things corrected in Dallas.
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