The Green Bay Packers built a 17-0 lead at halftime and were able to survive a performance fraught with too many drops and penalties, beating the visiting Dallas Cowboys 23-13 on "Sunday Night Football" and securing a third straight win overall after a 1-2 start. The Packers offense was dominant on third down during the first 30 minutes, and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon pushed all the right buttons against veteran quarterback Dak Prescott.
Instant analysis of the Packers' primetime win over the Cowboys:
Final score: Packers 23, Cowboys 13
It was over when...
The Packers stopped the Cowboys' late two-point conversion attempt -- preserving a 10-point, two-score lead -- and then had no issues with the ensuing onside kick.
Game balls
- QB Jordan Love: He was terrific under pressure, and a half-dozen drops kept him from throwing at least four touchdown passes. Love was terrific, even if the box score doesn't tell the whole story.
- S Evan Williams: Another stat-stuffing night for Williams, who had an interception, six tackles and a quarterback hit creating an incompletion on third down. His pick came right after Jordan Love's only turnover, and it prevented at least three points.
- CB Brandon Cisse: It wasn't a perfect night for the rookie in coverage, but he got his first career interception, and the Packers kept CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens from taking over.
Key stats
9-for-10 start on third down: Jordan Love and the Packers offense converted nine of their first 10 third downs during the first half, helping Green Bay dominate the first 30 minute and take a 17-0 lead into the half.
Dak Prescott: The Cowboys quarterback averaged only 4.8 yards per attempt and 7.6 yards per completion, and the Dallas passing game produced only one completion of at least 20 yards.
Jordan Love watch
Love finished with 23 completions on 41 attempts for 276 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and his passer rating of 74.8 suggests he didn't play particularly well. But stats lie. Matthew Golden dropped two potential touchdowns, Christian Watson dropped a touchdown and Pierre Strong Jr. dropped a likely third down conversion late. Pass-catchers did Love no favors. With better pass-catching around him, Love likely would have finished with four touchdown passes and well over 300 passing yards. Even so, Love was far and away the better quarterback on the field on Sunday night.
Injury updates
Cornerback Brandon Cisse left with a stinger in the fourth quarter.
What's next
The Packers will go on the road to play the Detroit Lions -- who are coming off a bye in Week 6 -- next Sunday afternoon at Ford Field. The Lions are 3-2 and have the NFL's No. 1 ranked scoring offense. The Packers swept Detroit last season.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Instant analysis of the Packers' 23-13 win over Cowboys in Week 6