Minnesota’s Carson Wentz has played for six different teams this decade alone. Geno Smith, now with the New York Jets, is 36, has played for five franchises, and hasn’t been the answer for any of them.
Atlanta’s Michael Penix hadn’t played in nearly a year, Tampa Bay undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels was making his first career start, and Chicago is probably regretting ever paying Tyson Bagent to be its No. 2 quarterback.
When it comes to facing opposing quarterbacks, the Green Bay Packers are having a legendary run of good fortune.
The schedule makers — and football gods — were kind to the Packers (3-2) as they’ve opened the season against three backup quarterbacks (Wentz, Daniels and Bagent), one returning from an ACL injury (Penix) and one who’s in the bottom tier of NFL QBs (Smith).
According to the Mile High Report, backup quarterbacks won just 26% of their starts between 2000-2021. And seeing a bevy of backups and castoffs has helped the Packers rank fifth in the league in passing yards allowed per game (181.0).
Green Bay’s good luck is about to change, though, beginning this week when the Packers host Dallas and Dak Prescott on Sunday Night Football. Over the next eight games, the Packers will also face MVP winners Josh Allen of Buffalo and Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, 2025 MVP runner-up Drake Maye of New England, as well as Detroit’s Jared Goff and Carolina’s Bryce Young, who are both having stellar seasons.
It’s a challenge the Packers relish.
“We can prove we are who we think we are,” Green Bay safety Evan Williams said. “We can go against anybody in the league and be equally effective against the last passer rating and the first passer rating quarterback in the league.”
They’ll have that chance over the next two months, and it starts with Prescott, who has thrown for more than 37,000 career yards, 252 touchdowns and has a lifetime passer rating of 98.3. Now in his 11th season as the Cowboys’ starter, Prescott can still sling it with the best of them.
Prescott currently ranks fifth in the NFL in passing yards per game (275.2), completes 67.2% of his passes, has a 97.2 passer rating, and has thrown nine touchdowns vs. three interceptions.
“He can do a lot of different things, man,” Green Bay safety Xavier McKinney said of Prescott. “He can sit in that pocket, and if you allow him to be comfortable, it’s going to be a long day for you. He’s good with using his eyes, being able to manipulate coverages and he’s good at diagnosing what coverage you’re in. He does pretty much everything.”
In many ways, the Packers and Cowboys are similar on offense.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love and Prescott are traditional pocket passers who will both kill you when given time. Dallas boasts one of the NFL’s top wideout duos in Cee Dee Lamb and George Pickens, who have combined for 66 catches, 862 yards, and five TDs. Green Bay’s pair of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden (50 catches, 871 yards, 8 TDs combined) has been every bit as productive.
The Packers rank dead last in the league in rushing at 60.2 yards per game. That remains on track to be the NFL’s fewest rushing yards per game in the Super Bowl era, breaking the mark of 66.4 set by the 2000 San Diego Chargers.
Dallas hasn’t been dramatically better, ranking 30th in rushing offense at 81.6 yards per game. So slowing Prescott and his band of pass catchers will be Green Bay’s greatest challenge Sunday.
“Well, I think it all starts with the quarterback,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said of Prescott. “He’s a baller. They are extremely high powered, they can score a lot of points, they can put a lot of yards on you.”
Dallas is just the start of what will be an extremely challenging stretch for Green Bay’s defense. Here’s a look:
• In Week 7, the Packers are at Detroit, which is second in the NFL in scoring offense (32.8) and sixth in total offense (393.8). Goff is a top-10 MVP candidate, throwing for 297.0 yards per game, 12 touchdowns, no interceptions and posting a 111.3 passer rating.
• In Week 8, Green Bay hosts Carolina, where Young is throwing for an NFL-best 317.0 yards per game and has a passer rating of 100.0. Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, leads an offense that’s No. 3 in yards (405.8) and fourth in points (30.3).
• In Week 9, the Packers are at New England, which is rounding into form after a rough start. Maye, who was second in the MVP voting in 2025, has seven touchdown passes and one interception in his last two games after throwing six INTs and just one TD in his first three contests.
• In Week 11, Green Bay is at the Los Angeles Rams, who rank No. 1 in the NFL in total offense (424.4) and No. 1 in passing offense (307.6). Stafford, the reigning MVP and a likely Hall of Famer, is second in the league with 314.4 passing yards per game.
• And in Week 13, the Packers host the incomparable Allen and Buffalo. Allen the NFL’s MVP in 2024, has thrown for 249.8 yards per game, seven TDs and has a 99.8 passer rating. Amazingly, Allen leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns (eight) and also ranks 24th in the league in rushing yards (239.0).
First things first, though, as the Packers turn their attention to Prescott and the Cowboys. A year ago, Prescott threw three touchdowns and had a 124.9 passer rating in a 40-40 tie against Green Bay.
The Packers are hoping for much better this time — and against a murderers’ row of quarterbacks the next two months.
“You gotta attack these opportunities,” Williams said. “If you’re hesitant in any facet, that’s when you get exploited as a defense. When you’re unsure or questionable about what you’re going to do, that’s when explosives start to show up and things can go downhill in a hurry.
“As a back end, you’re licking your chops for opportunities like this when you know the ball’s going to be in the air, and it’s up to you to stop it. That’s what we look forward to on any Sunday. It’s our job to shut down receivers like this, and when you get those opportunities, can’t shy away from it.”
This article was originally published on Forbes.com