The Green Bay Packers (4-2) never trailed against the Dallas Cowboys (2-4) on Sunday night. Star quarterback Jordan Love made throw after throw to bolster his case for MVP, and Green Bay’s defense held one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses to just 13 points. The Packers have now won three straight, with back-to-back convincing victories over their NFC opponents. After significant September woes surrounding the offensive line, Green Bay looks every bit the NFC contender that fans believe they can be.

Packers 23 Cowboys 13: Green Bay Cages Dak and Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys may be cursed, and the Packers might be responsible. Jerry Jones’s team has struggled mightily against Green Bay, with its last win over the Packers coming a decade ago. Since 2016, Green Bay has won six straight matchups against Dallas. In fact, the Packers have lost to the Cowboys just three times (2007, 2008, and 2016) since the turn of this century. After years of getting pushed around by Dallas in the 1990s, Green Bay has finally returned the favor.

Something eventually has to give, but Sunday night was not that night. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott attempted 54 passes in a comeback effort that was derailed by his own turnovers. Prescott threw interceptions on consecutive drives in the second quarter, the first in Green Bay territory near the red zone and the second at the Packers’ 28-yard line. Both turnovers led to Green Bay points, with the second setting up a touchdown just before halftime that pushed the Packers’ lead to 17-0.

Caged Cowboys

Usually, when a team wins the coin toss and elects to receive, they have an offensive game plan they want to put into action immediately. The Dallas Cowboys won the toss and did just that, only to go scoreless until the second half. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s reads on Green Bay’s defensive weaknesses were obviously way off, and his team’s offense suffered for it. 

Dallas’s first-quarter drives combined for nine plays and 17 yards. To make matters much worse, Prescott did not complete a pass of 20+ yards until the Cowboys’ final garbage-time drive. Despite a steady diet of play calls designed to free up receivers for explosive gains, Green Bay’s secondary kept the coverage tight all night. Prescott targeted CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens 29 times, but completed just 15 passes for 143 yards to the elite duo. Safeties Javon Bullard and Evan Williams combined for four pass deflections and nine solo tackles, while cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Brandon Cisse added 12 solo tackles. Williams recorded his third career NFL interception, while Cisse picked off his first when Lamb slipped.

Outcoached and Outplayed

The secondary was not the only unit that made life miserable for Dallas. Partly thanks to the scoreboard, Green Bay held the Cowboys to just 48 rushing yards on 15 attempts, and no run gained more than eight yards. With standout linebacker Edgerrin Cooper out for the season with a torn Achilles, linebackers Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper and Zaire Franklin stepped up in a big way. Green Bay’s linebackers consistently stuffed the run, closed quickly on checkdowns and helped pressure Prescott. With the Cowboys driving deep into Green Bay territory in the second quarter, Franklin absolutely leveled Prescott before the Cowboys quarterback threw a red-zone interception to Williams on the very next play. 

The difference in this game was coaching, and Schottenheimer’s game plan played right into Green Bay’s hands. With the running game stalled and the Packers’ secondary shutting down deep shots downfield, Dallas became increasingly reliant on Lamb and Pickens. The two receivers accounted for 29 of Prescott’s 54 pass attempts, which made the Cowboys’ passing attack far too predictable. Green Bay focused on limiting Dallas’ two biggest threats and forced Prescott to look elsewhere for answers. Lamb and Pickens have the talent to take over a game, but no offense can afford to become that one-dimensional against a disciplined defense with a talented secondary. Schottenheimer never found a viable alternative, and the Packers made him pay for it.

MVP-level Love

If Jordan Love’s pass catchers actually caught the football, the fourth-year starter would have an even stronger case for serious MVP consideration. As talented as Matthew Golden and Christian Watson are, neither is immune to the occasional drop. Love, meanwhile, was nearly flawless. Outside of an impressive interception by Cowboys linebacker Dee Winters, Love was exceptional, completing 23 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown. 

Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker had no answer for Golden, who hauled in six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. It was the second 100-yard receiving game of Golden’s young career, and there should be plenty more to come. The former Texas standout consistently created separation from Dallas’ cornerbacks and found himself wide open throughout the night. Unfortunately for Packers fans, growing pains remain part of the process. Love connected with Golden on multiple would-be touchdown passes that the rookie could not finish, including a wide-open drop just steps from the end zone.

Still No Push Up Front

The key to Love’s success has been a revamped offensive line that has played every snap together since Week 4. Despite the unit’s improvement, Dallas still recorded three sacks, with its interior defensive line doing most of the damage. Former Packers nose tackle Kenny Clark, All-Pro Quinnen Williams and Elijah Garcia each brought Love down for a sack, and each player also added a quarterback hit.

Packers fans have to wonder when veteran guard Kevin Zeitler will crack the starting lineup, as Laken Tomlinson and Travis Glover both struggled against Dallas. The Cowboys recorded seven tackles for loss, and Green Bay’s running game paid the price. Despite the offense’s success through the air, the Packers managed just 57 rushing yards on 26 attempts, averaging an abysmal 2.2 yards per carry. Dallas recorded tackles for loss almost as often as Green Bay gained more than three yards on a run. That imbalance is a serious problem for an offense that needs to establish the run to keep defenses honest.

The Last Word

At 4-2 with a three-game winning streak, the Packers have little reason to make changes to their offensive line, but their struggles against Dallas raise questions about whether the current lineup is good enough. Jordan Love and the passing game are clicking, yet Green Bay’s inability to establish the run remains a concern. Kevin Zeitler offers veteran experience and a potential boost in the trenches, but Laken Tomlinson and Travis Glover deserve credit for helping stabilize a unit that was historically bad.

Should the Packers insert Zeitler into the starting lineup, or should they stick with Glover and Tomlinson and trust that consistency will pay off? With a road matchup against a divisional rival (the Detroit Lions) looming next week, Matt LaFleur and his staff may not have much time to decide. Green Bay is winning, but is it time to make a change up front or let the current lineup keep building momentum?

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Main Photo: [Tork Mason/Green Bay Press Gazette] – Reuters Connect