The Dallas Cowboys will be looking to rebound following a brutal loss in Week 5 when they take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night in Week 6.
Dallas had a miserable letdown last week against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that was 0-4 and was started an undrafted rookie quarterback.
Since then, the Cowboys have been taking a long look in the mirror, especially when it comes to their defense, which was remained awful despite a total overhaul this offseason.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer promised there will be changes this week, and the Cowboys better hope those changes on the defensive side of the ball are effective because the Packers present an extremely tough challenge for Dallas' unit.
That challenge is just one of the things the Cowboys have to fear about the Packers in Week 6.
Packers' downfield passing
The Packers' passing attack finally broke out last week and showed just what it is capable of, especially down the field.
The Packers connected on five passing plays of 36 yards or more, with four of those going to explosive receivers Christian Watson, who scored two long touchdowns, and Matthew Golden.
The good news is, Joey Porter Jr. will likely be back this week after missing last week's game with an illness, although his status is worth monitoring as he's listed with an ankle injury and was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday.
The bad news is, the Cowboys still need to cover the other side of the field and that will likely rest on the shoulders of DaRon Bland, who has been one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL.
Packers' pass defense
With the Cowboys struggling to run the football this season, there is a lot of presure on Dak Prescott and the passing attack to carry the offense. However, it might be tough to do that this week.
The Packers boast the fifth-best pass defense in the NFL this year and they have done a good job getting after the quarterback, with Green Bay tied for the seventh-most sacks.
Turning the ball over through the air has been a strength for Green Bay, also, with the Packers tied for the most picks in the league with seven.
The good news for the Cowboys is the Packers sport one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, so maybe Dallas can get Javonte Williams going to slow down Green Bay's pass-rush and take pressure off the passing attack.
Packers' return game
The Packers rank top 10 in kick return average (27.2 yards per return, ranking eighth) and punt return average (15.5 yards per, ranking second).
It doesn't look like the Packers will have their top returner in Skyy Moore this week due to an ankle injury, but Green Bay still has a few effective options to replace him. Bo Melton is averaging a robust 27.3 yards per return on kickoffs and Matthew Golden ripped off 13.5 yards per punt return last week.
The Cowboys are going to have a difficult enough time stopping the Packers' offense and allowing shorter fields because of long returns is only going to make that more difficult. Dallas' special teams unit has to be a lot better this week.
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