The upcoming Sunday night showdown against the Green Bay Packers is a crucial game for the Dallas Cowboys. It’s a chance to show people that despite a hugely disappointing Thursday night loss, they can handle a little adversity and bounce right back.
But it is also a chance for them to fall deeper into a hole and put their season on life support. Winning in Lambeau is no easy task, but a signature road victory might just be the perfect medicine to get this season pointing back in the right direction.
1. Love bites
Jordan Love is playing very well right now. He’s the only quarterback in the league to eclipse the 350-yard passing mark twice this season. What makes that statistic even more impressive is that he did it against two top-five scoring defenses, shredding the Vikings (ranked first) and then turning around to do the exact same thing to the Bears (fifth) last week. Now he gets a shot at a porous Dallas secondary that struggled mightily last week.
For Love, it’s either feast or famine. He’s thrown exactly two touchdowns in each of his five games this year, but when it comes to yardage, he either throws for over 300 yards or under 200. He’s coming off his best game of the season, completing over 80% of his passes and finishing with a 137.5 passer rating. Six of his 10 touchdowns have gone to one guy, which brings us to our next area of concern.
2. Elementary, my dear Watson
People always joked that the only thing capable of slowing down Christian Watson was his own body, but now that he is actually healthy, he’s the one doing the laughing. Watson is putting together a fantastic season, already logging two separate games with over 140 receiving yards and two scores while commanding at least eight targets in nearly every contest. He has clearly become the alpha in the Packers’ receiving attack, which is terrible news for a Dallas secondary that is coming off a horrible performance last week.
All eyes will be focused on the cornerbacks, balancing the excitement of watching recently added Joey Porter Jr. with the overwhelming anxiety brought on by DaRon Bland. How the coaching staff decides to deploy their coverages will be interesting, and ensuring Watson does not turn Sunday night into another monster game should be up there on their priority list.
3. Fighting fire with firepower
If the defense is going to be playing on its heels, the Dallas offense needs to step up and do some of the heavy lifting. The Packers defense has been a little Jekyll and Hyde this year, holding teams to 17 points or fewer in their three wins, but those wins came against Geno Smith, Jalon Daniels, and Tyson Bagent. In their three losses, they gave up at least 35 points, but even those teams were led by Michael Penix Jr. and Carson Wentz.
Dak Prescott is a significantly better quarterback than anyone on that list, so we have to believe that the Dallas offense can bring a lot more pop than the backup brigade the Packers have been feasting on thus far.
4. Gary, come home
This weekend was originally circled on the calendar as a showcase for Micah Parsons, but the superstar is still working his way back from a knee injury suffered last season and will have to watch from the sideline. But that doesn’t mean this can’t be a revenge game for another pass rusher.
The Cowboys traded for Rashan Gary to secure the edge, but if we’re being honest, things have been pretty quiet for him or anyone rushing the passer for the Cowboys this season. Sunday night is a perfect time to make some noise because the Packers’ offensive line is going through some stuff. Left tackle Jordan Morgan has been an absolute turnstile this year, routinely giving up pressure, giving Gary a golden opportunity to put together a big performance against the team that shipped him off.
5. Running into problems
These teams have a few similarities. Both can dial up explosive plays through the air, but both completely stink at running the football and are equally bad at stopping it. It really feels like whichever team can muster even a single ounce of a traditional ground game will be able to unlock their entire offense, making a running game the ultimate difference-maker on Sunday.
The Cowboys have to find a way to keep Javonte Williams involved instead of abandoning the run the second things get difficult, because when this offense becomes one-dimensional, it has shown a tendency to appear desperate and start forcing things. With a reinforced interior thanks to the return of Tyler Smith, the Cowboys should be able to create some openings.
Meanwhile, the Packers are dealing with their own run game issues due to the absence of Josh Jacobs. Backup MarShawn Lloyd showed some power last week and found the end zone twice despite only grinding out 31 yards. If Green Bay starts finding traction on that not-quite-frozen tundra, it is going to turn into an absolute nightmare for a defense that already has its hands full against the pass.
