The Green Bay Packers are coming off their best offensive performance of the season against the Chicago Bears and now host a Dallas Cowboys team which ranks dead last in yards per play on defense, but has had the benefit of a mini-bye week since their last game on Thursday Night Football versus the Buccaneers.
It is difficult to find any redeeming qualities on the Dallas defense early in the season, as new defensive coordinator Christian Parker – who also interviewed for the job in Green Bay – is off to a rough start, with his unit blowing coverages left and right in the first five weeks.
Here are three things on the Packers’ matchup with the Cowboys defense:
Don’t leave points on the field
The Packers played their cleanest game of the season on both sides of the ball last week
and put up 31 points as a result. However, they still left at least seven points out there on missed kicks alone, and also blew an opportunity to get points before halftime with a poor sequence.
In the 40-40 tie with Dallas last year, an untimely fumble flipped the game before the half, and special teams also cost Green Bay three points with a blocked extra point that was returned for two points the other way.
Try as they might, the Packers defense is likely to allow more points this week than they have of late, and this game could well be a shootout. Jordan Love and the offense have to execute at an even higher level than against Chicago.
That means playing assignment-sure, avoiding penalties and turnovers against a defense which does not have an interception yet, as well as cashing in when they get into scoring range, whether that is with field goals outside the red zone or touchdowns in it.
When the Packers have the ball in this game, it is all about them, and only they can hold themselves back.
Be wary of changes
After an abysmal start to the season on defense, head coach Brian Schottenheimer intimated there would be personnel changes, saying “There’ll be some roster adjustments you’ll see. Some will be more noticeable than others."
They also brought in former Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine as a senior defensive assistant, adding experience to the staff.
The extra few days of rest will have given the Cowboys time to clean up some issues on defense, which in theory should mean less of the busted assignments and coverages, and perhaps some changes in the game plan for the matchup with the Packers this week.
Green Bay must be prepared if the response from Dallas is to be ultra conservative and keep everything in front of them. Love has struggled to avoid getting bored and trying to force big plays in those situations in the past.
Jaishawn Barham chaos
Rookie linebacker Barham has arguably been the brightest spark on the Cowboys defense early in the year. He leads the team with 19 stops, which are tackles resulting in a failure for the offense, and has been at the heart of the few big plays Dallas has made.
He forced a fumble in the win over Washington after blowing up a screen play, and also burst through the line of scrimmage for run stops on 4th-and-goal against both the Ravens and Buccaneers.
Green Bay’s offensive line needs to account for Barham and be wary of the fact he can wreck a play if left unchecked. His aggression could also be taken advantage of by smart play-calling.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 3 things on Packers offense vs. Cowboys: Capitalize on opportunities
