The Green Bay Packers have revived their season with back-to-back wins, and now a chance to run the win streak to three games is here. Matt LaFleur's team will welcome the Dallas Cowboys to Lambeau Field for "Sunday Night Football," providing the latest chapter in one of the NFL's iconic matchups. Can the Packers beat a talented but flawed Cowboys team coming off a stunning loss last week? Dallas had extra rest after playing on Thursday night and will be motivated to win after the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers stunned their hosts to open Week 5, but the Packers are finally showing signs of the contending team many believed they would be to open 2026.
Previewing Packers-Cowboys in Week 6 with managing editor Zach Kruse and contributor
Mark Oldacres:
What we're watching
Zach: The offensive line has finally settled in, and while Kevin Zeitler's potential debut is something worth watching, I'm focused on the defense this week. The Packers haven't faced a quarterback like Dak Prescott in 2026, and there are concerning injury question marks at cornerback entering a matchup against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Can the Packers pressure Prescott enough to help out the coverage groups? Everyone is expecting a shootout, and it's not difficult to envision a high-scoring game in which the offenses go back and forth with impressive drives, but Sunday night is also an opportunity for the Micah Parsons-less Packers defense to make a statement. Through five games, the Packers defensive front has pressured at a high rate, Jonathan Gannon has dialed up blitzes at the right times, and the Packers have created sacks and turnovers. But that production came against an especially elementary run of quarterbacks. Prescott, Lamb and Pickens will provide an excellent measuring stick.
Mark: How good is the Packers defense really? Jonathan Gannon’s group was impressive against the Buccaneers, Bears and Jets, and was having a strong game against the Vikings until they were constantly put in bad situations at the end of the game. However, none of those offenses had a quarterback nearly as good as Dak Prescott. They have also been torched by some of the league’s better skill position players so far in Justin Jefferson, Drake London and Bijan Robinson. Sunday is a massive test of the ceiling of this Green Bay defense.
Biggest reason for optimism
Zach: The Packers offense is finally gaining steam, and it's impossible not to like the matchup against a struggling Cowboys defense that ranks in the bottom quarter of teams in most major statistical categories. Jordan Love and the offense would have finished with at least 38 points last week without a few kicking mishaps. How many points are in store on Sunday night? If the offensive line can keep Love protected, the Packers will have plus matchups all over the field in the passing game, and facing the Cowboys might even open up an opportunity for the run game to come alive. Dallas is giving up 5.1 per carry in 2026.
Mark: The Packers passing attack. Jordan Love showed against the Bears last week what happens when he is given even adequate protection. Facing arguably the worst defense in the NFL through five weeks, and with dangerous perimeter weapons in Christian Watson, Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft, there should be plenty of optimism that Green Bay’s aerial attack, orchestrated by Love and Matt LaFleur, should pick up where they left off a week ago.
Biggest reason for concern
Zach: The potentially short-handed Packers defense will face their biggest challenge of the 2026 season in the Cowboys, who feature an experienced, reliable and productive quarterback (Dak Prescott), a proven, versatile running back (Javonte Williams), two dynamic, game-changing receivers (CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens), a veteran tight end with almost 250 career catches (Jake Ferguson) and an accomplished offensive line featuring three former first-round picks. The timing isn't great; Micah Parsons still isn't available, and the Packers are missing players and can't afford more injuries along the defensive line and at cornerback. Can Jonathan Gannon's defense rise to the challenge? After facing a bunch of backup quarterbacks to start 2026, the Packers defense must prove they can hang with one of the game's best in primetime.
Mark: The Cowboys passing attack. I tried to find a legitimate weakness in Prescott’s game from a statistical standpoint, and came up empty. Despite some poor performances against the Packers in the past, he is an excellent quarterback and was impeccable in the 40-40 tie between the two teams last year. He has an awesome wide receiver duo and a reliable tight end in Jake Ferguson. Dallas are going to give Green Bay’s defense all they can handle on Sunday night.
Matchup to watch
Zach: Keisean Nixon and Brandon Cisse (assuming he plays) versus CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens is the must-watch matchup. Nixon has been good to start 2026, and Cisse has had his moments as a rookie starter, but Lamb and Pickens can turn any mistake into a huge play. You just know the Cowboys will go into Sunday night thinking they can exploit the matchup against either corner. Another matchup to monitor is the Packers interior offensive line against Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, two veteran disruptors who need to be better for the Cowboys defense to rebound. It's possible Laken Tomlinson, Sean Rhyan and Kevin Zeitler will be playing next to each other for the first time on Sunday night.
Mark: CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens against the Packers cornerbacks. There were questions over whether Keisean Nixon and Brandon Cisse would play at different stages of the week, but it seems they will both suit up as Nixon has no injury designation entering the game and no cornerback was elevated from the practice squad, indicating Cisse (questionable with a hip) will play. That is good news, as it is terrifying to imagine what Lamb and Pickens would have done to Green Bay’s backups, but it will still be an extremely challenging evening for Nixon and Cisse, as well as Javon Bullard in the slot, with Lamb lining up there over a third of the time.
Packers win if…
Zach: They revive the run game to possess the ball, continue creating explosive plays and pressure Dak Prescott in the big moments. Can the Packers offense take some pressure off the defense by putting together sustained drives? While counterproductive to possessing the ball, explosive plays will likely be required to score enough points to win what is likely to be a shootout. And the defense has to survive to by disrupting Prescott on a few important third downs and in the red zone to limit the damage. Accomplishing all three are reasonable asks. The Cowboys have really struggled defending the run, the Packers are getting explosive plays left and right from Christian Watson, Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft and the defense's pressure percentage is actually top five despite not having Micah Parsons.
Mark: They don’t leave points on the field. This is likely to be a shootout, and every point will matter. The Packers have consistently scored fewer points than they should this season due to untimely turnovers, missed kicks or other failures in execution. That needs to stop this week, as any missed opportunities could be the difference between winning and losing.
Data dump
Zach: The Cowboys have only 4.5 sacks and 12 quarterback knockdowns in five games, per Pro Football Reference. Both rank in the bottom five of the NFL to start the 2026 season. And the defense's pressure rate is only 30.4 percent, ranking 30th, per NFL Pro. Quarterbacks aren't even getting rid of the ball fast against Dallas, with an average time to throw of 2.96 seconds. Sunday night is a big opportunity for the Packers offensive line to protect the quarterback and let Jordan Love be the big game hunter he prefers to be. By EPA allowed per pass attempt, the Cowboys rank last.
Mark: The Cowboys defense is dead last in allowed conversions on third down at a 47.3% clip. Possessing the ball and keeping Prescott and company off the field will matter in this game, and the Packers have a favorable matchup to do so. On the other side of the ball, the Packers are stuffing opponent runs at the 8th highest rate in the league on early downs (23.2%), and the Cowboys are 27th in run stuff rate offensively in those situations (23%). Winning on first and second down will be crucial for Green Bay’s defense to put Prescott in obvious pass situations where they at least know what is coming, which should give them a fighting chance to slowing Lamb and Pickens down.
Predictions
Zach: A shootout appears unavoidable, but which defense is more likely to produce the one big stop or takeaway? The Cowboys have given up 10 touchdown passes and don't have an interception this season, while the Packers are first in interceptions and fourth in total takeaways, and Jonathan Gannon's group is finding ways of generating pressure on the quarterback without Micah Parsons. Dak Prescott, Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are going to create big plays for the visitors, but will they outscore an ascending Packers offense that is facing what might be a bottom-5 defense in 2026? There should be some fear of a letdown after an emotional win over the rival Bears last week, so check the energy and execution levels early. But the Packers have mostly stabilized since changing up the offensive line. The Cowboys are unpredictable and there appears to be no easy fix to the defense. Expect points and an entertaining, back-and-forth battle, but the guess here is the Packers swing the game at some point with a takeaway and get the late score to win. Packers 31, Cowboys 29
Mark: This is probably the biggest test Jonathan Gannon’s defense has faced so far, and given how they were stung by star players like Justin Jefferson, Drake London and Bijan Robinson earlier this season, I’m expecting Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens to put up points on Sunday night. As long as the offensive line holds firm, Jordan Love and the Packers offense can certainly keep up in a shootout, but I can see Green Bay squandering some vital points due to missed kicks or other failures in execution, which ultimately could be their undoing in a back-and-forth, high-scoring battle. Cowboys 30, Packers 27
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers vs. Cowboys preview and predictions: Will GB shine in primetime?
