Keys before kickoff: Cowboys at Packers Week 6
The 2-3 Dallas Cowboys travel to Lambeau Field to face the 3-2 Green Bay Packers this week on Sunday Night Football. Here are three keys to the game.
Exploit Green Bay’s front
With the weapons both of these teams possess on the outside, the signs point to this game being a shootout. But what if it didn’t have to be?
The Packers possess a lackluster run defense, ranking near the bottom of the league in run-stop metrics. They’re also dealing with injuries at defensive tackle and linebacker. This week in Lambeau could provide Brian Schottenheimer a chance to commit to running the ball with Javonte Williams, should he so choose.
If Dallas is able to establish themselves on the ground and remain balanced, that’ll help keep the dangerous Green Bay passing attack on the sideline. Long, clock-chewing drives are one of the paths to victory for the Cowboys. But this team will need to make some changes for this to be effective.
Mainly, the play-caller cannot abandon the ground game. There has to be a clear dedication to successfully moving the ball with Williams on the ground behind the offensive line. Dallas has shown the ability when they choose to do so.
We should also see some subtle and not-so-subtle personnel adjustments this week, according to coach Schottenheimer, via Tommy Yarrish:
“I’m not going to get to a bunch of them. Obviously, there’s a competitive advantage. But there’ll be some roster adjustments you guys will see. Some will be more noticeable than others, and some will be subtle as you look at it.”
Could this mean more Brevyn Spann-Ford and less Jake Ferguson at tight end in 11 personnel? Ferguson has not been a serviceable blocker and he’s averaging just 20 yards on three receptions per game. Unfortunately, he just has not given this team enough in 2026.
Meanwhile, Spann-Ford is an extremely physical player with the willingness and ability to take on edges and linebackers. This could be the week we see his snap count begin to increase if Dallas truly is committed to running the ball.
Defuse Green Bay’s explosives
The Packers run game has not been effective. And the team had not scored much before their coming out party against the Bears last week, averaging just 18.25 points per game in weeks one through four. So what makes this Packers offense so dangerous? One word: explosives.
Last week, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden broke free against the Bears secondary, posting totals of 143 and 123 yards respectively. Their longest catches of the day went for 53 and 50 yards. Even tight end Tucker Craft snagged a 46-yard catch downfield. According to SumerSports, this Packers offense threw the ball deep on 22.6% of their plays last week. If the deep ball is there, Jordan Love will take it.
So how does Dallas prevent the explosive plays? Given what we’ve seen this season, it’ll be a tough task. But there are ways.
The arrival of Joey Porter Jr. unlocks new doors for Christian Parker on defense, as long as he plays (questionable with an ankle). He now has a player that he should be able to completely trust in tight man coverage. This allows Parker to be more aggressive with his players around the line of scrimmage. With the Dallas four-man rush being one of the league’s worst in taking down opposing quarterbacks, expect to see more pass blitzes and five-man fronts moving forward. As we saw from Tampa Bay last week, getting to a quarterback is the best way to shut down an explosive passing game. Consistently pressuring Love needs to be a major focus this week for the Cowboys defense.
Dallas needs to force the Packers into third-and-long throughout the game, given the weakness of Green Bay’s rushing attack. When they get into this down and distance, it’s imperative they get off the field. Mistakes such as blown coverages and turf monster induced slips must be limited. One of the most frustrating facets of the Cowboys defense to watch this season has been the 22 yards gains on 3rd and 21. Without mental mistakes on defense, that down and distance is nearly impossible to convert. Tighten up in these situations and get off the field.
The last way to limit Green Bay’s explosives has nothing to do with the defense. As mentioned in the first key, keeping your own offense on the field with long, methodical drives is a great way to shorten the game. But those drives also need to end in touchdowns, not field goals. It is actually detrimental to consume that much clock just to put up three. Long drives on offense ending in touchdowns might just be the most important key to a win this week.
Attacking the blitz
On average, one out of three defensive play calls from Green Bay is some sort of blitz. That’s not an exceedingly high number when compared to the rest of the league (ranked 12th in blitz percentage) but it is noteable when considering how Tampa Bay was able to fluster Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense with a barrage of blitzes last week. I’m not a big believer in blueprints because everyone’s personnel is different, but this could be a week where the Packers try and somewhat emulate what the Buccaneers did to the Cowboys offense.
If the Packers do travel that dangerous, heavy-blitz road, Prescott will need to diagnose pre-snap and get the ball out quickly. The Cowboys took far too long last week to get their slant game going with George Pickens to defeat Tampa Bay’s pass rush. This week, the short passing game with in-breaking routes needs to be a focus if they’re facing an onslaught of blitzes. If they’re able to beat the Packers extra men early, Green Bay should back off.
Dallas can also beat a blitz-heavy assault on the ground. That double-edged sword can bite the blitzing team if the runner is able to get past the extra men and into the second level. Blitzing into the incorrect gap leaves plenty of room for the offensive line to clear a path for Williams and the other backs. On top of that, the Packers have already shown a weakness in run defense. And once that ground game is established, things should open up downfield off of play action.
The formula is clear, but execution is what matters.
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