By Gil Martin,The Packers Post
Copyright yardbarker
The Green Bay Packers head to Dallas for an emotional week 4 matchup with the Cowboys. Green Bay enters this week’s game with a 2-1 mark while the Cowboys are 1-2. The Packers blew a late 10-point lead and lost to the Browns 13-10. The Cowboys fell to the Bears last week 31-14. Here are the keys to victory for the Packers in their Week 4 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Packers lead the all-time series between these two teams 17-13-0 in the regular season. The two teams first met in 1960, the Cowboys first year in the NFL. The Packers are 5-4 in the postseason against the Cowboys.
Here are the keys to victory for Sunday’s game at Dallas:
Packers Keys to Victory vs Cowboys, Number One: Protect Jordan Love
The Packers offensive line was outplayed last week in Cleveland and remains banged up. Starting left guard Aaron Banks and starting right tackle Zach Tom did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday and their status for the game Sunday night remains up in the air. With the bye coming next week, the Packers may rest Tom and Banks to help them heal for the long season ahead.
The Packers allowed five sacks and a lot of pressures last week and cannot allow a repeat performance against Dallas. The good news is, the Cowboys are not as good at rushing the quarterback as the Browns are. In fact, through three games, Dallas has recorded just three sacks.
If Jordan Love has time to throw, he should be able to pick apart the struggling Cowboys secondary that ranks dead last in the league with 288 passing yards per game. Love likes to throw downfield and if he has time to do it, he should have a big game against Dallas.
Number Two: Open Holes for Josh Jacobs
Again, the key comes down to the Packers offensive line playing better. Last week, Josh Jacobs was hit behind the line of scrimmage far too often and averaged less than two yards per carry.
The Packers run blocking has been poor all season and opposing teams have crowded the box to slow down Jacobs.
The Dallas run defense ranks 17th in the league and gives up nearly 110 yards per game on the ground. This could be a good opportunity for Jacobs to return to his 2024 productivity. He’s still making people miss but the holes just haven’t been there for him.
The matchup between Packers center Elgton Jenkins and Dallas defensive tackle Kenny Clark will be an important one to watch in the middle of the line. The two long-time teammates will go head-to-head for the first time Sunday night.
Packers Keys to Victory vs Cowboys, Number Three: Pressure Dak Prescott
The Packers pass rush has been strong this season with both sacks and pressures coming on a regular basis. The addition of Micah Parsons has helped the other pass rushers thrive. Rashan Gary leads the league in sacks, Devonte Wyatt has been getting consistent pressure from the middle and Lukas Van Ness has improved as well.
The Dallas offensive line is dealing with injuries. Right guard Tyler Booker has not practiced this week which could help the Packers. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will likely move Parsons around to take advantage of matchups.
Look for Parsons to have a big game as he will be eager to prove to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that he made a mistake by trading him. If the Packers pressure quarterback Dak Prescott, they can knock the talented signal caller off his A-game and force him into mistakes. This will help slow down the Dallas offense.
Number Four: Contain Javonte Williams
The Cowboys running game ranks 11th in the league. The rushing attack is led by top back Javonte Williams who is averaging a healthy 5.3-yards per attempt thus far this season.
The Packers run defense has been stout this year and ranks third in the league in yards allowed per game. Colby Wooden has done a good job of stuffing the middle of the line while the speed of linebackers Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker limit the opportunities for opposing runners.
If the Cowboys can’t run effectively, the Packers pass rush will be even more effective and the Cowboys offense will become one-dimensional.
Packers Keys to Victory vs Cowboys, Number Five: Don’t Let Jake Ferguson Have a Big Game
The Cowboys will be without wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. That leaves tight end Jake Ferguson as Prescott’s top remaining target.
Ferguson leads all NFL tight ends with 27 catches through three games. He doesn’t stretch the field much and has averaged just 6.8-yards per catch. His longest catch is just 19 yards.
The Packers can’t let Ferguson have a big day and keep drives alive for the Cowboys offense. Javon Bullard, Xavier McKinney, and Evan Williams will have the primary responsibility of holding Ferguson in check. If they rally to the ball well and tackle him quickly, they can force the Cowboys to go on long drives to try to score.
Number Six: Reduce the Mental Mistakes
The Packers killed themselves last week by committing 14 penalties. Many of those were mental mistakes like lining up offsides or false starts.
The Packers have to stop beating themselves by making sloppy mistakes. On paper, they are the better team than Dallas. But they were the better team last week against the Browns and managed to lose that game because they made too many errors and let the Browns hang around for too long.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has to work hard with his players in practice this week to reduce the mental errors and get the team back on track.
Prediction:
The upset loss to the Browns has to serve as a wake-up call for the Packers. The talk of a perfect season is over. Now, they have to get back on track, play smart football and take care of business.
There will be a lot of emotion for Parsons and Clark in this game with both players trying to make a statement.
The Packers have always played well at “Jerry World” and should use this as a get-right game against the Cowboys.
It won’t be easy, Dallas has an explosive offense when they’re firing on all cylinders, but the Green Bay defense still hasn’t allowed 250 yards or 20 points in a game.
They’ll get back on track with a solid win before the bye.
Packers 31, Cowboys 23
