Packers vs. Cowboys: Three Reasons for Hope
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers enter Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys with a five-game losing streak. The Packers placed their best defensive player, Rashan Gary, on injured reserve this week. Their offense seems permanently stalled. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are 6-2 and coming off their bye. They’ll be at almost full strength.
No wonder the Cowboys are 3.5-point favorites at SI Sportsbook.
Can the Packers pull off a shocking upset? Yes, and here are three reasons why.
1. No Stopping Aaron Jones
OK, the Packers can – and have – stopped Aaron Jones. But let’s skip the cynical view.
Jones enters Sunday ranked 10th with 600 rushing yards even while only being 18th with 107 rushing attempts. Of 32 backs with at least 80 rushes, Jones ranks fifth with 5.6 yards per carry and ninth with 3.6 yards after contact per carry. He has as many 10-yard runs (17) as Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris (nine on 108 carries) and Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott (eight in 109 carries) combined.
In two career games against Dallas, Jones rushed 19 times for 125 yards and one touchdown in 2017 and 19 times for 107 yards and four touchdowns (plus seven receptions for 75 yards) in 2019.
Dallas’ run defense is not good. It ranks 24th with 135.1 rushing yards per game and 22nd with 4.66 yards allowed per carry. It’s given up 5-plus yards per carry in five of eight games.
If the Packers are going to move the ball, it’s got to be Jones – so long as he can power through last week’s ankle injury. If not, it’s going to be a long day trying to move the chains against the best pass rush in the NFL.
2. Momentum on Defense
Lost in the stench of last week’s performance by the offense, in general, and Aaron Rodgers, in particular, the Packers delivered a superb performance on defense against one of the best offenses in the NFL.
Dallas scored 49 points against Chicago before the bye. However, it ranks 14th in scoring (22.9 points per game), 22nd in total offense, 22nd on third down and 12th in the red zone.
Of course, the question is whether the Packers can stop Dallas’ powerful running game without Rashan Gary (knee) and De’Vondre Campbell (knee).
“First and foremost, injuries are unfortunately part of our game,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “They unfortunately happen week in and week out, and we'll find a way and we'll move on. Next man up, all those things. It will be an opportunity for other guys to be able to get a chance.
“But then, in the same breath, you can't lose sight of the fact that we lost Rashan Gary. What he means to this team, what he means to our locker room, he is the true definition of grit. The mindset, the demeanor, the play that he brings every single day, that will be missed. There's no doubt about it. We'll miss him, but we all have to rise up in his absence and do our job.”
The Packers have to stop the run so Barry can be aggressive on third down to help offset the loss of their premier pass rusher.
3. Mike McCarthy’s Return
A team can take the lead of its coach. For Green Bay, Matt LaFleur wasn’t enthused about the trip to London. Perhaps that’s why his team played so poorly in the loss to the Giants. He didn’t seem especially eager to face his close friend Robert Saleh, coach of the Jets.
For Dallas, you know Mike McCarthy wants to win this game. On Dec. 2, 2018, McCarthy’s Packers lost to the Cardinals. He was fired shortly thereafter, not allowed to finish his 13th season on the job. Will McCarthy be loose – he’s got the better team, after all – and will his team take his lead? Or will he want this game so much that his team will feel the pressure?
There’s only one team with nothing to lose this week. And it’s not the Cowboys.
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