Packers at Cowboys Matchups: Who Has Advantage?

The Green Bay Packers will play at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. With Micah Parsons returning to Dallas, here is a deep look at the matchups and which units have the edge.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons will face his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, on Sunday. / Tork Mason-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers are licking their wounds after an embarrassing loss on the road in Cleveland, where they blew multiple opportunities to put the Browns away. The defeat came on the heels of a week in which players talked about the prospect of going undefeated, which coach Matt LaFleur was sure to point out in his press conference on Monday.

“It pisses me off,” LaFleur said succinctly.

This week, there will be no shortage of motivation, and there’s little doubt the Packers’ best player will be locked in.

That player, of course, is Micah Parsons. Parsons will return to Dallas, which traded him to Green Bay after a contract dispute that lasted all offseason failed to reach a resolution. Parsons has quickly established himself as an impact player. He’s a big reason for the defense’s dominance in its 2-1 start.

On the other side, the Cowboys are 1-2 with a win against the New York Giants sandwiched between losses to the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas’ pass rush has been putrid, which is a big reason why it ranks 27th in points allowed. Its offense was good through the first two games but suffered a flat tire in Sunday’s 31-14 loss to the Bears.

The motivation will be there for the Cowboys to try and save their season, while the Packers will want to prove last week’s loss was a blip on the radar and not a trend that will undo all the goodwill they established with their first two wins of the season.

Cowboys Pass Offense vs Packers Pass Defense

Had the Cowboys been healthy coming into this game, this would have been an interesting matchup for Green Bay’s defensive backs.

The cornerback group, largely seen as a weakness coming into the year, has been a strength. The most passing yards they’ve allowed this season was the 225 against the Lions’ Jared Goff in Week 1. Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine and Javon Bullard have done well in coverage, keeping receivers in front of them.

On the rare occasion a team has tried to go over the top, Xavier McKinney reminded everyone of his Pro Bowl presence with an interception against Joe Flacco on Sunday.

Dallas’ offense has some good players, particularly in its receiving corps. When healthy CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens form a dynamic duo unlike anything the Packers have seen this season. Unfortunately for Dallas, Lamb suffered a high-ankle sprain against Chicago and likely will miss Sunday’s game.

Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) and Green Bay Packers safety Anthony Johnson Jr. (36) break up a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. / Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dallas still has Pickens and tight end Jake Ferguson, who led the team with 13 receptions after Lamb left Sunday’s game.

The issue for Dallas is going to be up front. Last year’s first-round pick, Tyler Guyton, has struggled at left tackle. The interior offensive line is in shambles with Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker set to miss Sunday’s game with lower-body ailments. That should give Green Bay’s pass rush an opportunity to do what it’s done in each of the first three games.

Dak Prescott is good, but no quarterback is going to be good if he’s on his back.

Advantage: Packers

Cowboys Rush Offense vs Packers Run Defense

Green Bay’s run defense suffered its first hiccup in Sunday’s loss to the Browns. Quinshon Judkins nearly reached the century mark for rushing yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry.  

Is that a blip? Or is it the sign of a trend that is forthcoming?

That’s a good question, because some of it might depend on Green Bay’s health at this position. Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden have played the vast majority of the snaps at defensive tackle. Wyatt was injured on Sunday and is “day to day,” according to coach Matt LaFleur. If he cannot go, it’ll likely mean that Warren Brinson is made active for the first time in his young career and Nazir Stackhouse may get more snaps, as well.

Dallas’ run game has been solid if unspectacular early in the season. Javonte Williams was off to a great start on Sunday before he had the ball stolen from him by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. He finished the day with 76 yards on just 10 carries. Miles Sanders added 41 on nine carries.

This is a run game that has been better than it was expected to be without some of the star power you’d expect from a backfield in Dallas. Still, with the injuries up front in Dallas, it’s hard to envision them finding much traction against a Green Bay front that has been much more good than bad.

Advantage: Packers

Cowboys Pass Defense vs Packers Passing Offense

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) drops back to pass against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2023 playoffs. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cleveland’s defense might be the best in football. Dallas defense is decidedly not that.

Through the first three games, Dallas has just four sacks and 12 quarterback hits. It has allowed a passer rating against them of 125.3, which is the second-worst in football. Russell Wilson, who was benched this week by the Giants, turned back the clock against the Cowboys in Week 2 with 450 passing yards. Caleb Williams, who has struggled through his young career, just had the best game of his career against the Cowboys with four touchdown passes.

Of course, the Cowboys are missing a giant piece to their defense they were expecting to have. Micah Parsons is in Green Bay, and it appears he took Dallas’ pass rush with him.

That will be a sight for sore eyes, as Green Bay’s offensive line has struggled this season.

Some of the numbers are skewed due to Sunday’s putrid performance, but Jordan Love has been pressured on nearly 41 percent of his dropbacks. The offensive line is facing more attrition with Zach Tom and Aaron Banks leaving Sunday’s game with injuries, which will make their status for Sunday unclear.

It has not mattered who has played against Dallas this season. The path through the air has been as clear as day. Love should have plenty of opportunities to make plays down the field due to Dallas’ complete ineptitude at rushing the passer.

Advantage: Packers

Cowboys Rush Defense vs Green Bay’s Rush Offense

While Jerry Jones did his best to justify the trade of Micah Parsons by saying his team needed to get better defending the run, that assertion has mostly been mocked.

The schadenfreude has been deserved. Parsons is a game-changing player who is only 26 years old, and Green Bay’s defense has been good against the run through three games since adding Parsons.

Dallas’ defense, however, has been much better at defending the run. Its first test of the year was against Philadelphia’s powerful offensive line and the dynamic Saquon Barkley. Barkley averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, with most of the damage coming from Jalen Hurts using his legs. The Giants’ leading rusher had 45 yards, with Cam Skattebo only gaining 4.1 yards per carry. The Bears’ D’Andre Swift averaged just 2.5 yards per carry.

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark (95) takes the field prior to a game against the New York Giants. / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

In summation, the Cowboys’ run defense has been good. Kenny Clark is hurt, however, which makes his status unclear. Fellow defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa has been one of the better run defenders in football, though.

Overall, Dallas is ranked in the middle of the pack against the run, allowing 109.7 yards per game but is ninth with 3.74 yards allowed per attempt.

Green Bay’s run game has not found its footing at all to start the season. They have been completely one-dimensional through three weeks, most recently with Josh Jacobs gaining 30 yards on 16 carries in Cleveland last week.

The Packers are playing musical chairs on the offensive line again, and that makes it difficult to build a run game. Combine those injuries, and the Cowboys’ usual prowess against opposing run games, this could be tough sledding again for Green Bay’s run game.

Advantage: Cowboys

Special Teams

The Packers had the advantage in special teams for the vast majority of the game against the Browns. The issue was the last 30 seconds of the game.

Brandon McManus’ potential game-winning field goal was blocked. Coach Matt LaFleur lamented the team played with poor technique, allowing Shelby Harris to make a game-saving play for the Browns. There was too much pressure off the edge, too.

Seconds later, the Packers failed to make a play of their own, as Andre Szmyt booted a game-winner through the uprights.

McManus has missed a kick this season and had another one blocked, so it has not been the cleanest start to the season with the field-goal operation. Punter Daniel Whelan has been excellent, and may have been Green Bay’s best player on Sunday.

Rookie Savion Williams had a nice kickoff return on Sunday that set up what could have been the game-winning field goal.

The punt return situation is dicey. Fellow Matthew Golden has looked indecisive and uncomfortable through the first three games. The Packers not only didn’t call up Mecole Hardman from the practice squad, they released him from the practice squad on Tuesday.

On the other side, Dallas’ special teams has the best kicker in football. Brandon Aubrey is a weapon, and the Cowboys are in his range once they cross midfield.

Kavontae Turpin replaced Keisean Nixon as the All-Pro returner last season, when he averaged a league-high 33.5 yards per kickoff return and averaged 10.4 yards per punt return with a touchdown in each phase. Through three games this year, he’s averaging 23.0 yards per kick return and 10.0 yards per punt return.

Green Bay’s coverage units did a good job keeping DeAndre Carter contained last week, but the tiebreaker here is in the brilliance of Aubrey.

Advantage: Cowboys

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