It has been a tough start to the season for the Dallas Cowboys’ defense. And injuries don’t help matters. But it is the other side of the football where the Cowboys must find a way to exploit the Packers to beat them in the return of Micah Parsons on Sunday Night Football.
The Packers have one of the best defensive units in football. And the Cowboys have one of the worst. So Dallas needs to flip the script and keep its offense on the field.
And the best way to do that is by using heavy doses of Javonte Williams in the ground game. Also, the Cowboys will need a few key plays from backup running back Miles Sanders.
Cowboys need to pound the rock
If the Cowboys are successful in moving the football on the ground, it will give them a small window to make big plays in the passing game.
It’s the opposite approach from what the Cowboys planned coming into the season. They wanted to get the ball to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, which would allow for chunk plays on the ground when defenses got light in the box.
However, Lamb won’t be available because of an injury. And Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott won’t have time to sit in the pocket and wait for receivers to get open. When he does throw, it may have to be to a covered Pickens from time to time. The hope would be that Pickens wins the 50-50 encounters.
There is hope for the Cowboys running the football. They’ve been surprisingly good at it this year. The Cowboys rank No. 11 in the NFL with 125 yards rushing per game. And they’ve been very physical, according to a post on X by DLLS Cowboys.
“Cowboys RBs are averaging 4.41 yards after contact per carry, the highest in the league, per NFL Pro.”
Brian Schottenheimer is a coach who likes to run the football. And this is the Cowboys’ path to success.
The Cowboys’ problem with this approach
Not only are the Cowboys without CeeDee Lamb, they also don’t have injured center Cooper Beebe or injured right guard Tyler Booker.
The offensive line will have to play very well against the Packers' interior defensive front of Colby Wooden and Devonte Wyatt.
Wooden ranks No. 28 in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Wyatt, who is questionable for Sunday’s game, stands at No. 30. That’s a stout one-two punch. But both are better against the pass than the run game with Wooden at No. 44 and Wyatt at No. 82. This is the Cowboys’ path to success. Hard, tough yards between the tackles.
Even on the edges, it’s the same. Parsons ranks No. 3 in pass rush and No. 54 against the run. Rashan Gary is actually better against the run (No. 38) than as a rusher (No. 60).
However, the Packers make up for the run deficiencies up front with a terrific linebacker group. Edgerrin Cooper (No. 39), Isaiah McDuffie (No. 15), and Quay Walker (No. 22) can stuff the run.
So the Cowboys can’t just win at the point of attack. However, they can win with 3-to-5 yard gains. So they don’t have to beat the Packers’ linebackers. They just have to get the running backs to them and get reasonable yards per carry.
The Packers come in ornery
One thing that will hurt the Cowboys’ chances is the Packers’ mindset. They totally blew the game against the Browns. There was no excuse for that loss. And they will come in angry. Head coach Matt LaFleur is already there, according to ESPN.
“I've said it a million times to you guys,” LaFleur said. “I don't think I've obviously said it enough to our team. The goal is to go 1-0 every week. And it pisses me off when we start talking about things outside of the next game.
“Things that are way down the road. Like, focus on, keep the focus on the present, on the now, and worry about getting better each and every day.”
LaFleur said the unfocused talk may have cost his team, but it’s also a good reminder of how tough the NFL can be.
“I think it's always a good reminder, like, ‘Hey guys, pump the brakes on everything. We're just trying to win one game at a time,'” LaFleur said. “And if you're thinking [beyond that] or have your sights set on anything outside of that, I think you're focused on the wrong things. Like, we've got to be focused on trying to get better. Obviously, today the focus is on first of all being honest about the tape and what the tape says, and then learning from that, and then it's moving on.”
