What is the best remedy for an NFL hangover? An opponent that helps ensure that an unfathomable collapse is erased from your memory.
For the Green Bay Packers, it’s a visit to their home away from home, the House that Jerry Built, AT&T Stadium, where they are 6-0, including a pair of playoff victories and a Super Bowl title. For the first time, they will play there on Sunday Night Football, and it comes with all the bells and whistles that you’d expect for Micah Parsons’s big return to Big D.
This is not a good Dallas Cowboys team; they can’t stop anybody, and their best playmaker is likely to miss the next month. But if they’re going to be focused and ready for one game this year, it’s this one. Back home, in prime time, with the former face of their franchise back in town wearing the enemy green and gold. Whether that’s enough to compete with the Pack for 60 minutes remains to be seen, but after getting embarrassed in Chicago, you’d have to think they’ll be ready for this one.
The storyline for the Packers, beyond moving past last week’s debacle, is the health of the offensive line, which will be without its two most highly compensated players. They’re also without backup right tackle and rookie Anthony Belton, who injured his ankle in practice.
Jordan Morgan will again replace the always-injured Aaron Banks at left guard, and Darian Kinnard gets his first start at right tackle. This line can be functional, especially against the putrid Dallas pass rush. Still, if one guy goes down during the game, everything could fall apart.
The Cowboys just signed Jadeveon Clowney, and he’ll make his debut to try to add some bite to that front four. They rarely blitz, but might try it a bit to see if they can rattle the Pack’s reshuffled line. Their zone-heavy scheme should play right into Green Bay’s hands, where Romeo Doubs usually feasts.
This should be an opportunity for Matthew Golden to hit on a big play or two — no defense has given up more plays of 25 yards or more this season (13). They do get corner DaRon Bland back; he missed the last two games when the defense made Russell Wilson and Caleb Williams look like All-Pros.
It would be a good week to get Green Bay’s hibernating run game untracked. However, Kenny Clark is off to a great start plugging up the middle, and his battle with buddy Elgton Jenkins will be fun to watch. Jenkins was admittedly terrible against the Browns and will now face a motivated Clark who knows all his moves and all the Packers’ calls. Green Bay may need to change up some verbiage this week to keep Clark and the ‘Boys off balance.
One thing this team can count on through three weeks is the dominant play of its defense, and they should be able to keep it up this week. The run defense suffered when Devonte Wyatt went down last week, but he’s back, and the first order of business is to shut down Javonte Williams and the running game.
Jones has been very vocal about Parsons’ less-than-elite status as a run stopper, and they’ll test him for sure. If the run defense plays like it did the first two weeks, it will put too much on Dak’s plate, and the Pack’s pass rush will take over against a Dallas O-line that’s also down two starters.
With Lamb sidelined, George Pickens becomes the big play target, and star returner KaVontae Turpin gets more run as a receiver. Dak has relied mainly on tight end Jake Ferguson, whose 27 catches are the second most in the league for any receiver through three weeks. If Javon Bullard is unable to go, look for Nate Hobbs to man the slot, with an emphasis on dealing with Ferguson.
The Packers have not been the turnover demons they were a year ago, with only two takeaways this season. There figured to be a bit of a regression; the difference is that this year’s unit doesn’t need turnovers to bail them out. Once they start coming, they’ll hit another level. There was an emphasis on forcing fumbles in training camp, and they’ve yet to notch one.
The one area Dallas has an edge in this matchup is on special teams, where Turner can tilt the field at any moment, and their kicker, Brandon Aubrey, can hit field goals from midfield. The key will be to score early, succeed in the red zone, and avoid settling for field goals, thereby making Aubrey irrelevant.
Both teams come into this one ornery, angry, and a bit embarrassed. With Micah set to remind everyone what they let get away and with Love primed to find open receivers all night long, the more talented Packers figure to right the ship and head into the bye week with clearer heads and a bit of their swagger back.
Packers 31
Cowboys 13
