Game preview: Packers vs. Cowboys
When: 3:25 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Lambeau Field.
Television: Fox.
Radio: AM-620.
Series: Packers lead, 17-16.
Line: Packers by 4.
Weather: 60s, mostly cloudy.
Surface: DD GrassMaster.
Coaches: Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy (115-63-1) vs. Dallas’ Jason Garrett (50-45).
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
STATE PRODUCTS: Not one but two players from the state of Wisconsin are starters on the Cowboys’ offensive line. They are center Travis Frederick, a graduate of Walworth Big Foot who played at Wisconsin, and RT Doug Free, a Manitowoc native who played at Northern Illinois. “Frederick isn’t going to wow you with his feet but he does a good job playing under control with balance and a good base,” one personnel man said. “He’s smart and takes the right angles at the second level. Consistent. A guy you hardly notice, which is what you want in a center … Free is an adequate right tackle with good feet and some anchor issues. He has been the weakest link for that line but he’s still a serviceable starter.”
KNOW WHO THEY ARE: The Cowboys rank eighth both in points scored (129) and points allowed (91). Their average time of possession (33 minutes, 49 seconds) ranks second to Philadelphia. “There’s an identity to the team,” said one scout. “We’re going to run the ball and control the clock. Play one gap on defense. Keep the ball in front of us. You’re going to have to be consistent with 10-play drives and move down the field. That’s how we’re going to beat you. Complementary football. We’re not going to beat ourselves. You’re going to have to beat us.”
TURNING POINT: In 2014, owner Jerry Jones has made it clear that he wanted to select quarterback Johnny Manziel with the 16th pick in the draft. According to a 2015 story in the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys centered on Manziel, guard Zack Martin and inside linebacker Ryan Shazier in the days leading up to the draft. In the end, Jones agreed to the unanimous opinion of his son, Stephen, the team’s executive vice president and director of player personnel, and the scouts that Martin was the best choice. When Shazier went 15th to Pittsburgh, Jerry Jones again asked for a show of hands and everyone in the room agreed on Martin. At that point, he said to Stephen, “Son, if you always go with the safe pick you’ll never hit it big.” Martin might be the best guard in the NFL and Manziel is out of football. “It’s not Jerry Jones making all the picks,” said one scout. “It’s different than it was six or seven years ago. Stephen is empowered more.”
LEADING RUSHER: Rookie Ezekiel Elliott is off to terrific start with an NFL-high 546 yards rushing and five touchdowns. “The offensive line is the best,” said one scout. “Even with the offensive line, if you don’t have a guy with vision who can run through the hole, it doesn’t matter. Elliott looks like the real deal. He runs with forward lean with good vision and finishes runs. He sees cutbacks and can run through tackles for the hard yards. The thing that separates him is that he has home-run hitting ability. He’s good in the passing game, and has good hands. Like most rookies he will be inconsistent in pass pro. But he is tough and willing, and doesn’t have to come out of the game on third downs.”
MOVING ON: The Cowboys will be without WR Dez Bryant for the third straight game. In two games without him, Dak Prescott has passed for 472 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions with a completion mark of 73.2%. “Obviously, they’re better with Dez because of all he brings, but sometimes it forces you to play with a little bit more of a team concept,” one personnel man said. “I hate to say this but it happened in Detroit (with Calvin Johnson). When you have a guy that talented, and it’s a little bit like the Giants (with Odell Beckham Jr.), it just changes so much because you’re so focused on getting them the ball. So, you probably neglect some other things you should be doing offensively. Now it’s not about getting Dez the ball. It’s about running the offense and being who they are.”
Bob McGinn
VIEWS OF THE GAME
BOB McGINN
Players from both sides have done more than their share of slipping on the DD GrassMaster surface at Lambeau Field in the last two games. If the slipperiness persists it should favor the Packers, who have a thicker front seven on defense, more physical wide receivers and a heavier running back. What appears to be an almost even game could turn on footing.
TOM SILVERSTEIN
The Packers haven't faced a dominant run game yet, their offense remains average at best and their punting game is a mess. It's not like the Cowboys are infallible, but if they don't turn the ball over and win the field-position game, they're going to be a handful. Without a healthy Eddie Lacy, the Packers aren't the same team. Cowboys 27, Packers 21.
MICHAEL COHEN
With two rookies in prominent positions, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has done a terrific job of devising simple and effective game plans. Behind a dominant offensive line and just enough in the passing game, the Cowboys should be able to do it again. The aerial attack for the Packers is unlikely to be fixed in one week. Cowboys 23, Packers 20.
PETE DOUGHERTY
The matchup getting all the attention is the Packers’ No. 1 run defense against the Cowboys’ No. 1 rushing offense. But the guess here is that the other side of that could determine this game, and that as long as Eddie Lacy (ankle) can finish the day, the Packers’ running game will be too physical for the Cowboys’ front seven. Packers 27, Cowboys 24.
RYAN WOOD
As impressive as the Cowboys have been during their four-game win streak, they've also been aided playing defenses that rank in the league's bottom half in points allowed. The best defense the Cowboys played this season was the 15th-ranked Giants, their lone loss. The Packers' defense is far better than anything rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has faced, and they'll find a way to win. Packers 24, Cowboys 17.