The Dallas Cowboys had the ball for 20 minutes and 39 seconds against Tampa Bay last Thursday. The Buccaneers kept it for the other 39:21, ran for 241 yards and left AT&T Stadium with a 24-16 win, and the Cowboys slid in the power rankings as a result.
Dallas is 2-3 and gets a long week before a Sunday night trip to Green Bay, where the 3-2 Packers are coming off a 31-7 rout of Chicago. The Cowboys opened as 1.5-point favorites.
Truth: This is the worst run defense in the NFL
The Cowboys have allowed 842 rushing yards, the most in the league, an average of 168.4 per game. Bucky Irving ran 21 times for 165 yards on Thursday, including a 72-yard run on the first play of the second half. Dallas missed 16 tackles in that game, according to PFF, and Quinnen Williams had three of them.
The timing helps. Green Bay ranks last in the league with 302 rushing yards, and no Packers back has more than 112. Jordan Love does most of the damage for this offense.
Truth: The defense still hasn’t intercepted a pass
Five games in, Dallas has zero interceptions and five sacks. The pass rush didn’t get home against Tampa Bay either. Rookie Jalon Daniels completed 19 of 25 passes, and the Cowboys had 13 pressures, one sack and no quarterback hits, according to PFF.
Love has thrown three interceptions on 185 attempts, so he won’t hand Dallas many chances. The Packers’ defense has already forced nine turnovers, five of them against the Bears.
Truth: George Pickens can carry the passing game for a week
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CeeDee Lamb went from 17 catches against Houston to two catches for 9 yards against Tampa Bay before leaving with a quad injury in the fourth quarter. Brian Schottenheimer said Lamb has a bruised quadriceps.
Pickens picked up the slack with nine catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, and his 90.2 grade was the best among the Cowboys’ regulars in that game, according to PFF. Ryan Flournoy added a 48-yard catch. Green Bay has allowed only 905 passing yards, fifth fewest in the league, so Dallas will need both of them if Lamb is limited.
Truth: Dak Prescott is not the problem
Prescott has 1,381 passing yards, nine touchdown passes and three interceptions, with a 97.2 passer rating. Both of his interceptions against Tampa Bay were catchable balls that bounced off receivers’ hands, and he still led a 99-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
One break in Green Bay: Micah Parsons is not expected to return to practice this week as he works back from a torn ACL. Edgerrin Cooper leads the Packers with three sacks, and the team has 14.
Truth: The running game has disappeared
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Dallas has 408 rushing yards, 30th in the league, and ran for 50 against Tampa Bay. Javonte Williams has six touchdowns, but he’s averaging 3.7 yards per carry, and 26 of his 45 yards Thursday came on the opening drive.
Tyler Smith played all 60 snaps in his return, according to PFF, yet the Cowboys ran only 15 times. Left tackle Tyler Guyton left the game with a back injury.
Green Bay has given up 638 rushing yards, and Atlanta ran for 242 at Lambeau Field in Week 3. That’s an opening Dallas has to use to keep its own defense off the field.
Lie: Dallas can outscore its defensive problems
The Cowboys average 27.6 points per game, seventh in the NFL. They also allow 27.2, and five games in they’ve outscored opponents by two points total. Both wins took at least 34 points.
Green Bay’s passing game is rolling. Christian Watson has 474 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and he caught six passes for 143 yards and two scores against Chicago. Matthew Golden added 123 yards in that game. A secondary that has been hit by illness, with DaRon Bland and Joey Porter Jr. both affected, is a bad matchup for that duo.
Kickoff is 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday at Lambeau Field on NBC. Watch Lamb’s practice status out of Frisco this week, and whether Guyton is back to protect Prescott’s blind side.
