Well, the Cowboys didn’t lose, but they didn’t win either. It’s tough to feel any certain way following a tie, but the Cowboys’ performance against the Packers felt encouraging. Still, there were several missed opportunities that prevented Dallas from emerging victorious in this one. These five plays were especially impactful in retrospect.
Trevon Diggs pick wiped out by penalty
The Cowboys made a statement by opting to keep Trevon Diggs on the bench to start the game. They eventually rotated the cornerback in to start the third drive of the game, and Diggs was understandably eager to make a play. Just a few plays into his first drive, it looked like he did.
Diggs flew in front of an out route from Jordan Love to pick him off, going out of bounds as he made the catch and looking like his old self. Alas, a flag was on the field, as the Cowboys had been rushing to sub players out as Green Bay went no-huddle. The call was an easy one: too many men on the field.
That wiped out Diggs’ pick, which would have set Dallas up at their own 28-yard line. Instead, it gifted the Packers a first down on top of retaining possession. Seven plays later, they scored their second touchdown, though it did also result in two points for Dallas.
Tyler Smith false start kills drive
By some inexplicable miracle, the Cowboys found themselves leading the Packers at halftime. The offense had figured things out right at the same time the defense forced a turnover that actually stood, and they got the ball to start the second half. They had a golden opportunity to take a two-score lead.
Things started off well, too. Javonte Williams ripped off two straight 5+ yard runs, moving the chains easily. Then, Tyler Smith was flagged for a false start. That backed them up an additional five yards, and it proved to be too much for the offense to overcome as they punted three plays later.
That drive started off with promise, and looked as if the Cowboys still had their mojo from the end of the second quarter. But the false start killed the drive, and it proved to be big. The Cowboys and Packers would trade touchdowns, and the lead, on the next six drives, only taking a break for Green Bay’s tying field goal. If the Cowboys had managed to score on the opening drive of the third quarter, it changes a lot of things in this game.
Sam Williams sack erased by facemask
As mentioned above, the Cowboys’ punt on the first drive of the third quarter was a turning point in the game. In fact, it proved to be the final drive to not end in a score that night. But that nearly wasn’t the case.
Green Bay faced an early third down, needing just one yard, and Love dropped back to pass. The Dallas pass rush broke through quickly, and Sam Williams dropped him for a sack and a loss of 12 yards. But, again, a flag was on the field. As it turned out, Williams had grabbed Love’s facemask, and Diggs was also flagged elsewhere for defensive holding.
Either way, the Packers were getting a first down by penalty. But it reflected yet another missed opportunity, as the sack would have erased any chance for the Packers to go for it on fourth down. Seven plays later, the Packers scored a touchdown, thus kicking off the scoring epidemic.
Micah Parsons “sacks” Dak Prescott
The Cowboys got the ball to start overtime, and they quickly moved the ball down the field. Williams was running hard yet again, and Prescott hit several open receivers before his highlight reel fadeaway shot to Jalen Tolbert down the sideline. That set them up with first and goal.
The next play, a run, was stopped almost immediately. Then, Prescott dropped back, but with nothing open he started to run. There was a wide open avenue for a touchdown, but Micah Parsons was quickly closing in from behind. He tackled Prescott right at the line of scrimmage for no gain, saving a touchdown.
Parsons was credited with a sack – a preposterous notion, given what actually happened – but even if it was just a tackle, it saved the touchdown for Green Bay. Prescott would’ve scored easily otherwise, and the Packers would have needed a touchdown to tie. Parsons made little impact throughout the night, but he came up big in this moment.
Matthew Golden finds open space on fourth down
After the fake sack from Parsons, the Cowboys settled for a field goal. That set the stage for the much-maligned Dallas defense: get just one stop and win the game. And, for a moment, it looked like they might. A first-down stop on a quick pass was followed by two incompletions from Love, setting up fourth and six.
Just one play, with five or fewer yards surrendered, and the defense could win the game for the Cowboys. But as Love dropped back to pass, he saw rookie Matthew Golden find a nice little hole in the zone coverage between three defenders. Love fired it in there, and Golden caught it on the double clutch, picking up 14 yards.
That play seemingly broke the defense, as the Packers raced down the field from there, thwarted only by their mind-numbingly bad clock management inside the final 15 seconds. Even still, Green Bay got lucky that Love’s final pass dropped down quick enough to leave a second remaining. None of that happens, though, if Dallas gets one stop on fourth down there.
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