Offense ranks 1st, but Cowboys defense is dead last after 4 weeks – Shane Taylor, Inside The Star Having the number one offense but last ranked defense created the setting for a wild game on Sunday night. Last night, the Dallas Cowboys went blow for blow with the Green Bay Packers without CeeDee Lamb or […] Having the number one offense but last ranked defense created the setting for a wild game on Sunday night. Last night, the Dallas Cowboys went blow for blow with the Green Bay Packers without CeeDee Lamb or Tyler Booker in a game that nobody gave them a chance to win. I totally understood why that was the case, but through four weeks, the Cowboys have the No. 1 offense in the NFL entering Monday Night Football at 404.3 yards per game. They have the WORST defense, sitting at No. 32 defense at 420.5 yards given up per game. Something Has To Give Let’s be honest with ourselves here, this was probably the best game Dak Prescott has ever played. They needed everything they got from him, and he went blow for blow with the team everyone had as Super Bowl champs after three weeks. A defense that was second in scoring coming into this game. Dak lit them up and that is what he is going to have to do every single game if this team wants a chance. Jones defends common offseason target; Cowboys not ‘moving on’ from Diggs after benching – Todd Brock, The Cowboys Wire Trevon Diggs coming on and off the field all night was an interesting new wrinkle for Matt Eberflus’ defense. For just the third time in his career, the two-time Pro Bowler did not get the start in Week 4. And although he did come on and contribute heavily in Dallas’s 40-40 tie with Green Bay, the 27-year-old himself was at a bit of loss as to why he wasn’t on the field for the first couple defensive stands. Asked if he was surprised by the lineup move, Diggs was brief in his answer. “Yeah, maybe,” he said at his locker, trying to keep things light. “A little bit. Little bit. Little bit. Little bit.” Diggs ended up playing 64% of the team’s defensive snaps, the same as fellow corner (and starter) DaRon Bland, two snaps less than Reddy Steward, and just seven fewer snaps than Kaiir Elam, the other starting corner. Over the course of the 70-minute game, Diggs logged four tackles and a key tackle for loss on Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden late in the overtime period. He also had a second-quarter interception wiped out by a Cowboys penalty for too many men on the field. His PFF grade of 83.3 was the second-highest of any Dallas defender. Pickens earning trust of Dak, Cowboys with ability, attitude – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys wish it came in a win, but seeing George Pickens dominate in the WR1 role without CeeDee Lamb was a big deal for the offense. Tie games stink, and everyone except the league’s front office knows it. OK, having now stated the obvious, it’s also true that the Cowboys leave with nothing short of a blowout loss if not for what Prescott and Pickens were able to do — the latter headlining a round of great play from the receiving group as a whole. “Yeah, I’d probably say just more [opportunities], definitely, for everybody,” said Pickens. “[Tolbert], Turp — I feel like we all executed well, too.” Pickens ended the night with 134 receiving yards, the second-highest mark of his career, along with two touchdowns in the most critical junctures of the contest, to end the first half and to take a 37-34 lead with less than one minute remaining in the second half. And then there’s the insanity and outright trust required for Prescott to drop back and throw a dot deep down the left sideline to Pickens in double coverage, confident he’d make the catch, and he did, because of course. “The guy, that’s what he’s done,” Prescott said of Pickens. “When I say look at his film and look at his resume — whether it’s just been in the months that he’s been here or the time he’s had in Pittsburgh — that’s what he does, that’s who he is, and that’s what allows that chemistry to grow, is when I get a guy who I’ve seen on film make play after play, and then he shows up here … Yeah, I mean no surprises, honestly. Super proud of him. “He played just as I expected him to play, and what I was most impressed about is just the way that he was focused and locked in on the game, the whole game, and not only just locked in, but doing everything that he needed to do, and doing it right.” Cowboys defense has become an all-time handicap – Jess Haynie, Blogging The Boys Whether it was penalties, breakdowns in zone, or ineffectiveness in man coverage, the Cowboys defense couldn’t come up with the one stop they needed in the second half vs. the Packers. There is still hope for things to change, at least enough to get to a point of solvency. When Trevon Diggs got benched last night, it was a positive sign that the team isn’t going to just let veteran status dictate starts and playing time. That’s good news for the likes of James Houston, Shemar James, Juanyeh Thomas, and other backups who are seemingly more deserving of snaps right now than those above them on the depth chart. At the very least, it hopefully indicates that Matt Eberflus will continue to try new combinations until he finds what works best. We also have better days coming on the injury front, at least in the secondary. That was only DaRon Bland’s first game back after missing the last two with a bad foot. Caelen Carson, Shavon Revel Jr., and Josh Butler are all

In a game nearly everyone expected the Dallas Cowboys to lose by a significant margin, they somehow managed to surprise us all by going toe to toe with the Green Bay Packers, a team many believe could have Super Bowl aspirations this season. The 40-40 surprise tie ending feels somewhat unfulfilling considering how hard the […] In a game nearly everyone expected the Dallas Cowboys to lose by a significant margin, they somehow managed to surprise us all by going toe to toe with the Green Bay Packers, a team many believe could have Super Bowl aspirations this season. The 40-40 surprise tie ending feels somewhat unfulfilling considering how hard the Cowboys played Sunday night, but sometimes a moral victory is better than a disappointing loss. This Week 4 matchup was highly anticipated and certainly did not disappoint. Despite a lot of bad and ugly things that occurred Sunday night for the Dallas Cowboys, there was quite a bit of good we can take away from this matchup as well. THE GOOD – George Pickens With CeeDee Lamb sidelined with an ankle sprain, the Dallas Cowboys needed all of their other playmakers to step up their games during his absence. Thankfully, they did just that. KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Tolbert, Jake Ferguson, Ryan Flournoy, and Javonte Williams rose to the occasion making plays Sunday night, but it was George Pickens who stole the show. Pickens finished the evening with 134 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just eight catches an improve just why the Cowboys traded a third-round pick to acquire him from the Steelers. Even with the one unfortunate drop, he looked very much like a No. 1 WR in Week 4. The Dallas Cowboys defense still has a ton of work to do after giving up more than 450 yards of total offense and 40 points for the second time in three weeks. The Green Bay Packers were able to put up 489 yards of the Cowboys Sunday night, allowing Jordan Love and Company stick around and take the game into overtime. Penalties were once again part of the problem as well giving the Packers second and even third chances to extend drives. Matt Eberflus’ unit did surprisingly create some pressure with their pass rush and continue to fight to the bitter end, but overall this unit still has a lot of work to do until they can hopefully not be a liability any longer. THE UGLY – Malik Hooker and Miles Sanders injuries Losing players to injuries is starting to become a weekly occurrence for the Cowboys and it looks as if Malik Hooker and Miles Sanders are the latest to succumb to the injury bug. Hooker’s toe injury looks likes the worst of the two and he could miss significant time because of it. Sanders (ankle) could miss some time as well. Dallas will once again need players to step up in their place, but this could actually be a blessing in disguise. Juanyeh Thomas stepped in for Hooker and played admirably, and Sanders’ injury could open the door for Jaydon Blue to finally make his NFL debut. Maybe things will work out for the better. See More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

Well, it’s not a loss, but it feels far from winning. The Dallas Cowboys, despite being largely picked to lose versus the Green Bay Packers, stood toe-to-toe with their longtime NFC rivals and played them to a draw in a wild last-second finish. Listening to the team’s starting quarterbacks, Jordan Love and Dak Prescott, following […] Well, it’s not a loss, but it feels far from winning. The Dallas Cowboys, despite being largely picked to lose versus the Green Bay Packers, stood toe-to-toe with their longtime NFC rivals and played them to a draw in a wild last-second finish. Listening to the team’s starting quarterbacks, Jordan Love and Dak Prescott, following the game, you could tell they were clearly dissatisfied with the outcome and the fact that there was no clear winner. Frankly, Cowboys fans should feel the same. Dallas had Green Bay trailing in overtime and had the Packers facing 4th & 6. Dallas only needed to make one play to put a much-needed W in the column and return to .500. Unfortunately, Green Bay converted and persisted on a methodical drive that gave the Packers an extra second for a game-tying field goal to even the game as time expired. However, Dallas needed their stars to deliver to avoid a dreadful 1-3 start, and they did just that. Dallas will have another chance to even their record next Sunday against the New York Jets. But first, here are the reasons Dallas was able to hang with the Packers for a tie. Limiting Micah Parsons Although officially Parsons was credited with a sack, it came more in the form of a technicality than anything. While the statistic will look pretty in the box score for Parsons, he never got a chance to wreck the game as some analysts projected. Even when Parsons played for the Cowboys, teams would find ways to limit his impact on games. The Cowboys followed that blueprint and gave the Packers a taste of what Dallas defensive coordinators experienced with opposing teams neutralizing Parsons. The Cowboys utilized max protections to make sure that they had multiple bodies assigned to Parsons. They also had the running backs and tight ends chip him at the line of scrimmage on their way out into their passing patterns. Also, if Parsons wanted to rush from the interior, the Cowboys were ready for that, too. It’s even more impressive because, due to injury or performance, Nate Thomas saw significant snaps at right and left tackle, and never afforded the opportunity for Parsons to make a game-altering play. Dallas also kept fellow edge rusher Rashaan Gary away from Prescott, allowing Prescott the time to find his receivers throughout the game. While it is hard to justify a team trading away their best pass rusher, you may start to see some of the reasoning behind it if teams are able to mitigate Parsons in this fashion. Dallas keeping Parsons off Prescott in his homecoming allowed the offense to come alive. Winning the turnover battle Dallas only got one turnover against Green Bay, but man, was it a big one. After Jordan Love connected with Romeo Doubs for a one-yard touchdown pass to put the Packers up 13-0, you thought Dallas might be in for a long night. Yet, the tide suddenly turned after a blocked extra point by Juanyeh Thomas that was returned for two points, and Prescott orchestrated a 95-yard touchdown drive. On the ensuing drive, James Houston burst through the backfield to strip the ball from Jordan Love and recover it to set the Cowboys deep in Packers territory. On the next play, Prescott found George Pickens for the go-ahead touchdown. On the other side, knowing how good the Packers defense has been, not giving the ball away was paramount. With all the pressure that Dallas was under to keep pace with the Packers’ offense, things could have spiraled out of control quickly. Instead, Dallas avoided the big mistake and sustained drives to avoid giving Green Bay short fields. If the defense is going to be as challenged as it is for the Cowboys, then Dallas has to play near-perfect football offensively, and this was as good as it could’ve been. If the defense can limit the big plays and costly penalties in the future, things should only improve moving forward and alter the turnover differential all the same. Pickens and Prescott pick apart the Packers Without CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys needed Pickens to emerge as the top weapon in the passing game. The reason why Dallas was such an underdog entering the contest was because of concerns about who the Cowboys would turn to without Lamb. After the mistakes last week in Chicago, could Pickens and Prescott get on the same page to carry the offense? The answer was a resounding yes as Pickens atoned for last week’s mistakes and answered the call. He and Prescott were terrific together. Time after time, Prescott put the ball in perfect spots, and Pickens came through with one highlight play after another. This throw and catch might be the play of the game. The coverage by Green Bay is very tight along the sideline. Prescott puts the ball where only Pickens can get it and drops it in right before the oncoming safety can make a play on the ball. Pickens also displays his rare body control to not only make the catch but also get both feet in bounds to complete the play. Pickens found the end zone twice, but his last touchdown was a prime example of the two being in perfect sync with one another from the timing of the pass and the catch and run afterwards for the score. When targeting Pickens, Prescott threw for 134 yards, two touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 153. Putting Pickens aside for a moment, we should also know just how dialed in Prescott was. Last night, he found eight different receivers, he threw for eight yards an attempt, and completed

It really is unfortunate. Life in the NFL is so dependent on having elite quarterback play and if you can find it you better cherish it. Ideally you have an offensive play-caller who is capable of devising creative ways to utilize the player in question, and if you are even more fortunate you have high-level […] It really is unfortunate. Life in the NFL is so dependent on having elite quarterback play and if you can find it you better cherish it. Ideally you have an offensive play-caller who is capable of devising creative ways to utilize the player in question, and if you are even more fortunate you have high-level pass-catchers who can take care of business once the ball leaves his hands. The Dallas Cowboys have these foundational things, and had them in their most nirvana-like state on Sunday night. They do not have a win to show for it, they don’t have a loss either, which is incredibly frustrating. Sunday night was incredible theater and that was just the way NBC wanted it, with this being Micah Parsons’ return alongside the Green Bay Packers who were visiting the building for the first time since destroying the Cowboys in the 2023 Wild Card Round. In many ways a tie was a fitting end to a saga that sucked up every bit of oxygen for the last two months. Here is our Stock Report from all of the action. Stock Up: Dak Prescott It is Shakespearean how Dak Prescott is living out Tony Romo’s career in every possible way. Those who have been around long enough will recall that Romo played so admirably through the early years of the Jason Garrett era and that he was constantly let down by porous defenses (2012 and 2013 are what we are specifically referencing here). His play endeared Romo so much to Cowboys fans to the point that Prescott taking over the job became one of the more divisive subjects in franchise history. I simply do not know what else Dak Prescott has to do to help this team. He is playing outstanding football this season and his team’s record is limiting the presentation of that. If there are any demerits against him from Sunday night I suppose that he scored too quickly near the end of regulation. What a silly thing for him to do! Stock Up: George Pickens The score in question belonged to George Pickens and it was his second of the night. My goodness, what a star. It is beyond impressive that the Cowboys were down CeeDee Lamb and that the entire world knew that George Pickens was going to have to be the team’s offense… and that he successfully was. George reeled in 8 of his 11 targets for 134 yards and the two scores and was the highest point of clutch/stability that the team had. Prior to the game there was an obvious note that there would have to be several this is why you trade for George Pickens moments if the Cowboys were going to succeed. It sure would be nice if a long-term deal were already in place here. Stock Up: Jake Ferguson Jake Ferguson caught a touchdown! It happened! It was awesome to see Fergy break his drought, one that began with the Packers of all teams, and to be so reliable. He caught all seven of his targets and proved for the second week in a row that he is a very trustworthy safety blanket for Dak Prescott. We are only four games in, but it is more than fair to say that he is proving the team correct for giving him a long-term extension back during training camp. You need your tight end to be clutch and dependable. That is exactly who he is proving to be. Stock Up: Javonte Williams It feels like we have already apologized to the front office for doubting things here and that should stand on its own. But Javonte Williams is playing so well that we might have to apologize again. Consider that Javonte carried the ball over 20 times and still averaged over four yards per carry. The offense is humming along and a big reason for that is the run game is consistent. You can make an argument that this is the most fluid things have been on the ground for the Cowboys since 2019ish. It has been some time. Good for Javonte Williams. Good for the Cowboys. Great job front office. Stock Up: Nate Thomas, T.J. Bass, and Brock Hoffman We could have given Klayton Adams the stock up here, but the players deserve some love. Take a bow, gentlemen. Our greatest fear over the last week was that the Cowboys were going to have to play a game without both Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker. When Tyler Guyton needed help it exacerbated the issue. Never fear. Nate Thomas, T.J. Bass, and Brock Hoffman are here! Having your reserve linemen (three of them!) step in and shine against a stout pass rush group is highly impressive stuff. When you add the narrative of it being Micah Night it only adds to the impressiveness. Stock Up: Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Tolbert On the subject of role players stepping up, welcome to the Dallas Cowboys, Ryan Flournoy! Obviously Flournoy has been around for a minute, but Sunday night was his coming out party. Brian Schottenheimer utilized him in a number of ways, including a creative play out of the backfield which is why it is totally fine to do that, and the offense benefited from it greatly as a result. It goes without saying that Jalen Tolbert has more time served than Flournoy, but he deserves some kudos for delivering when the moment mattered most. That sideline catch was unreal. Stock Up: Brian Schottenheimer Matters with the Cowboys are frustrating on some levels right now, but if there is any reason for optimism moving forward it is because they have the quarterback and

Micah Parsons’ hyped return to Dallas ends with Cowboys and Packers in 40-40 tie – AP An unsatisfying ending to a great game. Brandon Aubrey and Brandon McManus traded short field goals in overtime, and Micah Parsons‘ highly anticipated return to Dallas ended with the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in a 40-40 tie Sunday night. Dak Prescott and Jordan Love had three touchdown […] Micah Parsons’ hyped return to Dallas ends with Cowboys and Packers in 40-40 tie – AP An unsatisfying ending to a great game. Brandon Aubrey and Brandon McManus traded short field goals in overtime, and Micah Parsons’ highly anticipated return to Dallas ended with the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in a 40-40 tie Sunday night. Dak Prescott and Jordan Love had three touchdown passes apiece in regulation, which included seven consecutive lead-changing TDs before McManus’ tying 53-yard field goal as time expired. McManus kicked a 34-yarder as the clock hit 0:00 in overtime, just after Love’s pass into the back of the end zone fell incomplete with just a second remaining. What started as the hyped return of one of the game’s elite pass rushers exactly a month after the Cowboys (1-2-1) traded Parsons to the Packers (2-1-1) ended up as the second dramatic duel of quarterbacks in as many home games for Dallas. The Cowboys beat the Giants 40-37 in overtime two weeks earlier when Russell Wilson was starting for New York. Stargazing: Cowboys who stood out vs. Packers – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys played well, particularly on offense. Dak Prescott, QB It began before kickoff when the All-Pro quarterback was seen leading the team’s huddle with a fiery speech that eventually spilled over into some explosive offensive plays for the Cowboys. It was a stagnant first quarter that gave way to a big play after big play from Prescott to his offensive weapons, especially George Pickens, but an option read saw the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback decide to take one in himself for a rushing touchdown as well. As is often the case, Prescott was hellbent on willing the Cowboys to win; and the nine words placed before the semicolon in this statement is a massive, massive undersell of what Prescott was able to do in this game and especially, once again, in the fourth quarter and overtime on his home field. George Pickens, WR Whoa mama, there goes that man. It was the perfect opportunity for Pickens to prove he could take over an NFL game as WR1, and on a primetime stage, no less, and he did not disappoint. After having not been targeted through much of the first half, his connection with Prescott took center stage toward the end of the second quarter — the two taking over to land haymakers against the Packers’ defense that included a touchdown that gave the Cowboys the first lead of the game just ahead of halftime; but he wasn’t done there. With only 50 seconds remaining and down four points, Pickens took a toss from Prescott for an extra 20 yards to make it 37-34 with less than a minute remaining. Cowboys vs. Packers: Dallas and Green Bay tie 40-40 in Micah Parsons’ return – RJ Ochoa, Blogging The Boys How it ended. Overtime The Packers won the toss and elected to give the Cowboys the ball first. Each team is guaranteed a possession in the current rules format, though. We learned this again just two weeks ago! Two home games this season, two overtime contests. KaVontae Turpin had a solid enough return, but Dallas was called for holding which took it back. The Cowboys went to work, though. They moved and moved and moved and moved and got stopped just shy of a touchdown. Brandon Aubrey put his first field goal of the night on the board (amazingly) and gave the team a 40-37 lead to try and go win the game with. As noted the Packers were guaranteed a possession. They faced a fourth down early on in it, but they were able to convert and keep it alive. Soon after that they reached the two-minute warning in overtime. The time became an important factor. Overtime is one period and Packers quarterback Jordan Love was not acting like it. On third down he let a significant amount of time go and threw an incompletion that left only a single second on the clock. It was enough time for Green Bay to tie it. Yes, tie it. Game Recap: Cowboys tie Packers, 40-40 – Kurt Daniels, DallasCowboys.com Two overtime gamed already this season. For the second time this season, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves in a thrilling overtime game at AT&T Stadium. This time, however, they couldn’t quite get the win, tying the Green Bay Packers, 40-40. This marked the Cowboys’ first tie since the 1969 season. With the spotlight leading up to the game focused on who was no longer on the team, the Cowboys entered this Sunday night showdown against Green Bay with seemingly something to prove. And they gave the heavily favored Packers all they could handle. Quarterback Dak Prescott was simply brilliant, completing 77.5 percent of his passes for 319 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions for a 124.9 passer rating. He also had a rushing score, marking the 22nd time in his career he has earned both in a game, the most in Cowboys history and tied for third among NFL quarterbacks since 2016. George Pickens, stepping up for the injured CeeDee Lamb, had several key connections with Prescott, the receiver finishing with 134 receiving yards and two touchdowns. But he wasn’t the only one as Jalen Tolbert totaled 61 receiving yards and tight end Jake Ferguson added 40 and a touchdown. And on the ground, Javonte Williams continued his impressive season, averaging 4.3 yards per carry on his way to an 85-yard rushing effort with his own score. See More: Dallas Cowboys News

The Dallas Cowboys returned to AT&T Stadium for their third home game of the season. It went to overtime, down to the last second, and ended in a disappointing tie. How did social media react during the game? Let’s find out. With CeeDee Lamb out with injury KaVonate Turpin gets the start on the outside. […] The Dallas Cowboys returned to AT&T Stadium for their third home game of the season. It went to overtime, down to the last second, and ended in a disappointing tie. How did social media react during the game? Let’s find out. With CeeDee Lamb out with injury KaVonate Turpin gets the start on the outside. Romeo Doubs finds the end zone for the games first touchdown after Jordan Love finds the soft zone on a deep pass several plays earlier. The Cowboys go three-and-out on the games first offensive series. Dallas force a three-and-out, but it was close after allowing over 15 yards on the throw. The Cowboys offense Dallas short again and is forced to punt. At least they got Green Bay to burn a timeout. The first interception that came from Trevon Diggs is wiped off by 12-men on the field. Green Bay’s offense gets moving. Blocked extra point and Markquese Bell runs it down to score two points. Big hit by Marist Liufau. Something to watch for this week. Ryan Flournoy helps the offense convert on third down. George Pickens with a huge catch between two defenders. Dak with the keeper to score just before halftime. Cowboys defense finds some life and James Houston strips the ball. Pickens in for six with nine seconds left on the clock before halftime. HALFTIME Cowboys start the half and fail to get downfield. Sam Williams got there, but… Green Bay retake the lead. Cowboys defense had some life to them however. Flournoy involved heavily in the drive. It’s an impressive drive this time. Javonte Williams wrecks defenders. Sets up Jake Ferguson to get Dallas back in the lead. Josh Jacobs gets into the end zone. The back-and-forth continues. Dak Prescott doing everything right tonight. Hits Pickens to convert on fourth down. Javonte keeps carving the defense and looks to be getting faster as the game goes on. Green Bay inside the two minute warning score again. Dak to Pickens for the go-ahead score with 43 seconds left. Cowboys defense holds. Brandon McManus hits the field goal. It’s an overtime game. Dak makes another unbelievable throw. Brandon Aubrey takes the lead back. Game ends in a tie. See More: Dallas Cowboys Scores & Results