Week 3’s outcome left one of the worst tastes in my mouth as a Packers fan since the divisional playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. That game saw the Packers defense have one of their best performances under Joe Barry, holding a high-profile 49ers offense to just 6 real points. That game was lost by the Packers offense and special teams—just like this past Sunday. The Packers offense, led by former quarterback Aaron Rodgers, also had trouble moving the ball and scoring points. There was a Marcedes Lewis fumble at midfield while the Packers were finally putting a good drive together, which seemed to hand all of the momentum over to San Fran.

It even had an eerily similar situation late in the game when running back Aaron Jones looked like he had an easy touchdown if he had just continued running straight—just like rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden found himself in this past Sunday. Instead of staying inbounds and running straight, he caught the ball and veered toward the sideline, out of bounds. The biggest difference between the two contests is that game ended the Packers’ season, while this game should light a fire under Green Bay as they head into their Week 4 matchup against the perfect opponent to take some aggression out on.

Defensively, the Packers should continue to dominate against the Cowboys offense. They are the 3rd-ranked defense in football after 3 weeks while facing two of the best offenses in football during the first two weeks. They held the Browns scoreless for the first 56 minutes of their game, and if you take away the short field off an interception and a blocked field goal, they gave up a total of 3 points to Cleveland. They have yet to allow a touchdown in the first 3 quarters of a game this season. While that stat is likely to be broken sooner than later, there’s no reason Jeff Hafley’s group can’t continue to be the anchor of this football team.

On the other side of the field, though, the Dallas Cowboys defense is—for lack of a better word—a disaster. The Cowboys are tied for 25th in pressure rate and 26th in sack rate. This is a team that traded away one of the best pass rushers in football (thanks again, Jerry). They’re also last in the league in expected points allowed per dropback at .44, which essentially means that every two passing plays attempted against these Cowboys is equal to a full point of value. Last Sunday against the Chicago Bears in the Matt Eberflus revenge game, it seemed they couldn’t get off the field when it mattered—and that’s because they are also the worst third-down defense in all of football with a 53.7% conversion rate.

As if those stats weren’t enough to make Cowboys fans turn away, here are some more for your reading pleasure. Their defense ranks 31st in yards per play at 6.5. They are currently 30th in total yards allowed per game at 397.7, and their EPA per play (expected points added per play) is 31st. Just for some context—there are only 32 teams in the National Football League. In other words, for a team that just played perhaps the best defense in the NFL and scored only 10 points, this is exactly the defense they want to see across from them. Russell Wilson—who just got benched, by the way—marched up and down the field on this very same unit just two short weeks ago.

With so much offensive line inconsistency—Zach Tom already confirmed out with his oblique injury and Aaron Banks likely out as well with a new groin injury—facing a Cowboys defense that is struggling to get to the passer should allow the Packers to get back on track. Their offensive game plan completely shifted once Tom and Banks exited the game against the Browns. The deep passing game, save for one 35-yard completion to Golden, was nonexistent. Entering Sunday’s game against Cleveland, Love had an ADOT (average depth of target) of 14.5 yards, which was among the best in the entire league. What was his ADOT against the Browns? A whopping 1.9 yards. The long-developing pass play, a staple in the offense, was essentially wiped out of their playbook. Even without two of their top receivers in Jayden Reed and Christian Watson, that shouldn’t be an issue against a Cowboys team that can’t get to the quarterback. I would expect Love and Co. to have a big bounce-back.

Perhaps more important to the success of this football team is Josh Jacobs and their ability to get the run game moving. Throughout 2024, the offense went as Jacobs and the run game went. Not the case so far in 2025, as the Packers have struggled to get Jacobs going in any of the first three games. His 16 rushes for 30 yards this past Sunday were good for 1.9 yards per carry—among the lowest of his professional career. That should change against the Cowboys, who currently have the 17th-ranked rush defense, allowing an average of 109.7 rushing yards per game with 4 touchdowns. Expect LaFleur to establish the run early and often. Add in the fact that their Micah Parsons trade piece, Kenny Clark, is questionable with an ankle injury suffered against the Bears. For a struggling defense, Clark has been a lone bright spot, and it would be a massive blow if he can’t face his former team.

Then we get to my personal favorite Packers-Cowboys related stat: the Green Bay Packers are 7-0 lifetime at Jerry World. Since Jerry World opened back in 2009, it hasn’t mattered who the Packers lined up under center. The site of the Packers’ Super Bowl XLV win, whether it was Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love, or Matt Flynn, they have all led the Packers to victories in the friendly confines of Arlington, Texas. Yes, the house that Jerry built is a great place for the Packers to take out any frustrations that bubbled up during the Browns game. The Packers have plenty of buildings that have been houses of horrors for them over the years, like the Metrodome in Minnesota, but when they see that big star at midfield, they feel right at home.

While it might not be a cure-all to a truly gut-wrenching loss, a win on Sunday can definitely lessen the sting. Heading into the much needed bye week with a win and improving to 3-1 with a home matchup against a Bengals team that features a backup quarterback awaiting you when you return isn’t a bad spot to be in.