Heading into its Week 4 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers are coming off its first Week 3 loss since 2018. That season, 2018, was also the last year the Packers did not start at least 2-1, as their record was 1-1-1 after three weeks.

Why bring up 2018? Well, Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns is likely the franchise’s worst regular-season loss since the December 2018 loss to the Arizona Cardinals that cost head coach Mike McCarthy his job.

Luckily for the 2025 edition of the Green Bay Packers, this disastrous loss happened in September and not in December or January.

🧀 Matt LaFleur’s process and play calling at the end of the game wasn’t the problem.

The result was. pic.twitter.com/RkgSnqwXB9

— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) September 23, 2025

How do they respond from a bad loss? Will they be like the 1997 team, which rebounded from a pair of bad defeats (to Philadelphia and Indianapolis) to go 10-1 over its last 11 regular season games to advance to a second consecutive Super Bowl?

Will they be like the 2010 Packers who started 3-3, loss a pair of overtime games to teams who did not make the playoffs (Washington and Miami), and then rebounded to win four in a row, which included two wins over Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings?

2018 Patriots were 1-2
2019 Chiefs were 4-2 and 5-3 early
2020 Bucs lost to the Bears early
2022 Chiefs lost to the 4-12-1 Colts in Week 3
2023 Chiefs lost 24-9 to Broncos
2024 Eagles were 2-2 after 4 games

Nothing is easy or perfect early, even for future Super Bowl champs

— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) September 22, 2025

Or will they be like the 2022 team, which had a really bad loss in London (to the New York Giants) and let it snowball to five straight losses, which eventually cost the team a playoff spot.

The Packers head into the Sunday Night tilt in Arlington, Texas as winners in 10 of the last 11 matchups with the Cowboys, dating back to 2009. The 10 wins include three playoffs wins in 2014, 2016 and 2023. The dominance in this rivalry is a stark contrast to the dominance the Cowboys had from 1991 to 2008.

Packers vs Cowboys Head-to-Head (Since 2009)

*Playoff Game

The Cowboys went 9-1 in the 1990’s and then won Tony Romo’s first two starts against the Packers in 2007 and 2008.

After facing the league’s top defense in yards in the Browns, Sunday Night’s matchup with the Cowboys defense could be just what the Packers offense needed.

The Cowboys enter the game having given up 24 points to the Eagles, 37 to the Giants and 31 to the Bears. For the Packers to be successful this season, their defense has proven the offense just needs to get over the 20-point mark. Russell Wilson was able to have a season-high 450 yards in their week 2 overtime loss to the Cowboys. In the Giants other two games, Wilson could not crack over 200 yards passing and now lost his job today to rookie Jaxson Dart.

In comparison, in three games, the Packers defense has allowed 13 points twice and 18 to the Commanders. They still have not allowed a touchdown before the 4th quarter.

The matchup with the Cowboys defense could be very favorable for Jordan Love, who had one of the best game’s of his young career two years ago in his first playoff start in Dallas. His performance was reminiscent of vintage Brett Favre, who despite never winning in Dallas, did win his first playoff start in 1993.

The similarities are so damn apparent. pic.twitter.com/IcZA32K3mC

— Matt Froehlich (@Matt_Fra_) January 16, 2024

He finished the game with 272 yards passing and three touchdown passes. The touchdowns went to three receivers who should be active on Sunday: Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave and Romeo Doubs.

For the passing game to rebound from its poor showing against the Browns, it could be more important for one of these three, or either Matthew Golden or Tucker Kraft to emerge as a go-to guy.

Golden got one to learn from, no doubt. pic.twitter.com/hQlfzi92e8

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) September 23, 2025

In three games, the Packers have had three different players lead the team in receiving yards: Doubs 68 vs. Detroit, Kraft 124 vs. Washington and Golden 52 against Cleveland.

For the Packers to walk out of Dallas with a 3rd win in 4 games, the passing game will likely need to resemble the group that went into Dallas three years ago and jumped on the Cowboys to a 27-0 halftime lead and a 41-16 3rd quarter lead.