Packers vs. Cowboys: Tale of the tape for Week 5 matchup

Offense

Packers

The offense is where both of these teams trended in opposite directions last week. The Packers looked to have started to get things figured out while the Cowboys struggled to move the ball.

While the Packers may have gotten their offense going last week, this week will still present quite a challenge for them. As mentioned earlier, star receiver Davante Adams will likely miss the game against the Cowboys. Adams was a huge part of the offense last week; 180 of Rodgers’ 422 yards went to Adams.

That’s a lot of production they will need to replace. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison will need to step up big for Rodgers. On the positive side, receiver Jake Kumerow, or Touchdown Jesus, should be back on the field.

With Adams being out, the Packers will need to get their running game going. It may be a little easier this week against the Cowboys, but not by much. It also doesn’t help that Jamaal Williams will probably miss the game. He is currently in concussion protocol, but after that nasty hit he took, it’s hard to see him getting cleared in time to play.

Aaron Jones will have a big opportunity, and the Packers will need him to take advantage. The offense will need to get him more involved in passing game as well.

The offensive line has played pretty well, for the most part, this season as well. David Bakhtiari hasn’t looked the best, getting flagged for a few holding penalties earlier this season, but has since cleaned it up.

The concern for the line right now is right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who has been having a terrific season so far. He left the game against the Eagles and didn’t return. Alex Light took his place and Rodgers didn’t have much of a clean pocket the rest of the night. He returned to practice on Wednesday, but whether he will play on Sunday is still somewhat up in the air.

If Bulaga can’t go, Rodgers may not be comfortable all game and will likely have to get the ball out of his hands early or will be running a lot. The way this game tilts could have a lot to do with whether Bulaga is on the field or not.

Cowboys

The Cowboys’ offense was flying high after the first few weeks of the season. Then they went to New Orleans. The Saints completely bottled up Ezekiel Elliott and stopped the run. Elliott ran for just 35 yards on 18 carries. That’s only 1.94 yards per carry.

Now, the Saints run defense ranks just 20th in the league, allowing 112 yards per game. Behind them are the Redskins (29th) and the Dolphins (32nd), two of the teams the Cowboys have played. Although the Packers’ run defense hasn’t been great, neither had the Saints, and they found a way to shut down the Cowboys’ running attack.

At the receiver position, the Cowboys tout Amari Cooper and former Packer, Randall Cobb. They also have Michael Gallup, who was having a great first couple of games before he got hurt. It sounds like he could possibly make his return against the Packers as well this weekend.

Cooper has been a stud this year so far. He has 286 receiving yards and four touchdowns. One thing I noticed in their game last week, was Marshon Lattimore was pretty physical with him and he didn’t do really do a whole lot. He grabbed five catches for just 48 yards. I think Jaire Alexander will play a similar game with him. If this is the case, I think we’ll be seeing a lot of Randall Cobb this weekend.

The offensive line is the bright spot for this offense. They have multiple All-Pros on this team and have been a dominant unit for the past few years. Last week, they were manhandled by the Saints’ defensive line, a big reason why they struggled to get the run going. With Tyron Smith out with injury, their line is weakened significantly. No matter who they trot out there to replace him, there will be a weak link on the line.

With all the injuries piling up for this Packers offense, I find it hard to give them the advantage over this Cowboys offense who has played pretty well so far this season.

Advantage: Cowboys