The Green Bay Packers followed a close win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 with a blowout victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 5. The Packers' 31-7 win wasn't only their most complete performance of the season, but also their first back-to-back victory since December.
Now 3-2, the team will look to continue its winning ways against the Dallas Cowboys. The Packers and Cowboys will face off on Sunday Night Football this week, and like many past matchups between the two storied franchises, this one promises to be fun.
The Packers will look to move to 4-2 with a win, while the Cowboys, coming off a surprise loss to the Buccaneers last week, will look to avoid going 2-4 and get back to a .500 winning record.
Ahead of Week 6, we'll look at the biggest things to watch, including the Packers' X-factors, what they must do to win, and more.
- Three things to watch in Packers vs. Cowboys in Week 6
- Biggest X-factors for Packers in Week 6
- Packers' keys to winning against the Cowboys in Week 6
Three things to watch in Packers vs. Cowboys in Week 6
1. Packers' defensive line depth
Until now, the Packers' offensive line has been one of the team's biggest concerns. This time, we flip sides of the line. The offensive line has been relatively consistent for the past few weeks, but now the defensive line is the biggest concern.
After losing Javon Hargrave to an Achilles injury last week, the Packers will also be without Jonathan Ford, who will miss a minimum of four games due to a calf injury that has landed him on injured reserve.
That puts the Packers' defensive line in a perilous spot. The team did activate nose tackle Jordon Riley from the physically unable to perform list this week, but he is listed as doubtful on the final injury report.
Riley likely won't play, and Anthony Campbell is also questionable for the game. The Packers are running out of interior linemen who can make a big enough impact on Sunday.
2. Packers' secondary
With the defensive line dealing with injury woes and the linebacker corps already having issues, it'll be on the Packers' secondary to play a clean game. That didn't happen when they met in 2025, as the Cowboys' passing offense put up almost 400 receiving yards alone in a wild 40-40 tie.
Unfortunately for the Packers, the secondary is also dealing with some issues. Starting cornerback Keisean Nixon is expected to play but is nursing a groin issue. Rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse, who also starts, was added to the team's injury report on Friday with a hip issue. He is questionable.
Cowboys star wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are one of the most impactful duos in the entire league. Lamb didn't play last time the two teams met, and the Cowboys still managed to have their way with the Packers' secondary.
After a rough performance against a similarly stacked offensive group in the Atlanta Falcons a few weeks ago, it'll be on the Packers' secondary to show they can handle these types of matchups.
3. Can the Packers' offense keep up momentum?
One of the biggest issues the Packers have gone through this season is keeping up rhythm and momentum on offense. Last week, the team finally looked like it had found some semblance of that against the Bears, at least in the second half of the game. This week, they'll need to show they can keep that going in a big way.
The offense has been steadily improving week to week, and they will face a Cowboys defense that has been less than stellar. Dallas is allowing a league-worst 120.5 passer rating. If the Packers want to notch another win, they'll need to keep their aggressiveness up as they did against Chicago.
Biggest X-factors for Packers in Week 6
Carrington Valentine
We already touched on the Packers' secondary, but Valentine could be one of the biggest X-factors for a few reasons. For one, if Nixon and Cisse are both banged up, Valentine will get called upon to do a lot more in the game. On top of that, he has been one of the most up-and-down players on the team ever since he was drafted in 2023.
Valentine has the tools and skills to be a big-time player in the league, but has had a proclivity for having some rough stretches, including when it comes to tackling. If the Packers' secondary is as banged up as it looks, Valentine will need to be on his 'A' game against one of the best offenses in football.
MarShawn Lloyd
Lloyd's play hasn't been all that inspiring, but the third-year running back scored twice last week, including a run that earned him "Angry Runs" honors on NFL Network. Despite the honors, Lloyd remains a rather inconsistent player. He will need to channel that anger this week against an opponent that might let him do so.
The Cowboys rank last in rushing yards allowed (168.4 yards per game) and are currently allowing 5.1 yards per carry. Of course, the Packers are also nearly last in all rushing stats, making for a classic "movable object vs. stoppable force" type of situation here. However, if there's any game for Lloyd to showcase his abilities, it'll be this one.
Jonathan Gannon
We're cheating a bit here, but Gannon will be a big determining factor in how the Packers do on Sunday night. Green Bay's defensive coordinator has done a great job since joining the team this offseason, but he will face his toughest assignment yet against the Cowboys' offense. As noted, they are filled with stars, including high-level players at nearly every position.
While Gannon has been able to dial up some great game plans against other teams, this will be an interesting one to watch. The Cowboys were susceptible to blitzes in last week's loss to the Buccaneers, with Tampa able to keep quarterback Dak Prescott constantly under pressure.
However, it'll be risky for the Packers to do so, especially with a banged-up secondary. Gannon has a lot on his plate this week and will need to press the right buttons along the way.
Packers' keys to winning against the Cowboys in Week 6
Contain
It all goes back to defense on Sunday. The last time the Cowboys played the Packers, Dallas scored 40 and, if it weren't for a Micah Parsons shoestring tackle in overtime, they likely would've lost that game. The Cowboys' offense has only gotten better and will now see CeeDee Lamb play, unlike in last year's game.
It'll be a tough assignment for the Packers' defense as a whole, but they'll need to contain the Cowboys as best as possible to come out on top here. While it's hard to exactly emulate what other teams have done, the Bucs did show how it's possible to do so last week, so we'll have to see how Green Bay fares.
Offensive consistency
The Packers scored 40 points in this matchup last year, and it still wasn't enough. This year, they might not need to score as much to win, but they will still need to put points on the board.
We saw last week what the Packers' offense can look like when playing aggressively and on the front foot, and hopefully Matt LaFleur did as well. If Green Bay can come out and stay hot on offense, it'll be much easier for them to get going throughout the game.
Mistake-free football
The Packers absolutely won the mistake battle against the Bears. Green Bay forced five total turnovers in that game. Dallas has forced a league-low two turnovers this season.
If the Packers can keep the turnover and penalty tally in their favor, it'll go a long way toward winning this game.
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