The Green Bay Packers enter Week 6 on the back of two straight wins and look to keep that momentum going against the Dallas Cowboys. As the two teams clash in another entry in their storied rivalry, the Packers' offense might have to do a lot of heavy lifting this week.
The Packers' defense is going through a bit of a depth crisis. Two weeks ago, star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper tore his Achilles, creating a huge hole in the Packers' linebacker room and making a dent in the team's talent level on defense as a whole. Last week, that hole only grew.
In what amounted to essentially garbage time in the team's 31-7 win against the Chicago Bears, Javon Hargrave also tore his Achilles. Nose tackle Jonathan Ford, who has been a capable player for the team, is on injured reserve with a calf issue.
These injuries create huge depth issues on the defensive line, but that's not all. Cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Brandon Cisse are also dealing with groin and hip injuries, respectively, leaving the Packers' defense hobbling into a game against some high-level players.
Packers' offense will need to make up for defensive depth issues
As the Packers try to manage a banged-up defense, they'll need to turn to the other side of the ball for help. Offense is always important against high-scoring teams like Dallas. We need only look to last year, when the two teams met in a 40-40 tie.
Offensive consistency has been a problem for the Packers this season. However, their last game offers hope that they might be ready to shoulder the load for a tired defense. Against the Bears last week, the Packers' offense looked exactly like many had envisioned coming into this season.
Jordan Love's numbers vs. Cowboys in two career games
Passes | 47/64 |
Completion % | 73.4% |
Yards | 609 |
TDs | 6 |
INTs | 0 |
Passer rating | 134.2 |
Not counting the second quarter (which was, in all honesty, bad for the group), the Packers absolutely dominated on the offensive side of the ball. Jordan Love was connecting with basically everyone on big deep passes, MarShawn Lloyd scored twice, and most importantly, they stayed aggressive even after going up by a couple of scores.
For the Packers to keep their success rolling, we'll need to see that level of offense again on Sunday night. The Cowboys also boast a high-powered offense, and even though they are coming off a rough loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas-Green Bay games historically have a way of getting chaotic pretty fast.
It'll be on the Packers' offense to dictate the flow of the game. Jordan Love has had success against Dallas in the past, and if the Packers can build on last week's performance, they'll be in a good place yet again.
However, whether they can maintain that level of play consistently remains to be seen, and it will be one of the biggest keys in whether the Packers walk out of Week 6 with a 4-2 or 3-3 record.
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