The Green Bay Packers may not have had the best start to the season, but they've truly turned things around in the past couple of weeks. While the offense is humming once again, the defense has become their most dominant force.
On Sunday Night Football, the Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 23-13 to move to 4-2 on the season and keep pace with the Chicago Bears for second in the NFC North. Even though the Cowboys aren't exactly the best team in the NFL, they do have a dangerous offense. Quarterback Dak Prescott has shown to be one of the best in the game, and he has two credible threats in the passing offense: star wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. It's difficult to limit the duo to being non-factors.
However, the Packers did just that, as the duo didn't reach the end zone once in the Week 6 primetime game on Sunday.
Packers defense made CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens non-factors in Week 6
The Packers are now just the second team this season to ensure Lamb and Pickens did not record a receiving touchdown. The Baltimore Ravens managed to do that in Week 3. However, what the Ravens didn't do was hold both to under 100 receiving yards each, as Green Bay did.
Pickens recorded six receptions for 73 yards on 11 targets, while Lamb caught nine passes for 70 yards on 18 targets. As for the Ravens, they allowed Lamb to haul in 112 receiving yards on six receptions. So, the Packers were able to do something that no team has done just yet this season.
After the game, cornerback Keisean Nixon was asked about the Cowboys receiving duo being held without a touchdown, via USA Today's Ryan Wood. Nixon had perhaps the best comment, asking reporters, "Did they score?" When the reporters said no, Nixon said, "We did what we were supposed to do, then."
Packers' Week 6 win was another Jonathan Gannon masterclass
This past offseason, the Packers were criticized for their hiring of Jonathan Gannon to be their new defensive coordinator. While he didn't have a great tenure as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, you tend to forget that he was the mastermind of the Philadelphia Eagles' dominant defense in their run to Super Bowl 57. Thus far, Gannon is proving the Packers right for hiring him.
This season, the Packers defense is averaging just 307.7 yards (10th-best in the NFL) and 20.8 points (10th in the league). Over the past three games, the Packers have held their opponents to a total of 34 points, and they won every matchup. Perhaps what makes this crazier is that they still don't have superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons back from injury yet, and he's not set to return until November.
The fact that they held the Cowboys' star receiving duo out of the end zone is incredible. It certainly helps that the pass rush made Prescott's life miserable by pressuring him nearly all night.
Let's face it, the Packers' outlook through the first three weeks of the season looked dire. But now, they have turned things around for the better, and they look like a legitimate force in the NFC. The defense is playing a significant role in their turnaround.
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