Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers: 3 keys to victory
By Richard Ball
The Green Bay Packers will be at AT&T Stadium in Week Five in a battle of first-place clubs. Here are three keys for the Dallas Cowboys to get a victory.
The Dallas Cowboys struggled in Week Four against the New Orleans Saints to run the ball. Running back Ezekiel Elliott only rushed for 35 yards on 18 carries.
The Saints forced the Cowboys to be one-dimensional daring Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to beat them. Prescott was not able to find much success settling for mostly short underneath routes that New Orleans contained.
On their only touchdown drive, Prescott found tight end Blake Jarwin for a 35-yard reception. The Cowboys were able to use play-action to suck two defenders to play the run. Jarwin ran a seam route in between the two high safety coverage for the big gain.
For the Cowboys to re-establish their offensive rhythm, they will need to find their run-first identity. The task won’t be as easy as All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith will miss the game with a medial ankle sprain.
The Packers should not be confused with the stout Saints run defense. Through four games, Green Bay is yielding 142.2 yards per game which is seventh-worst in the league. The Pack is getting gouged with 5.0 yards per carry ranking fourth-worst in the NFL.
The Cowboys run game has multiple benefits. The offense uses the run to set up the passing game. Prescott has a 132.4 quarterback rating on play-action pass plays with four touchdown passes.
The defense also benefits when the Cowboys run the ball effectively. Dallas controls the game clock allowing the defense to stay fresh and the Packers offense to grow restless on the sideline.
It wasn’t a coincidence that the ‘Boys scored their only touchdown against the Saints when they used tempo to prevent the New Orleans defense from substituting their pass rushers. As the drive progressed down the field, the offensive line was able to get more push against the tiring defenders.
The Cowboys will win the game if their run game can impose its will on the porous Packers run defense. It will be time to feed Elliott and feed him often.