Ten days to prepare. Promises of change. And what did the Dallas Cowboys deliver? More of the same: getting thoroughly outclassed in primetime for the second week in a row.
Now 2-4, the Cowboys' season would be on life support if they didn't play in such a repulsive division. Barring a complete tailspin, they'll play meaningful football the rest of the way. Given how unprepared and outcoached this team looks every week, that might feel more like a threat than a silver lining.
Nobody would put the Packers in the same class as the 49ers and Chiefs, the game's lone remaining unbeatens. And yet, there was no question which team was superior Sunday night. Green Bay was the better-coached and better-prepared team in all three phases.
Let's get into some postgame observations.
Immediate takeaways from Cowboys' blowout loss to the Packers
More Brian Schottenheimer cowardice
The Cowboys got one first down on the game’s first drive, but did not pick up another. To put it kindly, Schottenheimer’s play-calling was questionable.
- 1st-and-10: Short pass to Hunter Luepke
- 2nd-and-8: Javonte Williams run
- 3rd-and-4: Short pass to Javonte Williams
- 4th down: Punt
Why would you throw short of the sticks on third down if you don't plan on going for it on fourth down? Does that make sense? No targets for CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens. After 10 days of preparation following last week's loss? That's a really, really bad look.
We saw an almost identical script play out in Week 1. Schottenheimer punted on 4th-and-1 near midfield because he didn't want Christian Parker's first drive as a defensive coordinator to be a short field. The Giants responded with a scoring drive and never lost control of the game. The same thing happened tonight.
Finally, an interception!
The offense punted on its second drive after Green Bay took a 7-0 lead, putting the defense right back on the field. Allow another long touchdown drive, and this game could have gotten out of hand in a hurry.
Enter Dee Winters, of all people, who jumped a Jordan Love pass intended for Matthew Golden. Winters initially returned the interception for a touchdown, but replay showed that Golden touched him on his way to the ground, wiping six points off the board.
That was a buzzkill, and Dak Prescott's ensuing INT meant Dallas came away with 0 points, but the takeaway still breathed life into a defense that desperately needed a jolt after allowing a 14-play touchdown drive.
The Cowboys were the only team entering Week 6 that had yet to intercept a pass. Winters' moment got that monkey off their back and ended a drought that had become increasingly embarrassing with each passing week.
Inexcusable Dak Prescott INT
Winters' pick-six getting called back was a back-breaker, but the takeaway still handed the offense the ball inside Packers territory. The one thing Dallas could not afford was to give it right back. That is exactly what happened.
On 3rd-and-8 from the 17-yard line, Green Bay safety Evan Williams baited Prescott into an interception. It doesn't happen often, but Prescott got fooled. Williams read the pass, intended for CeeDee Lamb, the entire way. Once Prescott stepped into the throw, Williams broke on it immediately.
The self-proclaimed "GOTI" offense (greatest offense there is) cannot come away with a goose egg following a rare defensive takeaway.
Schottenheimer still has no clue about game/clock management
To say the bloom is off the Schottenheimer rose would be an understatement at this point. His shortcomings go beyond his game management, but it's Year 2 and he still doesn't have a clue.
No play encapsulated this more than a Packers 4th-and-goal from the two-yard line. With the play clock down to one second, Schottenheimer used a timeout. Did the defense look out of sorts? Yes. But Green Bay had no intention of snapping the ball.
How do I know that? Because Matt LaFleur tried a hard count after the timeout before taking a delay-of-game penalty and kicking the short field goal.
Never mind the scared coaching. Never mind the Cowboys looking completely outclassed despite having 10 days to prepare after an embarrassing home loss to the 0-4 Buccaneers. Schottenheimer can't even get the little details right.
He's lucky LaFleur didn't send the offense back onto the field, because the way Dallas' defense was playing, Green Bay probably would have scored anyway. On no planet should a timeout have been in the cards there.
The Cowboys are a poorly coached team.
Joey Porter Jr. is as advertised
This defense does not have much to hang its hat on, but Porter Jr. has absolutely lived up to his reputation as an elite man-coverage cornerback.
Porter was tested on multiple go routes and did a fantastic job staying stride for stride with his assignment while using the sideline to squeeze the throwing window. He also broke up an in-breaker intended for Christian Watson in the first half, another route he has proven exceptionally good at defending in his career.
His signature moment came on a 3rd-and-3 deep shot from Jordan Love to Matthew Golden in the third quarter. Porter got a hand in at the last possible moment to break up the pass. Golden had already dropped two potential touchdowns, but there was no drop this time. He was in position to make the catch until Porter ripped the opportunity away.
A bogus pass interference penalty will likely ding Porter's coverage metrics, but in terms of taking away one side of the field, he did everything Dallas could have asked of him against the Packers.
Third down remains Dallas' defensive kryptonite
Was the Cowboys' defense better tonight? It might be the lowest bar in the history of bar-setting, but yes, they were slightly better.
Whatever progress they made, though, was overshadowed by their inability to get off the field on third down. It's been an infuriating theme through the first five games, but this was comfortably their worst showing yet.
The Packers, if you can believe it, converted their first seven third downs. They were 9-for-10 at one point in the first half. You never see that kind of third-down efficiency in this league. They finished the game 11-of-18. Here's a rundown:
- 3rd-and-5
- 3rd-and-13
- 3rd-and-13
- 3rd-and-6
- 3rd-and-8
- 3rd-and-5
- 3rd-and-1
- 3rd-and-8
- 3rd-and-6
- 3rd-and-2
- 3rd-and-5
Only two of those count as short gains.
Credit to the defense for settling down in the second half. They forced a couple of punts and limited Green Bay to two field goals. Maybe they can build on that, but the first half was a comedy of errors, largely due to their inability to make plays on the money down.
Brian Schottenheimer is not maximizing this offense
Dak Prescott. CeeDee Lamb. George Pickens. Javonte Williams. Three first-round picks on the offensive line. The Cowboys have invested far too much in their offense for it to look as disjointed as it has in the last two weeks.
Mind you, this is the same offense that put up 40 points against the Packers last season. Without CeeDee Lamb. And Green Bay had Micah Parsons.
That's two weeks in a row that Schottenheimer has had no answer for the blitz. Prescott deserves his share of the blame, but it's ultimately on the play-caller to give his quarterback answers when defenses bring pressure. Schottenheimer didn't have any. He was thoroughly outclassed by Jonathan Gannon, despite having 10 days to prepare after Todd Bowles coached circles around him.
As noted above, Dallas' defense played well in the second half. They gave the offense a shot to keep it a game, and Prescott and Co. could barely pick up two first downs in a row. Everything was difficult. No rhythm. Big-play chasing. Prescott performing Houdini acts just to get throws off.
The Packers' defense has the potential to be a problem when Parsons returns, but it had no business holding "GOTI" to 13 points. This is as disjointed as the offense has looked in the Dak Prescott-CeeDee Lamb era since before the bye week in the 2023 season.
It's getting late early for Brian Schottenheimer.
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