Does it get any better than the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football? A rivalry steeped in history, renewed under the bright lights.
The Cowboys are coming off needed extra rest after falling to the previously winless Buccaneers last Thursday, while the Packers are riding high after clobbering a Caleb-Williams-less Bears team at Lambeau Field to get over .500 for the first time this season.
Even though Dallas last played nine days ago, there is a lot of noise surrounding the team, specifically on the defensive side of the ball as they frantically search for answers to fix a unit that isn't doing anything right.
So, let's not waste any more time and get into the latest news surrounding America's Team.
- Joey Porter Jr. opens up on his illness
- Tyler Goodson headed for an increased role?
- Quick Slants
- The last time Dallas beat Green Bay
Joey Porter Jr. opens up on his illness
We didn't know it at the time, but Joey Porter Jr. being ruled out of last Thursday's game against Tampa Bay hours before kickoff was a bad omen. Would the Cowboys have won if Porter hadn't come down with an illness? That's hard to answer, but you can almost guarantee the defense wouldn't have looked as helpless.
Porter Jr. peeled back the curtain on why he was sent home from AT&T Stadium shortly after arriving. Fair warning: it's not a pleasant recap (h/t Garrett Podell, CBS Sports).
"I really just couldn't hold anything down. I just kept throwing up," Porter Jr. said. "I tried to fight through it. I tried taking a nap before the game to shake it off, but I couldn't hold anything down. That's when they made the call to send me home.
Throughout the day, it just kept getting worse and worse. On my way to the game when I was throwing up outside of my Uber on the way to the game, it was brutal. Not going to lie."
That'll do it. Thankfully, Porter is on the other side of his bug. He popped up on the injury report with an ankle and is questionable, but Dallas has not expressed that he's in danger of not playing.
In fact, Porter is expecting a full workload. He was on a pitch count in Week 4, but was ready for a larger role against the Bucs before falling ill.
Needless to say, the Cowboys need him out there for every snap the defense is on the field.
Tyler Goodson headed for an increased role?
Speaking of bigger roles, Dallas may finally take the kid gloves off backup running back Tyler Goodson. Klayton Adams' run game has been hit or miss, and he was asked about tapping into Goodson more to help open things up (h/t Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com).
"Yeah, that was actually a conversation that I had with Javonte yesterday," Adams said. "Some of the things that we're asking him to do, it's not because we don't think [Javonte] can't do it. It's because we think that those are things that [Tyler is] good at, and we're gonna need to take some reps off of [Javonte].
So, to answer your question, we're in the process of figuring that out right now. He's doing a nice job."
I'm not sure what it is about this coaching staff that takes them so long to make obvious tweaks. Nevertheless, it is reassuring to hear that Adams and Brian Schottenheimer will give Goodson a longer leash.
Goodson's usage to this point isn't holding the offense back. But it's clear to the naked eye that he has more juice than Javonte Williams. That is not a knock on Williams. This run game just needs more speed.
Among 26 running backs who've logged at least 60 carries this season, Williams ranks 20th with five explosive runs (runs of 10 yards or longer), per Pro Football Focus. That isn't all on Williams. The blocking in front of him has been inconsistent.
However, in the name of keeping Williams fresh and keeping the opposition honest with another skill set to account for, it is overdue for Goodson to see more snaps.
Quick Slants
A quick late-week roundup of pressing news items.
Mike Pettine will report directly to Brian Schottenheimer
During his weekly Friday hit on 105.3 The Fan, Schottenheimer revealed that new senior defensive assistant Mike Pettine will report to him, not Christian Parker.
Schottenheimer is the head of the football operation, so that's not overly surprising. All decisions and feedback should go through him. The 53-year-old did affirm that Parker will retain control over the defense, but this might be Schottenheimer's way of exerting a little more influence over a struggling unit.
Whether you think it's a nothingburger or something more significant, it is noteworthy in the context of the day-to-day football operation. Pettine is a new addition to the staff, and knowing who he reports to offers some insight into the dynamic between Schottenheimer, Parker, and Pettine.
Christian Parker prefers to coach from the sideline
Jerry Jones invited more scrutiny of his team when he told 105.3 The Fan that Parker was moving to the coaching booth, contradicting Stephen Jones, Schottenheimer, and Parker himself.
On Thursday, Parker shed light on why he prefers to call the defense from the sideline, despite calls for him to move upstairs to give him a wider scope of his floundering defense.
"When you're on the field, it's the direct face to face communication with players and coaches with adjustments and things of that nature," Parker said. "When you're up top, obviously you have a wider view, and it's a little calmer up there when it comes to you have desk space, taking notes, kind of looking at the call sheet and things of that nature. There's advantages to both for sure, but I've always been a guy that's usually been down on the field."
All fair points from the Cowboys' DC. But at this point, fans want to see results, regardless of where he's coaching. And, for what it's worth, Pettine will be up in the booth, so Dallas will have someone with a bird's-eye view of the defense.
Dak Prescott on not facing Micah Parsons
The second iteration of the Micah revenge game will have to wait. The Packers still have not opened up Parsons' practice window as he works his way back from a torn ACL.
The competitor in Dak Prescott "wishes" Parsons was suiting up, but he made sure to point out that this game is bigger -- much bigger -- than the Cowboys vs. Micah Parsons.
"You play this game, and you wanted to play in the NFL as a kid to play against the best. That's what this league is about, and that's what everybody wants. So it's what makes it fun. Obviously, wishing him all the best getting healthy. Caught up with him a lot this off season just here in Dallas while he was rehabbing. He knows I support him in that.
"At the end of the day, it's just the Cowboys versus the Packers. This isn't me versus Micah or the Cowboys versus Micah, it's about us going in and getting a win."
The last time Dallas beat Green Bay
Cowboys fans don't need anyone to tell them that Green Bay has owned their team. Still, it's pretty remarkable just how one-sided this rivalry has become.
In fact, it has been 10 years since Dallas last emerged victorious against the Packers. It was Week 6 of the 2016 campaign at Lambeau Field. Dak Prescott was a baby-faced rookie. Jason Garrett was the head coach. Jason Witten and Dez Bryant were still in the league. The good ol days.
The Cowboys won pretty comfortably at Lambeau Field, 30-16. Prescott threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, and Ezekiel Elliott added 157 yards on the ground.
Even better? Rod Marinelli's defense forced four turnovers (one interception and three fumble recoveries) and didn't allow its first touchdown until midway through the fourth quarter with Dallas nursing a 27-9 lead.
It was a workmanlike performance. However, Green Bay got even in the Divisional Round of the playoffs later that season.
The Cowboys are 0-4-1 vs. the Pack since that playoff loss, including the 48-32 beatdown in the 2024 Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium. No better time than the present to flip the script.
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