Cowboys vs. Packers Week 6 tracker: Injury updates, predictions, storylines, and more

Coming off their worst regular-season loss in the Brian Schottenheimer era, the Dallas Cowboys will head up north for a showdown with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. This is a matchup of two teams trending in opposite directions.

The Packers had a brutal start to the season, but have since restored order, beating the Buccaneers in Week 4 before stomping the 3-1 Bears last Sunday to the tune of a 31-7 final score. Chicago did not have starting quarterback Caleb Williams, but they were still favored on the road.

If you're the Cowboys, you probably want Green Bay coming off a win rather than a loss. Maybe a natural letdown is in store after an emotionally charged win over a Bears team that, led by Ben Johnson, has done nothing but talk smack for the last year.

How to watch Cowboys vs. Packers in Week 6

• Date: Sunday, October 18, 2026
• Time: 7:20 p.m. CT
• Location: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
• TV Network: NBC
• Announcers: Mike Tirico (Play-by-Play), Cris Collinsworth (Color Analyst), Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung (Sideline)

Cowboys' injury report for Week 6

Packers injury report for Week 6

Of note: The Packers still have not opened Micah Parsons' 21-day practice window. He remains on injured reserve and will not play against the Cowboys.

Biggest Cowboys storyline heading into Week 6

What kind of difference (if any) will Mike Pettine make?

Recognizing that the season could slip away, the Cowboys brought in Mike Pettine as a senior defensive advisor.

Pettine is a former head coach and defensive coordinator in the NFL. He's coached in the league in some capacity since 2002. He has serious skin on the wall, and he's worked with both Christian Parker and Brian Schottenheimer.

The 60-year-old specializes in the front seven, so perhaps his wisdom can help connect the defensive line and linebackers. The stunts Parker has been calling aren't developing quickly enough, yet he continues to call them at a high rate. Maybe Pettine can help simplify the approach and get a talented front playing faster instead of thinking its way through every snap.

Led by Parker, Dallas tried to hire Pettine out of retirement in the offseason, but nothing came of it. It's certainly not a great look to bring in someone to babysit, for lack of a better term, your struggling DC, but it's not as if Pettine was called on a whim. The interest was there.

Don't expect Pettine to spearhead any schematic changes. He's here to be a sounding board for a first-time DC who is clearly overwhelmed. Even marginal improvements would be a welcome sight.

Will moving to the coaching booth benefit Christian Parker?

The $1 million question with no real answer.

The Cowboys clearly did not want Parker coaching on the sideline anymore, and it's hard to blame them. He'll call the defense from the coaching booth moving forward. It's an unofficial "demotion," but more importantly, it's an emergency measure.

A coach who specializes in coverage, there's some merit to the idea that Parker will benefit from moving upstairs. It'll give him a different vantage point of real-time developments: where his group is struggling, what the opposition keeps exploiting, and which adjustments need to be made before the damage compounds.

Plenty of esteemed coordinators are simply better off in the booth. Parker's mentor, Vic Fangio, has enjoyed decidedly more success upstairs than on the sideline. The same goes for former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. You all surely remember Quinn going berserk in the booth celebrating turnovers during his time in Dallas.

Hopefully, it has a similar effect on Parker. If it doesn't and the defense continues to make a mockery of itself, we'll be talking about Parker losing his job sooner rather than later.

Will Brian Schottenheimer get back in his bag?

The Cowboys' offensive game plan was nails in Weeks 3 and 4. The chess match between Schottenheimer and Jesse Minter was a treat to watch and Schottenheimer's halftime adjustments against the Texans are a big reason why Dallas stormed back in the second half.

The approach against the Buccaneers was dreadful, to put it lightly. Everyone and their grandmother knows that Todd Bowles is going to heat you up. The Bucs' head coach didn't relent all game. And yet, Schotty ran back the same blueprint as he did against Houston, a defense that never blitzes.

A large reason Dak Prescott struggled to overcome the blitz last Thursday is that receivers were running long-developing routes. By the time the rush got home, Prescott couldn't make anticipatory throws. It wasn't until the fourth quarter (!) that Schottenheimer pivoted to quick game.

That's not to absolve Prescott of blame. He missed some throws, and the pressure clearly sped up his internal clock. But Schotty did him zero favors.

Was it the short week? Did Schottenheimer put too much stock in the Week 4 comeback? Whatever the case, the Cowboys' head coach let his team down on the play-calling front. He needs to be better prepared and be quicker to the adjustment trigger.

Predictions for Cowboys vs. Packers in Week 6

NFL Media Experts

• Colleen Wolfe - Packers 
• Brooke Cersosimo - Packers
• Brandon Perna - Packers 
• Tom Grossi - Packers 
• Nick Shook - Packers
• Dan Parr - Packers
• Kevin Patra - Packers
• Lance Zierlein - Packers
• Bucky Brooks - Packers

• Grant Gordon - Cowboys

ESPN Experts

Predictions will be included as experts weigh in throughout the week.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow