GREEN BAY, Wis. — A 23-13 loss in Green Bay left the Cowboys with consecutive defeats and a 2-4 record. Signs that this team is fundamentally different from the 2025 version that finished 7-9-1 are increasingly invisible. Dallas played better in the second half, but that came after spotting the Packers a 17-0 lead through 30 minutes.
Nothing ideal about Dak Prescott having to throw 54 passes while taking repeated hits and roughing penalties. With Javonte Williams and Tyler Goodson getting 41 rushing yards, the Cowboys have no ground game to speak of. Dak targeted his two prime receivers, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens 29 times but they came away with just 15 catches for 143 yards and no touchdowns. Less than 5 yards per target to 3 and 88 is a disaster.
The usual brutal start — Jordan Love threw for 109 yards on the opening drive — was followed by occasional moments of resilience. The Cowboys even intercepted a pass and briefly had two until a second look at replay took one away from DaRon Bland. They stopped the Packers’ ground game but Green Bay really doesn’t have one. It’s the third down success (11-for-18) by the team with the worst third-down offense that really stands out as a sore spot for Dallas.
There weren’t a lot of big game-changing plays on special teams except perhaps the Cowboys losing KaVontae Turpin to a rib injury on the opening kickoff. Goodson filled in fairly well. Cowboys had chance at a big field position gain in the third quarter but a holding penalty cost them 10 important yards, part of a 108-yard penalty night.
Harder and harder to see what this staff is bringing to the table that points to a positive future. Takes a vivid imagination, actually. Brian Schottenheimer’s positive demeanor doesn’t really fit a team that’s drowning right now. If having Mike Pettine in the press box settled down the defense in the last two quarters, well, give him a hand. But who knows if that’s realistic?
Losing to the Packers on the road is not like losing to the Bucs at home. But that first-half offensive no-show and the second straight game in which Dallas’ offense can’t score 20 (much less 30) is a sign of more trouble on the horizon. The final score looks a lot better than this game felt. Green Bay took control early and, honestly, was never pressured to be very good after that.