The Dallas Cowboys came into their week 5 match-up with the Green Bay Packers looking to get back to the dominant form they showcased the first three games of the season. Instead, Dallas sputtered from the start, and fell down quickly to the potent Packers.
After a promising opening drive ended with a Dak Prescott pass sailing through Amari Cooper’s hands and into the Green Bay secondary for an interception, the Packers went on a 17-0 run to end the first half. The Cowboys then got down by as large a margin as 28 points in the second half, before battling back to make the final score look respectable.
In the end, the Cowboys fell to the Packers 34-24, and now sit at 3-2 on the season.
While there are certainly some positives to take away from this game, the overwhelming negatives will strike Cowboys fans first. Dak Prescott had a roller-coaster of an afternoon, throwing for over 450 yards and 2 touchdowns, but also for 3 devastating interceptions. Amari Cooper had a career high 226 yards on 11 catches, including an excellent touchdown in the fourth quarter, but his first quarter drop proved to be key in determining the outcome of the game.
Dallas’ defense held strong over the final quarter and a half to keep the Cowboys’ desperate hopes alive, but their effort was too little too late. The defensive tackles and linebackers were run over by Aaron Jones and the Green Bay running game today, as Jones scored 4 touchdowns and rushed for over 100 yards. Whenever the defense needed to make the stop, they simply failed to do so.
On top of all the poor play, questionable officiating, and a concerning injury to right tackle La’el Collins, kicker Brett Maher missed two field goals, each more heartbreaking than the last.
Maher’s first attempt was a 54 yarder to end the first half, which if good would’ve put Dallas in the position to tie the game on their final possession. Instead, he was given the chance to kick a field goal with just under two minutes to play, as Dallas looked to cut the Green Bay lead to one score. This time Maher missed a chip-shot from 33 yards, and ended whatever slim hopes of a comeback the Cowboys had.
The Cowboys have now faced two teams which have earned winning records through five games, and are 0-2 against those opponents.
Dallas will go on the road to face the winless New York Jets next Sunday.
