Packers Top Cowboys Behind Strong Third Downs

Packers Take Control Early

The Green Bay Packers are quietly turning into one of the form teams in the NFL. They secured their third straight win by defeating the Dallas Cowboys 23-13 on Sunday night. This victory brings their record to 4-2 after a slow 1-2 start to the season. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys dropped their second straight match to fall to a 2-4 record. There was no late drama this time, unlike the 40-40 tie these two teams played out last season in Dallas. The Packers grabbed an early lead and the Cowboys failed to put up a serious fight.

Quarterback Jordan Love kept firing deep passes, and the Dallas defence struggled to contain them. Green Bay still has issues with the running game, managing only 58 rushing yards despite facing the league's worst rushing defence. That situation might improve soon because running back Josh Jacobs comes off the commissioner exempt list and could play in the next match.

Third Down Success and Defensive Plays

Coming into the match, the Packers had the worst third-down conversion rate in the league at just 27.6 percent. However, they faced the Dallas defence, which held the worst third-down defence rating at 52.6 percent. Green Bay took full advantage on the opening drive by converting a third-and-5, two third-and-13s, and a third-and-6. The last of those converted third downs ended in a 9-yard touchdown catch by Matthew Golden. The Packers converted nine of their first 10 third downs to start the game.

Golden finished the night with six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, though he also dropped a few potential scores. On the defensive side, the Packers added to their league-leading first-half takeaways. Interceptions by Evan Williams and Brandon Cisse brought their total to six. For Cisse, who is the team's top draft pick this year, it was his first career interception after receiver CeeDee Lamb slipped on the turf.

Cowboys Sputter on Offence

The Dallas offence struggled from the start and was blanked in the first half for the first time since 2021. Quarterback Dak Prescott was intercepted twice in Packers territory during the first half. The defence managed their first three-sack game of the season, with sacks coming from Quinnen Williams, Elijah Garcia, and former Packer Kenny Clark. Dee Winters also recorded the team's first interception of the season by picking off a Love pass in the second quarter. Despite these small defensive highlights, the offence failed to get going and the team now sits at 2-4.