The Dallas Cowboys don’t need to be reminded of how much trouble the Green Bay Packers have given them. Green Bay has won four straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings—the most recent being the 2023 Wild Card trouncing at AT&T Stadium. Now, after an embarrassing loss in Week 3 at Chicago, Dallas returns home for a pivotal Week 4 matchup against a Packers team still smarting after a shocking road loss to the Browns.
This week also brings a new, almost surreal twist: Micah Parsons’ return to Arlington. Not with the star on his helmet, but instead clad in green and gold after a shocking offseason trade. The Cowboys now face a familiar nemesis and a former franchise cornerstone. Can Dallas protect Dak Prescott against the pass rush Parsons now headlines? What will it take to finally flip the script in a matchup that’s been one-sided for years?
The answers may decide not just the game, but the trajectory for the rest of the Cowboys’ season.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Matchup With the Green Bay Packers is a Critical Week 4 Test
The Cowboys Have to Run the Ball Despite Injuries to the Offensive Line
For as frustrating as the first three weeks of 2025 have been for Dallas, one area has been a revelation—the run game. In Week 3 at Chicago, Javonte Williams went for 76 yards on just 10 carries, while Miles Sanders added 41 on nine attempts. That’s the efficiency needed to be a successful running team.
The problem? Once the defense dug Dallas an early hole, the run game was all but abandoned. Williams only received one carry in the second half—the first offensive play from scrimmage. And Dallas only ran the ball seven times the rest of the game.
On paper, this Cowboys offense should be able to run on the Packers. In last week’s upset loss at Cleveland, Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins ran for 94 yards and a touchdown on 5.2 yards per carry. But here’s the issue: the Cowboys will be without two of their three starting interior linemen—center Cooper Beebe and rookie right guard Tyler Booker. In their place will be Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass, two guys who saw significant snaps in 2024, but are backups for a reason.
Can they be a close enough facsimile to the guys they’re replacing? That is one of the biggest questions heading into this Week 4 matchup on Sunday Night Football.
If Dallas can establish the run early, they can control the clock, keep the offense balanced, and keep their defense off the field. If they can’t—or if they fall behind early—the game falls on Dak Prescott, a receiver group missing its best player, and an offensive line that has been a liability in pass protection.
The Green Bay Pass Rush vs. a Flawed Tackle Group
If running the ball is the Cowboys’ best hope of keeping this game close, asking Prescott to throw the ball 50 times all but assures a loss.
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Dallas Tackles Have Been a Liability
Through three weeks, Dallas is the second-worst pass-blocking team in the NFL, according to PFF. It’s been bad across the board, but particularly at the tackle spots.
Second-year left tackle Tyler Guyton has picked up right where he left off last year—and that’s not a compliment. He has already allowed 13 pressures, sixth-most among tackles, committed four penalties, and owns a putrid pass blocking grade of 37.5 that ranks 90th out of 101 qualifying tackles.
Right tackle Terence Steele—an adequate enough run blocker—is also a net-negative as a pass protector. He’s been better than Guyton, but his pass block grade of 50.5 still ranks in the bottom third of the league.
Green Bay’s Pass Rush is Among the Best in the League
Enter Micah Parsons and the Green Bay pass rush. The Packers currently rank third in pass rush grade, with four players having recorded double-digit pressures through three games.
Parsons has been everything Green Bay could’ve asked for. He owns a pass rush grade of 91.5, and his 27% pass-rush win rate is top-five in the league. The presence of Parsons has also clearly freed up opportunities for his teammates—something the Cowboys are feeling right now with his absence. Rashan Gary currently leads the NFL with 4.5 sacks, Devonte Wyatt is second among interior defensive linemen in pressures, and third-year man Lukas Van Ness is enjoying his best start to a season.
With soft edges and a depleted interior, this is a worst-case-scenario matchup on Sunday Night Football for this Cowboys offensive line. Green Bay can create pressure up the middle, and Parsons will be relentlessly attacking these Cowboys tackles that he knows all too well.
Dallas doesn’t need Prescott to play hero ball. In fact, that will all but guarantee a loss—probably an ugly one. But this offensive line needs to hold on long enough to avoid quick pressures. If Prescott is forced to bail on his progressions inside of 2.5 seconds, expect this final score to be lopsided.
Dallas Needs Its Pass Rush to Make an Impact
Green Bay’s offensive line has been poor in 2025. And it was especially bad last week in Cleveland. The Packers allowed 20 pressures and five sacks—on only 25 pass attempts(!)—while posting an impossibly bad 11.1 pass-block grade. Quarterback Jordan Love also has a tendency to exacerbate protection issues by holding onto the ball too long, creating opportunities for the pass rush to get home.
If Dallas wants to win this game, they have to capitalize on Green Bay’s offensive line struggles. The problem is, the Cowboys can’t rush the passer. Through three games, Dallas has recorded just three sacks—all in Week 2 against Russell Wilson. James Houston, Kenny Clark, and Marshawn Kneeland have each recorded one sack, and that’s it. The unit as a whole ranks 24th in pass rush, and without Parsons, there’s simply no one demanding attention or tilting protections.
This game offers an opportunity for the pass rush to make an impact. But if Houston, Sam Williams, Donovan Ezeiruaku, or anyone else off the edge can’t get home against this Packers line, it’s fair to wonder if Dallas has the personnel or scheme to generate pressure at all.
If Love is given time, he has the weapons to make Dallas pay. Everyone else has.
The Green Bay Packers are a Week 4 Test For a Dallas Cowboys Team on the Brink
A 1-2 start to 2025 isn’t ideal. 1-3 after four weeks, all but ensures the rest of the season is for draft positioning.
Given the injuries and flaws up and down the roster, Dallas will have to be almost perfect to win this game—and get a few lucky breaks. Green Bay is coming into this Sunday Night Football matchup still licking its wounds from a loss in Cleveland. They will not be overlooking this one.
Dallas should be able to run the ball, but the scoreboard will determine for how long. Dak is capable of picking apart a defense, but only if the tackles hold up long enough to give him time to go through his progressions and push the ball downfield. Otherwise, we’re looking at another 13-catch game from Jake Ferguson, and that simply won’t get it done. The Cowboys can keep this one close, but only if the pass rush finally finds a way to get after the quarterback.
The formula is clear: execute on the field, and the Cowboys have a chance to steady themselves. Turn into pumpkins, and this one might look a lot like it has the last ten years. One-sided and all too familiar.
Main Photo: [Matt Marton] – Imagn Images
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