Packers @ Cowboys
Final Score: Cowboys 40, Packers 40
Final/OT
Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)
With five minutes left in the first half, things in Dallas looked bleak. The Cowboys were being completely outplayed and were lucky to only face a 13-0 deficit; the defense had shown the familiar vulnerabilities that have been exacerbated by the loss of Micah Parsons, and the offense was struggling to generate any kind of rhythm. Then, a blocked extra point was returned the length of the field for two points, and suddenly the momentum swung. An incisive 11-play, 95-yard touchdown drive was started and finished by Dak Prescott, who battled over the line for a rushing score to give his team hope. Then, veteran Jadeveon Clowney and emerging pass rusher James Houston combined to strip-sack beleaguered Packers quarterback Jordan Love with just 9 seconds remaining in the first half. Prescott fired a dart to George Pickens, and lo and behold, the Cowboys had an unlikely 16-13 lead at the half.
In an entertaining second half, the teams traded impressive long touchdown drives to head into the fourth quarter with the Cowboys holding on to a 23-20 lead. Love and Prescott were superb, commanding in the pocket and creative with the playcalls. It looked for a long time that the deciding factor would come in the running game, and Josh Jacobs had a night. The workhorse back led the Packers in rushing and receiving and found the end zone twice on the ground. But he was upstaged by former fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs, who completed a hat-trick of catches in the end zone from his quarterback, the third giving Green Bay a 34-30 lead with just 1:45 remaining in the game. The Cowboys needed a receiver to step up in the absence of CeeDee Lamb, and off-season acquisition George Pickens answered with a brilliant 28-yard catch for a touchdown as the Cowboys went the length of the field in just a minute to take the lead. It wasn’t over yet, however, as Love found Jacobs for a big gain and Brian McManus kicked a 53-yard bomb to take us to overtime.
Parsons finally had an impact on the game in extras – launching himself at Prescott as he scrambled for the endzone to claw his former teammate down at the 4-yard line to save a touchdown and force a field goal. On the answering drive, Love was masterful as he connected with four different receivers to force 1st & 10 and the Cowboys’ 12-yard line with just 35 seconds left. It looked like Green Bay were going to escape with the win, but a couple of ill-advised short throws lost yardage, and the Packers settled for a game-tying field goal for the draw.
What a game of football, and a fantasy extravaganza for almost all involved, thanks to an insane number of screen passes from both quarterbacks.
Six Up
- Romeo Doubs – after Jayden Reed went down, Packers fans were looking at where their main red zone threat would emerge from. Doubs answered with three perfect routes and smart catches in the red zone for scores.
- Josh Jacobs – another monster night from the Packers’ bell-cow, who excelled on the ground and through the air with hard, determined runs that the Cowboys could not deal with.
- George Pickens – the season keeps getting better for Pickens, who, after firing a blank in his opening game against the Eagles, now has four scores and over 250 yards in his last three games – his rapport with Prescott is blooming.
- Javonte Williams – while not putting up the numbers as others did in this contest, Williams still amassed 20+ touches, 100+ yards, and hit the end zone for the fourth time this season while dominating the backfield in opportunities as the clear RB1.
- Dak Prescott – it would have been harsh for either quarterback to lose this game, but Dak will look back at that overtime scramble as his opportunity to ascend to greatness – it wasn’t to be, but another outstanding fantasy day at the office.
- Jordan Love – Love produced his best fantasy performance of the season, but was let down by poor play calling in overtime to settle for a draw – 26.28 fantasy points (in Yahoo!) would have won a few matchups this week.
Two Down
- Dontayvion Wicks – after his promised breakout year in 2024 failed to materialise, his 2025 has failed to take off too. With Doubs and Golden showing more chemistry with Love, Wicks has gone from first to last in terms of opportunity in the Packers’ wideout room.
- Jalen Tolbert – much the same as Wicks, Tolbert has struggled to build rapport with his quarterback, and that was evident on a couple of throws today where the receiver and his quarterback were not quite in sync. He remains outside of fantasy relevance.
Green Bay Packers
Quarterback
Jordan Love: 31/43, 337 Yards, 3 TD, Sack | 3 Carries, 28 Yards, Fumble (Lost)
Love was in complete control of this offense for much of the contest, averaging a healthy 7.8 yards per attempt and completing several splash plays deep downfield. It is rare to see Love attempt so many passes, but the game script called for it, and fantasy managers will be overjoyed. The Packers lost their way a little in the second quarter, and Love played his part with a couple of poor throws to end drives when they needed to go for the jugular. Still, he answered every call in the second half, and a sublime 46-yard pass to rookie Matthew Golden was his pass of the season so far. An encouraging chemistry with Doubs will be something Packers fans and fantasy managers will hope continues in the absence of Reed. His only blemish was a fumble off the back of a strip sack at the end of the second quarter that saw him engulfed from all angles as his offensive line perished under heavy pressure. It proved to be costly, however, and the Cowboys took an unlikely half-time lead.
Running Back
Josh Jacobs: 22 Carries, 86 Yards, 2 TD | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 71 Yards
The second Packers touchdown drive of the day was all about Jacobs being able to make plays when it mattered – first, a key third down conversion on a short run with the box cluttered with bodies, the workhorse back showing his downhill ability to earn yards after contact; second, a beautiful swing pass on the run out to Jacobs in the flat from Love saw the running back muscle his way down to the Dallas 1-yard line for a 28-yard catch and run. Despite being contained for just 48 yards at the half, Jacobs was immense in the second half and consistently found yards after contact. His ability to bounce off tacklers and keep his legs churning is second to none in the league. Jacobs continues to be a fantasy menace to start the season.
Emanuel Wilson: 8 Carries, 44 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 37 Yards
After seeing just one carry in the first two games of the season, Wilson has earned more looks in the past two weeks thanks to his understanding of the playbook and his ability to make runners miss at the line of scrimmage. Wilson made two effective rushes, his longest a jinking 13-yard run to move the sticks in Cowboys territory on a touchdown drive in the second half. He also saw his first significant work out of the backfield thanks to a heavy dose of screen passes from Love. He is worth keeping an eye on in deeper leagues if the Packers continue to rack up yards and points.
Chris Brooks: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Romeo Doubs: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 58 Yards, 3 TD
Doubs had not recorded more than three catches so far this season, but broke out with six grabs on a team-leading eight targets as he emerged as the go-to target for Love in the red zone. Doubs executed two perfect routes out of the slot for 1-yard and 15-yard scores, the second a potential game-sealing score with less than two minutes to go in the game. It proved not to be the case, but the way he lost his marker and ran freely into the end zone was impressive. Doubs also hauled in a nice looped pass in a contested situation for a 2-yard score to show off his varied skillset. He has been mainly used as a deeper threat so far in this offense, but on today’s performance, he can take the next step and line up across the formation.
Matthew Golden: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 58 Yards | 1 Carry, 5 Yards
Undoubtedly the most impressive showing of his young career so far, rookie Golden showed off his wheels and at-the-catch ability with five excellent catches, many in key situations. A 46-yard grab accounted for many of his yards on the team’s opening possession to set up a touchdown. Golden was also given an opportunity out of the backfield (a regular occurrence this season), and it is clear that Matt LaFleur is priming his rookie for an increased role, especially in light of Reed’s absence.
Tucker Kraft: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 56 Yards
Fantasy managers will be licking their lips at the scoreline, but sadly, Kraft didn’t have the monster day fantasy managers hoped for. He corralled all five of his targets, two of those for 22 yards on the opening touchdown drive in which he was stopped just short of the goal line. It wasn’t that he was overlooked or not involved; he just didn’t pop in the red zone again. After back-to-back games with a score to start the year, this is the second contest he hasn’t hit paydirt. Not worrying, but notable.
Savion Williams: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 22 Yards | 1 Carry, 1 Yard
Dontayvion Wicks: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 Yards
Malik Heath: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 9 Yards
Luke Musgrave: 1 Target, 1 Reception, x6 Yards
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Dak Prescott: 31/40, 319 Yards, 3 TD, Sack | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
As he has done so many times before, Dak led the fightback for the Cowboys with five touchdown drives of immense quality. He spread the ball around to eight different receivers and made deep throws of 28 and 34 yards at key moments to ensure the Cowboys went all the way. He took the Cowboys’ drive in overtime all the way down to the Packers’ 5-yard line, but his scramble to the endzone was stopped short by old friend/new nemesis Parsons just when it looked like he would inspire a famous Cowboys victory. He did rumble across the goal line on a designed quarterback keeper in regulation for his first rushing score of the season to go along with three passing scores on a fantasy-happy night in Dallas. The emergence of a relationship with George Pickens akin to that he has with Lamb was the other most promising aspect of this night. He points towards a future with two wideouts he can feed for big yardage in big moments.
Running Back
Javonte Williams: 20 Carries, 85 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 15 Yards
An efficient if not spectacular night for the former Broncos back who has firmly established himself as the lead runner in Dallas. It was his second game hitting 100 scrimmage yards, and his tough running in the second half specifically earned him his fourth touchdown of the year. Williams only recorded a long of 13 yards, but he consistently worked the lanes for extra yardage with some intelligent running. Some would argue he should have been given more than one chance at running the ball from inside the 5-yard line in overtime with the Cowboys in control. The prospects of more work look good after running mate Miles Sanders left the game early in the second half with an ankle injury that looked significant. The unconventional Hunter Luepke is the only other back on the roster, but rookie Jaydon Blue has also been a healthy scratch in every game this season and could get reps if Sanders misses time.
Miles Sanders: 2 Carries, 8 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 17 Yards
Hunter Luepke: 1 Carry, 6 Yards | 1 Target
Wide Receiver/Tight End
George Pickens: 11 Targets, 8 Receptions, 134 Yards, 2 TD
A career day for the former Steelers receiver, who is enjoying his new surroundings and the new responsibility of leading this team on the field as the alpha pass-catcher in Lamb’s absence. Pickens answered every call in this game, beginning with three catches on the Cowboys’ opening touchdown drive and then a 15-yard grab down the sideline to give his team a surprise lead at the half. He continued to rack up the yards in the second half, and his brilliant 12-yard connection with Dak on 4th & 2 at a critical point midway through the fourth quarter with Dallas trailing by four points was the most important contribution by any player up to that point in the contest. It was somewhat baffling that Pickens wasn’t the first call in overtime when the Cowboys got down to the 5-yard line with a first down. He had already hauled in a 22-yard grab on third down to give them that opportunity. Still, this performance is what every fantasy manager dreamed of for Pickens in Dallas.
Jalen Tolbert: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 61 Yards
Yeah, it just didn’t happen often enough for Tolbert, who hasn’t hit the potential he showed at times in the past in this offense. He saw a deep ball from Prescott fall just in front of him in the first half, and then he broke to the wrong side on another deep ball in the second half that was nearly intercepted. He’ll likely see more opportunities as Lamb continues his rehab, but he will have to get on the same page as his quarterback much more than he showed in this game.
Jake Ferguson: 7 Targets, 7 Receptions, 40 Yards, TD
The big tight end was extremely quiet in the first half but came alive with multiple key grabs in the second half, including catches on three separate touchdown drives, the key one an 11-yard catch and run in which he bulldozed his way to the Packers’ 12-yard line to set up his team late in the third quarter. Two plays later, his quarterback went back to Ferguson, who made no mistake with a tough catch under pressure to give his team the lead. Ferguson now has 34 catches through four games and is an integral part of this offense. His touchdown grab was his first of the year.
KaVontae Turpin: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 30 Yards | 1 Carry, 4 Yards
There were a couple of key moments for Turpin in this game as he saw looks from his quarterback at opportune moments of the game. He was also impressive as a returner and moved the Cowboys near midfield with his elusive running on at least three occasions. Turpin hauled in a nice toe-drag catch down the left sideline on a third down in the fourth quarter that extended a touchdown drive at a key moment.
Ryan Flournoy: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards | 1 Carry, 12 Yards
Luke Schoonmaker: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards