GREEN BAY – The Packers have taken hit after hit after hit on defense this season and yet Jonathan Gannon and his unit keep finding a way forward.
Sunday night might have been the best one yet.
Despite having three defensive linemen, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons on its reserve lists, Green Bay and its wily defensive coordinator still had the Dallas Cowboys all out of sorts during a largely one-sided 23-13 victory in front of 77,383 at Lambeau Field.
Dak Prescott averaged just 4.8 yards per passing attempt, throwing the ball 54 times for 258 yards. While Prescott threw a late touchdown, he was picked off twice in the second quarter as the Packers parlayed those takeaways into a 17-0 halftime lead.
The Cowboys failed to establish their ground game as well. They didn't have a carry longer than eight yards, managing just 48 rushing yards behind running back Javonte Williams.
Green Bay did it through a sea of disguises, overloaded blitzes, timely stops and two key takeaways to hold its opponent under 14 points for the third consecutive week, the first time a Packers defense has done that in a decade.
"Credit to J.G. and his staff. They put together a great plan," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "I just feels like all the guys, we were in tune all week just on our details, constantly focusing on improving and getting better. We were able to put out a good performance tonight."
The Packers opened with back-to-back stops before Prescott led Dallas into Green Bay's red zone for the first time at the end of the first quarter. Instead of points, however, Prescott was greeted by a massive hit from Franklin on a delayed A-gap blitz.
It was one of several instances where a free runner turned up the pressure on Prescott, who was hit seven times.
On the play after Franklin's pressure, Evan Williams jumped a third-and-8 pass down the middle intended for CeeDee Lamb for his second interception in the last three games.
"First of all, great call by J.G., kind of put me in a great position to go get that one," Williams said. "I saw CeeDee at 3, he's normally a hot route type of guy that Dak is looking for, especially in that high red. So got out and really instincts kind of took over. After the ball was snapped, I kind of floated to a good position, where just kind of put myself between the man and the ball, and the ball showed up."
A 15-play, 73-yard scoring drive that lasted 8 minutes, 17 seconds followed. When Prescott marched Dallas back into scoring territory on the Cowboys' next possession, rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse flashed in front of Lamb for his first career interception.
The Packers went 77 yards the other direction to go ahead 17-0 at halftime. Green Bay is tied for No. 4 in the NFL with 38 takeaway points this season and now leads the league with nine INTs on the year.
"I think it's really on our minds," said nickel cornerback Javon Bullard, who had a career-high three pass breakups. "If the ball is consciously on your mind, I think it finds you. We joke around and say we might be living right in here, so the ball is just finding you. You living right, the ball is going to find you."
Dallas found a little success in the third quarter but never got close to a comeback thanks to the defense forcing a turnover on downs on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter.
Bullard broke up a fourth-and-2 pass for Lamb at midfield and then Prescott threw a fourth-and-11 pass out of the back of the end zone with a little more than 5 minutes left in regulation.
In finishing with two takeaways, the Packers posted their third straight game with multiple. The last time Green Bay posted multiple takeaways and allowed 14 or fewer points in three straight games came in 2010 (Weeks 8-9, 11).
To do it, the Packers used a number of different pre-snap looks, simulated pressures and safety blitzes. Prescott never looked fully comfortable, and the Packers continue to look dialed in despite not having Cooper, Parsons and Co.
"Obviously we got a lot of things to continue to clean up and get better at, but I feel like we're a defense on the rise," Franklin said. "Every week we continue to get better and better, taking the ball away, stopping the run, limiting explosive plays. That's the recipe to being great."
Uneven night for passing game: Matthew Golden and Christian Watson once again proved to be a handful for the opposing secondary, catching nine total passes for 168 yards and a TD.
It was the plays that Golden and Watson didn't make, though, that were top of mind after the game. Both had opportunities for more scores, as Golden dropped a 43-yard TD in the second quarter and Watson dropped a 26-yard pass in the end zone in the third.
"Defense was playing well enough to bail us out," said Watson, who finished with 64 yards on three catches. "We gotta be able to make those plays. I gotta be able to make that play. It's tough, but we move on."
Golden caught six of 13 targets for 104 receiving yards and a TD, his third straight home game with 100-plus receiving yards. The last Packers receiver to do that was Davante Adams in 2021.
Golden (30/501/3) and Watson (29/538/6) are the first duo in team history to both register 25-plus catches, 500-plus receiving yards and three-plus receiving TDs in the first six games of the season.
"For me and Christian, we can go hand-in-hand," Golden said. "I feel like that's what's really good about what we can do on the field is we can play different positions. We can help each other out. I think it's gonna keep opening up the offense."
Savion returns: Former third-round pick Savion Williams made his season debut after being activated off injured reserve Saturday, producing 41 total yards on six touches.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur reintroduced Williams as a backfield threat, as well. The 6-foot-4 wideout had two carries for nine yards but also picked up seven early on off a reverse flea-flicker screen.
"It's big time having Sav back," Watson said. "The amount of things he can do, the versatility he has a wide receiver and as a back doing the pre-snap motions and still being able to run routes downfield, it's big time having him out there. Excited to have him back."
Cisse, Kraft updates: Cisse left in the fourth quarter with a stinger and did not return but said afterward he's fine. Carrington Valentine finished the game at perimeter cornerback.
"I'll be all good," Cisse said. "It's just getting out of hand. My whole arm going numb. I gotta get stronger. It's a long season and I gotta be better about taking care of my body. That's one of my main things."
Tight end Tucker Kraft briefly left the game in the second quarter but returned at the start of the second half, catching five passes for 37 yards.
"Just something weird," said Kraft on what he felt. "It was enough for me to let the trainers evaluate for something. We'll just leave it at that."
