GREEN BAY – The defensive breakdowns in Dallas became a "snowball effect" from Head Coach Matt LaFleur's perspective.
Recapping on Tuesday the 40-40 overtime tie with the Cowboys, LaFleur felt the way the first half ended just gave Dallas too much momentum offensively, and the Packers couldn't stem the tide.
It started with the Cowboys going 95 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown after punting on their first three drives. That pulled Dallas within 13-9 with 41 seconds left in the half.
On the ensuing possession, the Packers stayed aggressive, which LaFleur admitted came from knowing the Cowboys were getting the ball to start the second half. It turned into adding more fuel to Dallas' fire.
After getting a first down at their own 32-yard line, the Packers were called for a false start, backing up to the 27. With 21 seconds on the clock and no timeouts, LaFleur said he "at that point should have just shut it down, and I didn't."
The subsequent strip sack led to another Dallas TD before intermission, and Green Bay's defense – which had allowed just 44 points in three games before the Cowboys scored 40 – was on its heels the rest of the night.
"I thought it was like a snowball effect," LaFleur said of the carryover from the first half to the second. "We never recovered from that point forward."
It wasn't just one thing, either. LaFleur explained on a couple of third downs after halftime, the defensive call was man coverage, but it was played too soft, allowing "easy completions."
In other instances, missed tackles kept the Cowboys in favorable down-and-distance situations.
"We could have really (taken) advantage, … instead they're breaking a tackle and either making a third-and-short or getting a first down," he said. "So all in all it got real sloppy in the second half."
It also didn't help that turnovers have been so hard to come by. Despite a huge emphasis in training camp on getting the ball out and taking it away, the results haven't been there.
The Packers got a critical interception in the red zone against Detroit in Week 1, but since then the defense has just one takeaway, and that came on a desperation, fourth-down heave at the end of the first half in Cleveland that was picked off. The defense has yet to force a single fumble in four games.
"There's been a couple more out there for us that we haven't quite capitalized on," LaFleur said of turnover opportunities. "It just hasn't rolled our way up to this point."
Perhaps the first game after the bye week will change things. Backup Bengals quarterback Jake Browning has thrown five interceptions in 2½ games, and Cincinnati also has lost three fumbles.
"We're going to continue to emphasize it and continue to work on it," LaFleur said. "I do think it's a matter of time before we get a couple to go our way."
