Packers need to go on the offensive against Cowboys
By GERY WOELFEL
The Green Bay Packers will be facing one of the best defenses in the NFL Sunday.
The Dallas Cowboys’ defense ranked fifth in the entire in league this season, having allowed a paltry 299.7 yards per game.
The Cowboys’ defense also ranked fifth in average passing yards per game at 176.5 and also fifth in average points allowed at 18.5
Jordan Love, the Packers sensational young quarterback, is well aware of the Cowboys’ defensive prowess.
“(They’re) a really good defense, definitely one of the best defenses we’ve seen all year,’’ Love said.
But, as Love accurately points out, the Packers have fared quite nicely against some of the league’s better defenses this season.
That’s especially true in recent weeks.
On Dec. 3, the Packers racked up 27 points in beating the Kansas Chiefs, who had the league’s second-best defense during the regular season.
And then, on Dec. 24, the Packers exploded for 33 points in a victory over the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers had a lousy season, but their defense was outstanding. They ended the regular-season ranked fourth defensively.
So, while the Cowboys defense is formidable, the Packers certainly have the capabilities to put up big numbers on the scoreboard when the play the Cowboys in an NFC first-round playoff game today in Arlington, Texas.
Packers running back Aaron Jones could be poised for yet another big game as the Cowboys’ run defense is its weak link. The ’Boys ranked a pedestrian 16th in the league in that statistical category..
Plus, Jones is on a heater. In his last three games, Jones gained 111, 120 and 127 yards. The Packers won all three games.
Love has also been on an amazing roll: He’s thrown 18 touchdowns passes and just one interception in the last eight games. The Packers went 6-2 in that stretch.
And, there’s one other Packer who could put his imprint on this game. That’s Christian Watson, who is dealing with a hamstring injury and whose status for the game is still undetermined.
Watson, fully utilizing his blazing speed, caught four passes for 107 yards and THREE touchdowns in Green Bay’s 31-28 overtime triumph over the Cowboys last season.
If two of those aforementioned Packers have prime-time games, the Packers could shock the world and upset the seven-point favorite Cowboys.
Prediction: Packers 27, Cowboys 24
