Dak Prescotts game-breaking weapons must be contained

Mike Spofford

GREEN BAY The Dallas Cowboys are coming to Lambeau Field on Sunday night a little rested.

The Packers also are expecting them to be a little angry.

A week ago Thursday night, the Cowboys lost a home game against a previously winless Tampa Bay team, scoring just 16 points in a dud of an offensive performance. The defeat dropped Dallas to 2-3.

"Especially in their division right now, their backs are to the wall a little bit," safetyXavier McKinneysaid. "Obviously coming off their last game, who they just played and how they lost the game, I know that they're going to be motivated.

"But they're not the only team motivated. We're motivated, too."

The Packers' defense is hyper-aware of the challenge in front of it the way Cowboys QB Dak Prescott uses weapons like receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, plus tight end Jake Ferguson.

Lamb and Pickens in particular have combined for 66 catches, 857 yards and five TDs through five games. That's just behind the combined 871 yards Green Bay'sChristian WatsonandMatthew Goldenhave put up so far.

The Packers' task could be tougher based on the week's first injury report as well. CornerbacksKeisean Nixon(groin) andBenjamin St-Juste(groin) didn't practice Wednesday, so their availability and Green Bay's depth at corner is in question for the moment.

Prior to last Thursday's loss to the Buccaneers, the Cowboys had scored 102 points in a span of three contests. They'll create big plays, whether it's generating yards after catch on short throws or taking chunks of field with long bombs.

It all starts with Prescott, who has been sacked just six times and thrown only three interceptions despite the aggressive approach.

"He can make any throw, and he knows that he can make any throw," safetyEvan Williamssaid. "Has a really live arm, and with the weapons he got, he trusts them on any opportunity.

"If they see one-on-one, Dak has no hesitation of going up and just letting them try to make a play. It puts a lot more importance and pressure on disguise, trying to show them something else, so he doesn't know he has one-on-one on the outside before the ball's snapped."

Disguising looks and coverages against a quarterback as experienced and savvy as Prescott isn't easy. Williams said the defense will probably have to hold its disguises a tick or two longer than against younger QBs, which is tricky.

But it can be done, and it can be effective, even if Prescott is going to succeed at diagnosing the defense a fair share of the time.

"You can fool any quarterback if you really, really work on that disguise," McKinney said. "That's what we're trying to do this week.

"Obviously some guys are better than others, but throughout the game, if you are consistent enough with the disguise and kind of mix up different things, you'll be able to get him a couple of times. That's the best you can wish for with a premium guy like that."

Nobody on Green Bay's defense is looking for a repeat of last year, of course, when the Packers and Cowboys got into a shootout and played to a 40-40 overtime tie.

The defense expects to be able to contain Dallas' high-octane attack better than that this time around, and coming off a five-takeaway performance at home against the Bears has the unit feeling good about where it's at in mid-October.

But the Packers get what they're up against.

"They prove it time and time again they're extremely high powered," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "They can score a lot of points, they can put a lot of yards on you."

Added linebackerZaire Franklin: "That Dallas offense, there's no mystery the explosiveness they're capable of."

Just two weeks ago, Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards in a high-scoring win over the Texans. Last week, despite the loss to the Bucs, Pickens caught nine passes for 130 yards.

They're going to get theirs, but the Packers can't let them go off. Williams repeatedly referenced the mindset of a game like this being an opportunity, knowing the ball will be in the air plenty. These are the games back-end defenders show what they've got.

"Of course it's going to be a challenge for us to find a way to strap them up. But that's the NFL. That's our job," he said. "We can prove we are who we think we are.

"You gotta attack these opportunities. If you're hesitant in any facet, that's when you get exploited as a defense. When you're unsure or questionable about what you're going to do, that's when explosives start to show up and things can go downhill in a hurry.

"It's up to you to stop it. Can't shy away from it."