Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 40-40 Tie with the Cowboys in Week 4

The Green Bay Packers got a field goal from Brandon McManus as time expired in overtime to tie the Dallas Cowboys 40-40. Jordan Love threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns which were all caught by Romeo Doubs. But the defense and special teams couldn’t make plays and allowed the Cowboys to score 40 points and earn the tie.  The tie means the Packers are 2-1-1 heading into the bye week while the Cowboys are now 1-2-1. Here are 10 things we learned from the Packers 40-40 tie with the Cowboys in Week 4:

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 40-40 Tie with the Cowboys, Number One: The Defense Couldn’t Stop Dallas

The Green Bay defense hadn’t allowed their first three opponents to top 250 yards or 20 points in a game. They didn’t even come close to matching that against Dallas.

The Cowboys gained 436 total yards and after the first quarter seemed to move the football at will. The Cowboys were able to move the ball on the ground and through the air and the Packers defense just had no answers.

Jeff Hafley usually outcoaches opposing offenses, but he had no answers in this game. Losing Devonte Wyatt and Nate Hobbs to injuries didn’t help, but the issues went well beyond that. The Packers weren’t able to make the necessary adjustments to slow Dallas down.

The defense forced no turnovers and just had no answers.

Number Two: Special Teams Failures Hurt Badly

Once again, Packers special teams hurt them badly and played a big role in settling for a tie. The turning point of the game came early in the second quarter. Love threw his second TD pass to Doubs to give the Packers a 13-0 lead. But the extra point attempt by McManus was blocked and returned for two points by Markquese Bell of Dallas. That made the score 13-2 and the momentum of the game shifted. It also ended a streak of 93 consecutive extra points for McManus.

The Packers also allowed the Cowboy some long kick returns that allowed Dallas to easily respond late in the game after the Packers took the lead. Dallas started on their own 46 with 1:45 left in the game. They took advantage of the short field and took the lead which forced the Packers to scramble to tie the game with just four seconds left.

Rich Bisaccia needs to figure out something because his special teams units have hurt the team already this season.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 40-40 Tie with the Cowboys, Number Three: Love and Doubs Had Good Games

With the exception of the one fumble, Love had a strong game. He finished with a quarterback rating of 118.1 with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also came through in clutch situations like third downs. Love led the Packers to vital scores late in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Love was not the reason the Packers didn’t win this game.

Doubs, meanwhile, was the receiver Love looked to in the red zone. He caught six passes for 58 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught a clutch 18-yard pass late in the game that kept a crucial drive going.

Love and Doubs have a good connection, and he looks for Doubs or Tucker Kraft when he needs to convert to score or keep drives alive.

Number Four: The Pass Rush Didn’t Get Much Pressure

The Packers pass rush managed only one sack and hit Dak Prescott just five times all game. Too often, Prescott had time to throw, and he picked the secondary apart.

This was the first game this season the pass rush was not a major factor, and it really impacted the defense. Like the Packers, Dallas had to play backups along their offensive line due to injury. The Packers failed to take advantage of that opportunity, and it cost them dearly.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 40-40 Tie with the Cowboys, Number Five: Parsons Made One Big Play

Micah Parsons was relatively quiet in his homecoming game in Dallas. He was only in on three tackles all game. He was credited with three of the Packers quarterback hits and came up with the only sack of the game.

The sack was a critical play. Prescott was running for the end zone, and the speedy Parsons caught him from behind and sacked him for no gain. That play saved what looked like a sure touchdown.

While Parsons’ overall play was disappointing, he did impact the game at a key moment. Still, the Packers needed more from him and the rest of the defense on Sunday night.

Number Six: Josh Jacobs Persevered

Josh Jacobs again got off to a slow start, but he persisted and ended up with a strong day. He ran 22 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught four passes on four targets for 71 more yards. That’s a 157-yard game for the Packers star running back.

For most of the first half, he was still hit behind the line of scrimmage too often and didn’t have many holes to run through, but Jacobs kept going and ended up coming up with some important gains.

Backup Emanuel Wilson also had a good game, gaining 44 yards on just eight carries and catching three passes for 37 more yards on three targets.

The Packers used screens and short passes to their running backs to help slow down the Dallas pass rush and it became an effective way to move the football for the offense.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 40-40 Tie with the Cowboys, Number Seven: The Offense Excelled on Third Down

The Green Bay offense finished the game 10-of-14 on third downs, an impressive 71.4 percent conversion rate. Five of those first downs came by penalty, but generally speaking, the offense managed to make plays when they needed to convert.

Green Bay also made their only fourth-down try. On defense, the Packers held the Cowboys to a 4-for-11 mark on third down, or a 36.4 percent success rate. Still, Dallas did so much damage on first and second down that they were still able to move the football despite not being able to convert on third downs.

Number Eight: The One Turnover Was Costly

The game’s only turnover was a strip sack by the Cowboys that gave Dallas the ball at the Packers 15 with 13 seconds left in the first half. Rasheed Walker was beaten badly on the play by James Houston who poked the ball out and recovered the fumble.

On the next play, Prescott threw a touchdown pass, and the Packers 13-9 lead suddenly became a 16-13 deficit at the half.

That gave the Cowboys 16 unanswered points and the lead heading into halftime and reinforced which team had the momentum at the break.

Ten Things We Learned from the Packers 40-40 Tie with the Cowboys, Number Nine: The Secondary Was Exposed

The Packers cornerbacks played well this season because opposing quarterbacks rarely had time to throw downfield. In this game, however, Prescott was able to pick on Hobbs and his replacement in Carrington Valentine for sizable gains. While Keisean Nixon had some nice moments, he was also victimized on several plays.

The Green Bay secondary allowed 319 yards passing and Prescott finished the game with a quarterback rating of 124.9.

On defense, the Packers had no answer for George Pickens, who caught eight passes for 134 yards and two scores including some acrobatic sideline catches that really hurt the Packers.

The secondary has to play better in the future even if the opposing QB has more time to throw the football.

Number 10: Bring on the Bye

This was the Packers second consecutive disappointing result in a row, but at least it wasn’t a loss. Now, the Packers have next week off and hopefully, the offensive line can get healthy. The absence of Zach Tom and Aaron Banks was clearly felt in this game. Hopefully, the bye may also give Wyatt a chance to return to action in two weeks without missing a game, depending on the severity of his injury.

The Packers are 2-1-1 but easily could have been 4-0. They still need to clean up the penalties and work on some fundamentals to get back on track. The bye will give them a much-needed break to regroup.