Green Bay's defense delivered a dominant performance in a 23-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field, holding an offense led by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens to a mere seven points for most of the game. Head coach Matt La Fleur admitted he had not fully realized what his unit could accomplish, having expected to need 30-plus points to win.
The Packers have now held three straight opponents to 14 points or fewer, something they had not done since well before La Fleur's arrival in 2019. The streak includes 14 points by Tampa Bay, seven by Chicago and 13 by Dallas, a combined total of 34 points during their three-game winning streak. Dallas managed just 15 rushing attempts for 48 yards and no run longer than 8 yards.
The unit has done this without linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 4, and without pass rusher Micah Parsons, who is recovering from a torn left ACL and still a few weeks from his season debut. New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who took over when Jeff Hafley left to become the Dolphins' head coach, leaned on blitzes and aggressive man coverage. The pass rush has been inconsistent, but takeaways have compensated.
Safety Evan Williams intercepted Prescott near the goal line in the second quarter, and rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse added his first career interception later on, giving Green Bay nine picks through six games. Linebacker Zaire Franklin said the group is "a defense on the rise," while safety Javon Bullard declared the Packers can be the best defense in the league.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing