Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers Betting Preview
Although this year’s meeting has lost a little bit of its luster, it’s still always exciting when two storied franchises, the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, get together, especially at Lambeau Field. Dallas is doing their part at 6-2, but fans are turning on Aaron Rodgers and the 3-6 Packers.
Things have gotten so bad in Green Bay that they are +4.5 underdogs in this matchup. It’s finally getting to the time of year when playing in Wisconsin is going to provide an edge as temps are expected to be in the mid-30s on Sunday, but is it too late for the Packers, who are already down four in the win column, to the 7-1 Vikings?
Dallas Trying to Keep Pace in the East
In almost any other year sitting at 6-2 through the first half of the season would be considered a success, but with the way the NFC East is playing out in 2022, Dallas has had to be 6-2 just to keep pace with the 8-0 Eagles and fellow 6-2 Giants.
One thing that’s impressive about Dallas’ six wins is that four of them came while QB Dak Prescott was out with a thumb injury. Prescott has returned to lead a 24-6 win over Detroit and to beat Chicago 49-29, with two good offensive showings but also two very bad/depleted defenses.
The Cowboys do come off their bye last weekend, which might give them time to get Ezekiel Elliott back in the lineup. He missed the Bears game with a knee injury, but Tony Pollard stepped in to run for 131 yards and three TDs on just 14 carries. Green Bay has allowed 145.3 rush
yards/game over their last three, 10th worst in the NFL over that span.
Packers Welcome Back an Old Friend
A victory on Sunday would be extra special for Green Bay, not just because it would snap a five-game losing skid but because it would come against former coach Mike McCarthy who now patrols the Dallas sideline. To be fair, it was the Packers who fired McCarthy, so you can bet he’d like a big win as well.
We may have seen rock bottom for Green Bay last week in a 15-9 loss to Detroit, who themselves had lost five straight coming into that game. Green Bay was 0-4 in the red zone, and Rodgers was the leading rusher with 40 yards which aren’t great numbers, with the Lions ranking last defensively in the NFL in total yards (417.3) and points (29.3) given up.
The week off for Dallas has also let Micah Parsons rest his shoulder, which is the last thing Green Bay wants to hear. The Cowboys have a top-10 defense in the league in total yards, passing yards, and points allowed, and Parsons has eight sacks.
Cowboys at Packers Pick and Prediction
Rodgers’ pocket time is just 2.2 seconds, the fewest in the league behind Tom Brady and Kyler Murray. The MVP usually gives you a chance to win, but not when a rested Parsons and the Cowboys front seven are pressuring him all day.
Green Bay might not be as bad as their 3-6 record indicates because they haven’t had a very kind schedule this season. Their lone home game was a 27-10 loss to the Jets a week after returning from London, and they’ve now played three straight on the road.
Unfortunately, the scheduling once again goes against the Packers, with Dallas coming off a bye, and McCarthy is going to want to win this one by double digits against the club that fired him.
Pick: Dallas -4.5
