5 Things to Watch for Cowboys vs. Packers with containing Aaron Rodgers No. 1 on list
Public Enemy No. 1 for the Dallas Cowboys (3-1) and their fans at AT&T Stadium on Sunday is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Green Bay (3-1) has won seven of the last eight match ups in the series and Rodgers, a noted Cowboys killer, has been the difference maker in almost all of them.
Secondary coach/passing game coordinator Kris Richard said Rodgers is one of the top three quarterbacks in NFL history and the Cowboys must find a way to contain him in and out of the pocket.
“He has a supreme level of intelligence,” Richard said. “He understands how he has leverage, single high vs. 2 high safeties, where he wants to throw the football. A lot of it is predicated on leverage. He understands what his system is where his route runners are going and what your weaknesses are.”
So how do you stop him?
“Cover, rush and cover,” Richard said. “That’s it. You got to go play ball. He is special. He is special in the pocket. He can create. He has an elite ability to scramble. As much credit as the scrambling quarterbacks get, this guy is an elite scrambler. We know that. We want to keep him bottled up. We have to cover and make it as difficult as possible. We want to keep him in the pocket. We have to be disciplined in our rush lanes. But rush.”
Defensive backs are told to not leave their receiver no matter what every game but the emphasis is even greater against Rodgers, who makes big plays by extending plays and taking advantage of breakdowns in the secondary.
It’s all easier said than done but that’s the charge for the Cowboys defense on Sunday.
Here are five things to watch for the Cowboys:
Dak Prescott must outduel Aaron Rodgers
Dak Prescott will have to go toe-to-toe and throw-for-throw with Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. His record is 1-2 against the Packers since 2016 but Prescott hasn’t really taken a backseat to Rodgers in those games.
He has played very well against the Packers.
He is 67 of 101 passing for 800 yards with 9 touchdowns and three interceptions. He has seven rushes for 56 yards and a touchdown. So he has averaged three touchdowns a game against the Packers throughout his career.
“I don’t have to match anything with him,” Prescott said. “I’ve got to do the best I can to get this offense orchestrating down the field and putting up points. We don’t really care what those guys do on the other side, Doesn’t matter if it’s Aaron Rodgers or some other guy in this league. I trust our defense. I know what that defense is capable of doing. It’s about us going out there and just playing complementary football as a team.”
Look for Ezekiel Elliott to bounce back
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott should bounce back against the Packers after rushing for 35 yards on 18 carries against the Saints.
Elliott has traditionally followed up a bad game with a pretty good one
And the Packers and their suspect run defense present a prime opportunity for him and the Cowboys offense to continue that trend and make amends for the Saints performance.
The Packers give up 142.3 yards per game.
“You definitely take it personally, because we didn’t expect to go out there and only put up 10 points,” Elliott said. “You’ve got to take it personally, but you’ve also got to take what you’ve learned from the game and move on. You can’t go out there and do too much. You’ve just got to go out there and be yourself.
“We’re onto a new opponent, a new team this week, and it’s a different obstacle, so we’ve just got to figure out the best way to overcome this one.”
Michael Gallup ready to return, bring the big play back to the offense
Receiver Michael Gallup will play against the Packers after missing the last two games following arthroscopic knee surgery due to a torn meniscus.
Gallup practiced all week with no setbacks and should return the big play threat to the Cowboys offense.
He averaged 113 yards per game before suffering the injury in the fourth quarter of the 31-21 win against the Redskins.
The Cowboys missed Gallup’s big threat to complement the precision route running of Amari Cooper. And with Cooper still hobbled with ankle and foot injuries, Gallup’s return is a welcomed sight.
“It’s great,” quarterback Dak Prescott said of Gallup’s return. “I have praised Michael all offseason, all training camp on what he brings to this offense. Just how great he has developed. He has taken pride in that. An obviously having another weapon, just having him out there is more explosive plays for this offense.”
La’el Collins should play, Tyron Smith is out
The Cowboys will be compromised on the offensive line against the Packers. Left tackle Tyron Smith has been ruled out with a sprained ankle, putting Cam Fleming in his place.
The situation could have been worse with right tackle La’el Collins missing practice Wednesday and Thursday with a back issue. He practiced on a limited basis on Friday and will likely give it a go on Sunday.
Still, it’s a situation that bares watching for a Cowboys offensive line coming off it’s worst performance of the season in a 12-10 loss to the Saints.
If Collins can’t go, the Cowboys will likely move left guard Connor Williams to right tackle and insert Xavier Sua-Filo at guard.
“Some guys are going though a couple of things here and there,” center Travis Frederick said. “But that is football. Guys are going to get banged up and new faces are going to be around.You have to be prepared and work through contingency plans. I don’t know what the plan is come Sunday but for now you have to plan for the worse and make sure you are prepared for any situation. That is what we are trying to do right now.”
The relentlessness of Robert Quinn
The Cowboys must get heat on quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the team will continue to lean on defensive end Robert Quinn for relentless pressure.
Opponents have targeted Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence with double and triple teams. He is also hampered by a bruised shoulder and heel.
That’s why Quinn’s play is so important.
Quinn leads the Cowboys with three sacks and 11 quarterback pressures despite playing just two games after missing the first two under NFL suspension for using a banned substance.
Quinn has been better than the Cowboys expected when they traded for a sixth-round pick to the Dolphins for him last spring.
Quinn had double digit sacks in 2012-2014 with the Rams, including a career-high 19 in 2013. But his last four years has seen him record 5, 4, 8.5, 6.5 sacks.
“He hunts,” defensive passing game coordinator Kris Richard said. “He loves what he does. We love what he does. He has fantastic energy. He is prepared. He has fantastic energy. He prepares his butt off and he goes out there and executes. And you have to deal with him.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2019 at 5:35 PM.
