TimesFour

This week is going to be tough. I am trying to stay neutral in this one and just give good information. At the beginning of this year I predicted the Cowboys to likely win this one for one of Green Bay’s six losses and I had Dallas winning the Super Bowl. With the AFC falling apart it just looks more like an NFC year. I am not going to predict this one and just go into the points where I think the game will be won or lost for each team.

Green Bay needs to rally and get up for this game. Green Bay has faced a running team and a passing team so far and both gave us a few problems here and there.

The major issue for this game will be in the hands of the front seven. Not deep and insightful there I know, but the keys to this game are getting ahead and making the Cowboys play from behind.

Barber will get the ball and he can go through people. Hawk, Barnett and Poppinga need to be very sound in their tackling. The Packers corner backs need to be aware of what is going on. They need to avoid looking into the backfield, but if Barber hits the outside he can go for a ways and ruin our day. Green Bay also needs to pressure Romo. If we can get him moving he will miss more passes. If Romo gets the time to look downfield there is only so long that any DB can cover a WR. After three seconds someone is open no matter what. The best thing going for the Packers is the Eagles gave the Packers great film of how to take the Cowboys to task. If we can get the screen working and move the ball underneath we can control the ball.

The deep ball was there for the Eagles all day and the Packers have a better passing attack and better receivers. I would think Jennings can get behind the safeties a couple times and not drop the ball at the one (cough-DeSean Jackson-cough). Rodgers needs to keep up the high completion percentage

and the run game needs to focus on the quick plays off tackle. Slow developing run plays will get us killed this week. Dallas is too fast off the ends and the only way to attack that sort of speed is to run right at it. Wide sweeps and directly at the center will not work as well. Green Bay play calling needs the off tackle, the screen pass and the four wide set. Rolling Rodgers out away from pressure and using play-action will also be key to slowing up the rush.

Dallas will likely win if they can get ahead and control the ball. Barber is the key there. The Cowboys will throw early and look to make the Calvin Johnson play against us early. They watch tape too. If we can blitz effectively and get Romo thinking more in the pocket this could be trouble. The Cowboys notably have the second heaviest offensive line in the NFL. If they get the lead they are built to hold it. The defense needs to play the underneath passes well and get to Rodgers. Just chasing Rodgers has not worked well yet because of his discipline in looking down field while moving and his accuracy. They need to knock Rodgers down and make him face a second and long. If the Cowboys want to win they need to stop Grant/Jackson and Donald Lee, especially in the pass game. Multiple second and shorts will kill the Cowboy.

On paper it looks like the Cowboys can kill the Packers. Cowboys rank second in offense and tenth in defense compared to Green Bay’s sixth and twenty-second, but that is just the yardage rankings the NFL keeps using. In scoring offense the Packers are third and the Cowboys are fourth. In scoring defense the Packers are nineteenth and the Cowboys are twenty-third. Home field could be the deciding factor. I am hopeful and I have reason to be. The Packers can win this game, but this is our best test this year in most regards.