GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love threw a touchdown pass and also scored on a 1-yard keeper and the Green Bay Packers held Dallas’ high-powered offense in check and beat the Cowboys 23-13 in a penalty-filled game Sunday night.
Love went 23 of 41 for 276 yards to help the Packers improve to 11-1-1 in their last 13 meetings with the Cowboys, including a 40-all tie last season at Arlington, Texas. A 9-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Golden capped Green Bay’s first series and put the Packers ahead for good.
The Packers (4-2) have won three straight as they await the return of three-time Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs, who comes off the commissioner’s exempt list Monday. Jacobs hasn’t played all season and pleaded no contest last month to two misdemeanor charges stemming from an altercation with his then-girlfriend in May.
Green Bay intercepted Dak Prescott twice to thwart scoring opportunities. Prescott went 34 of 54 for 258 yards. He threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy with 44 seconds left, but couldn’t connect with CeeDee Lamb on a 2-point conversion attempt.
The game featured 22 penalties — 11 by each team. Dallas had 108 penalty yards, while Green Bay had 96.
Love’s night could have been even better.
Golden dropped what would have been a 43-yard touchdown and couldn’t complete the catch on a potential 23-yard score in the second quarter. A potential 26-yard touchdown pass went in and out of Christian Watson’s hands in the third quarter, though that pass was deflected in the end zone by Dallas’ Malachi Lawrence.
The Lambeau Field fireworks started prematurely after Golden couldn’t hang on to the 23-yarder even as the officials were signaling the incompletion. Green Bay still scored a touchdown after one of those drops and settled for Trey Smack field goals after the other two.
Golden still caught six passes for 104 yards, plus the early touchdown. Love went 6 of 8 for 109 yards on that opening possession, a 90-yard drive during which the Packers withstood a couple of penalties.
Dallas (2-4) trailed 17-0 at halftime, the first time the Cowboys went scoreless in the first half of a game since Nov. 7, 2021, when they were down 16-0 in an eventual 30-16 loss to Denver.
Prescott’s two interceptions proved costly.
The Cowboys faced second-and-8 from Green Bay’s 17 when Prescott absorbed a punishing hit from Zaire Franklin while throwing an incompletion. On the next play, Evan Williams picked off a pass across the middle that was intended for Lamb.
Dallas had a first down from Green Bay’s 23 on its next drive before a holding penalty pushed it back to the 33. The Cowboys had first-and-15 from the 28 when Lamb fell on a route, enabling Packers rookie Brandon Cisse to make his first career interception.
Green Bay capitalized on that second turnover by driving 77 yards and scoring on Love’s 1-yard sneak with 23 seconds left in the half.
Dallas scored on a 1-yard run from Javonte Williams early in the third quarter. Green Bay extended the lead on a pair of field goals by Smack.
A positive development for Dallas was an improved performance from its defense, which entered the night allowing a league-high 6.4 yards per play.
Dallas’ defense held a players-only meeting in the days leading up to this game. The Cowboys also brought in veteran defensive assistant Mike Pettine to assist first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Dee Winters made a diving catch late in the first quarter for Dallas’ first interception of the season. Winters then got up and weaved between multiple defenders to run over 40 yards for an apparent touchdown, but a replay review determined he was touched by Golden while still on the ground.
Injuries
Cowboys: WR KaVontae Turpin left with a rib injury in the first quarter. Winters hurt his ankle in the second quarter.
Packers: CB Brandon Cisse left with a stinger in the second half.
Up next
Cowboys: At Philadelphia on Oct. 26.
Packers: At Detroit next Sunday.
