GREEN BAY, Wisc. – In last January's heavyweight playoff matchup, Aaron Rodgers' precision passing was the difference.
In Sunday's rematch at drizzly Lambeau Field, the Cowboys' defense got a double dose of Eddie Lacy and James Starks.
Lacy set a physical tone with four straight runs for 18 yards on the game's opening drive, on his way to a season-high 124 yards and a touchdown. Starks added 71 yards on 11 carries, including a 30-yard touchdown that gave the Packers a commanding two-touchdown lead with a 4:44 remaining in an eventual 28-7 win. He also scored on an 11-yard screen pass from Rodgers in the first half.
Green Bay's 230 rushing yards were, by far, the most the Cowboys' defense has yielded in 13 games. The previous high was 172 yards in Week 9 against Philadelphia.
Dallas entered the game with the league's 15th-ranked run defense, allowing just over 104 yards per game. The defense had kept three of its last four opponents under 100 yards; Tampa Bay, Miami and Washington gained a grand total of 225 yards.
Lacy and Starks got 195 yards on Sunday.
Starks' rushing touchdown, a run behind the left side on 2nd-and-25, deflated a stingy Cowboys defensive effort to that point. After a Cowboys punt, Lacy sealed the game with four straight runs for 38 yards and the final score, a 1-yard touchdown run.
"Eddie Lacy's style of running is a little different from what we've been used to," defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. "He came with his hard hat today and he did a good job. And Starks was elusive."
