GREEN BAY, Wisc. – The Cowboys have now won five straight games after an impressive 30-16 win over the Packers at Lambeau Field, a place they hadn't been victorious since 2008.
The Cowboys' second-ever win at Lambeau wasn't always pretty, but the final score was indeed for a team that heads into the bye week with a 5-1 record to lead the NFC East.
On Friday, the staff writers gave their gut feeling for Sunday's game. Check out the instant reactions from the staff of DallasCowboys.com.
David Helman: There's no way to sugarcoat it or disguise it – I doubted this team in this environment, and I was wrong. I knew Aaron Rodgers and the Packers hadn't been playing well, but at their daunting home field, I thought they'd outperform a rookie quarterback and a no-name defense. Again, I was wrong. It didn't even matter that Dak Prescott finally made some rookie mistakes. He fumbled and threw an interception, but it didn't matter. The Dallas defense held Green Bay to one touchdown – which came with seven minutes to play in an 18-point game. I knew the Cowboys would run the ball efficiently, but I didn't think it would be that easy. For the third-straight week, they ran for nearly 200 yards – imposing their will in the process. I also missed the prediction that the Dallas defense would score a touchdown, but man did they try. The Cowboys forced four takeaways, including a pick of the best quarterback they played all season. And I know Sean Lee is going to lose sleep about his nearly-missed pick-six. All in all, I thought the Cowboys would finally come up against a test they couldn't pass, but I badly misread the situation. They rolled over the Packers, just like they've done to everyone else over the last month.
Nick Eatman: Shoes never taste good, but that's my only option here. This was definitely a foot-in-mouth situation for me. Everything I picked was wrong, especially the way the Cowboys would struggle here to win in Green Bay. The way Dak Prescott would have a hard time out-dueling the great Aaron Rodgers. Wrong, wrong and wrong. Rodgers was just average, but not great. Dak wasn't even great, but certainly good enough. But this team was just better. That's the reality for this team right now. I really though Rodgers would play better and even though he went close to 400 yards, it wasn't that effective. Let's just forget about the rest of the predictions because they were off. I knew the Cowboys could win, but I just didn't think this rookie-led offense would be the second Cowboys team in history to win at Lambeau Field. But they did it, and it was mainly because of Dak and Zeke and of course that monstrous offensive line. Let's not forget how many plays the defense made to get off the field and get the football. Overall, a great team win. I'm not sure when I'm going to pick against this team again, but it won't be for a while. I'm a believer for sure.
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Rob Phillips: I thought the Cowboys would win a close game against a Packers team who, like the Bengals last week, have a strong reputation but some early-season inconsistencies. I didn't think the Cowboys would win scoring 30 points at Lambeau Field. We're running out of compliments to give Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. What they're doing isn't a surprise anymore, and I don't think you can call them rookies anymore. They certainly don't handle pressure like rookies. Prescott wasn't as efficient in this game - he threw three touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his career and also had two turnovers in a game for the first time -- but his 97-yard touchdown drive in less than a minute near the end of the first half changed the entire game. Elliott continues to be the engine for this offense, and the defense continues to get off the field in key situations -- one touchdown allowed on four Packers red zone trips. Another really good team win.
Bryan Broaddus: This defense doesn't get much pressure when the opponents pass the ball. With DeMarcus Lawrence back in the lineup, I thought that things might change in that regard. Lawrence didn't have the type of game that I thought he might have had. Lawrence got injured during the game but even before then- he wasn't a factor. The plan was to move him around and they were able to do that but he just couldn't get home. He did a much better job last week winning off the edge. It was a tough game for him but a great victory for the team at a place they've haven't had much success at.
For the initial gut feeling predictions of the staff writers posted on Friday, **click here**.
View some of our favorite photos from the Dallas Cowboys game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.