The Dallas Cowboys added Mike Pettine on Monday and are using the days before the Packers game to try to patch a defense that has too many holes. Dak Prescott also needs a much better outing than the one he had against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if the Cowboys are going to make the trip to Lambeau Field count.
That is why the NFC East is driving so much of the conversation now. Earlier in the week, the Philadelphia Eagles let the Jacksonville Jaguars steal a game from them in London, and later the New York Giants and Washington Commanders played an overtime tie that did little to calm the division. With those results still fresh, Sean asked the obvious question: “Does anyone want to win the NFC East?” He answered his own point by saying, “I really think the answer is our team, Tom.”
The case for Dallas is simple enough. Sean said the Cowboys might gain the most if they win the NFC East and the division winner remains weak in the playoffs, but he also noted that Coach Schottenheimer’s predecessor was let go because he could not advance in the postseason. That is the standard hanging over this team now. Sean said the Cowboys still do not know whether Schotty can guide them to the postseason, which makes every game feel larger than one game usually does.
The Packers are the immediate test, and Tom said the matchup could help the Cowboys get right. He said Green Bay ranks dead last in rushing yards per game, which sounds like an opening for a team trying to steady itself. But he also said Green Bay has a clear edge in points allowed and sacks, which is the part that should keep Dallas honest. Tom added that it is hard not to cringe about what is likely waiting for the Cowboys in the storied confines of Lambeau Field, and he said that may be a tall order. The problem for Dallas is not just the opponent’s strengths. It is the way the Cowboys broke down against Tampa Bay, with too many defensive issues showing up at once and leaving Prescott to carry more of the load than he should.
That is the friction inside the story. Dallas can point to a weak division and a path that is still open, but it cannot ignore how much work remains before it can call itself stable. Mike Pettine’s arrival on Monday is a move toward repair, not proof of one, and Green Bay will be watching the Bucs tape for every flaw it can find. The Cowboys do not need a perfect night at Lambeau Field. They need a clean one, because the next step is no longer about theory. It is about whether Prescott and a patched-up defense can hold up when the game finally starts to matter in the standings that everyone keeps talking about.
