News now! Packers, Cowboys scoreless after one quarter

The Packers now hold a one-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings, who lost their second straight game Thursday against the Arizona Cardinals. “We’ve got to win another one [at Oakland on Sunday] and then worry about the division”.

Rodgers will get an up-close look on Sunday when the Cowboys play the Packers at Lambeau Field.

Can Dallas pull off the upset?

Yet, the final drive by Green Bay is what most people will remember. The Packers, on the other hand, are looking to take firm control of their division, so while it may seem like a playoff game, I can’t see much in the way of drama happening.

Although it’s been a frustrating season for Lacy (and the Packers to a lesser degree), it certainly isn’t something both sides should be overly concerned about. His knack for clamping down on the opponent’s No. 1 wideout has been significant for the NFC North-leading Packers (8-4).

Lacy has also been less involved in the passing game with just 16 receptions on 18 targeted passes for 129 receiving yards.

Anticipation translated to a refreshing first half against the Dallas Cowboys.

For the Packers, the key is going to be kickstarting the offense. It’s hard getting over the fact that a Packers and Cowboys game has such a low over/under though, that part is just plain odd. If Lacy can get going early, the Packers might be able to put the game away quickly. The Cowboys averaged a robust 8.6 yards per carry, which made their passing-game issues all the more glaring.

The Packers took the ensuing possession and went 79 yards on 15 plays, but Rodgers was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

Quiet return: Dez Bryant’s return to Lambeau Field was nothing like his appearance here in January when he had a catch overturned on fourth-and-2 late in the fourth quarter.

“Richie’s a very heady player – as it was witnessed on that last play – he caught a lot of balls over the middle”, Aaron Rodgers said.

This hadn’t been an issue for Lacy until this season, and it resulted in Packers head coach Mike McCarthy giving the starting duties to backup James Starks, who assumed that role for a few games this season as Lacy dealt with nagging injuries.

Some 11 months later, we still can’t tell a legal National Football League pass reception from a Dean Blandino-overruled one.

“Sam likes the challenge, and he’s confident in his ability to cover one-on-one”, Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. This means the press coverage needs to be stout for the Cowboys DBs in this game. A third-and-3 pass was incomplete and the Packers were forced to punt. Every starter on his O-line is banged up, but Rodgers is still the Pack’s QB and Cassel is still the Boys’ QB. Dallas will resort to their patented ground attack to keep Cassel in manageable third down situations, but this team must find a way to sneak out some bigger plays. Lucky Whitehead has shown some good flashes of what he can do with the ball in recent games and Terrance Williams was once known for taking it to the house at times. “There were some plays he made – that’s Calvin Johnson – but I think I did a hell of a job guarding him”.

But Hardy, who is second on the team with 5.5 sacks in nine games, wasn’t pleased with the pressure they got on Rodgers.