Game 9: Dallas at Green Bay - 7:20 P.M. - NBC
Posted: Sun Nov 7, 2010 5:39 pm
10 things to watch from Silverstein:
1. Look for LB Brandon Chillar to play a lot, probably in place of Desmond Bishop in passing situations. Chillar will be in charge of covering Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who has 19 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the last two games. Chillar will have to cover him one-on-one quite a bit to allow defensive coordinator Dom Capers to blitz .
2. Expect a lot of "psycho" defense from the Packers. The one thing Green Bay doesn't want to do is slug it out with Dallas' massive offensive line. They want to use their speed and agility to make the Cowboys' big timber move its feet. The one-lineman, five-linebacker defense can cause confusion and force blockers to have to adjust on the move.
3. Watch CB Sam Shields vs. WR Dez Bryant. Charles Woodson will probably cover Miles Austin most of the day and Tramon Williams will match up with Roy Williams. That leaves the 6-2, 217-pound Bryant on the 5-11, 184-pound Shields. To date, people haven't picked on Shields, but with three quality receivers to defend, the Packers won't be able to help Shields all day long.
4. Run, run, run. The Cowboys probably don't want Jon Kitna to throw 49 times like he did last week against Jacksonville. Somehow they've got to get the trio of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice going. They're going to try to establish the run. The Packers should get DE Ryan Pickett back, which means on first downs they can go with three double-wides across the front line (B.J. Raji and Howard Green are the other two). The Packers need to follow up their strong performance against the run last week with another.
5. Throw, throw, throw. The most dangerous guy on the field for the Packers is OLB DeMarcus Ware. If they can contain him, they've got a chance to have a big day. The Cowboys are allowing a 105.4 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks this season and if you can block up their outside threats, you can have a big day against their secondary.
6. Expect the Packers to move WR Greg Jennings around quite a bit in this game. He's good at getting off bump coverage, but if he's off the line, he can go in motion and be used up the middle the way Jermichael Finley was. In three-receiver sets, you can always replace a tight end route with a receiver route. The Packers are probably going to get the ball in his hands a lot and see what he can do after the catch.
7. Keep an eye on RT Bryan Bulaga. The Cowboys aren't stupid, so they're probably going to put Ware over on their left side to take advantage of a match-up against the rookie. Even if they don't, Anthony Spencer can cause trouble also. Bulaga hasn't been intimidated as a starter, but he also hasn't faced anyone like Ware. It could be a mismatch.
8. Don't assume P Tim Masthay has turned the corner completely. He's coming off a wonderful performance against the Jets, but it was just one game. He hasn't put together two dominating performances yet. It's true, his arrow has been pointed upward of late but all it will take is one line drive punt into the arms of Bryant to bring him down a couple notches.
9. You could write this every week, but the Packers have to establish some kind of running game. Dallas' front seven is weakened by a pair of suspect inside linebackers who have seen better days. With nose tackle Jay Ratliff not much of a factor lately, guards Daryn Colledge and Josh Sitton will have a chance to get out on the linebackers and open some big holes for Brandon Jackson.
10. Don't assume the Cowboys are knocked out. They're going to come to Lambeau Field and compete. They'll be away from their doubting and frustrated home fans, they've got nothing to lose and they're not going to be doing anything fancy. That makes them a bit of a dangerous team. If the Packers get up on them early, they might fold, but it if they hang around for awhile, the Packers could have a problem.
1. Look for LB Brandon Chillar to play a lot, probably in place of Desmond Bishop in passing situations. Chillar will be in charge of covering Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who has 19 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns in the last two games. Chillar will have to cover him one-on-one quite a bit to allow defensive coordinator Dom Capers to blitz .
2. Expect a lot of "psycho" defense from the Packers. The one thing Green Bay doesn't want to do is slug it out with Dallas' massive offensive line. They want to use their speed and agility to make the Cowboys' big timber move its feet. The one-lineman, five-linebacker defense can cause confusion and force blockers to have to adjust on the move.
3. Watch CB Sam Shields vs. WR Dez Bryant. Charles Woodson will probably cover Miles Austin most of the day and Tramon Williams will match up with Roy Williams. That leaves the 6-2, 217-pound Bryant on the 5-11, 184-pound Shields. To date, people haven't picked on Shields, but with three quality receivers to defend, the Packers won't be able to help Shields all day long.
4. Run, run, run. The Cowboys probably don't want Jon Kitna to throw 49 times like he did last week against Jacksonville. Somehow they've got to get the trio of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice going. They're going to try to establish the run. The Packers should get DE Ryan Pickett back, which means on first downs they can go with three double-wides across the front line (B.J. Raji and Howard Green are the other two). The Packers need to follow up their strong performance against the run last week with another.
5. Throw, throw, throw. The most dangerous guy on the field for the Packers is OLB DeMarcus Ware. If they can contain him, they've got a chance to have a big day. The Cowboys are allowing a 105.4 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks this season and if you can block up their outside threats, you can have a big day against their secondary.
6. Expect the Packers to move WR Greg Jennings around quite a bit in this game. He's good at getting off bump coverage, but if he's off the line, he can go in motion and be used up the middle the way Jermichael Finley was. In three-receiver sets, you can always replace a tight end route with a receiver route. The Packers are probably going to get the ball in his hands a lot and see what he can do after the catch.
7. Keep an eye on RT Bryan Bulaga. The Cowboys aren't stupid, so they're probably going to put Ware over on their left side to take advantage of a match-up against the rookie. Even if they don't, Anthony Spencer can cause trouble also. Bulaga hasn't been intimidated as a starter, but he also hasn't faced anyone like Ware. It could be a mismatch.
8. Don't assume P Tim Masthay has turned the corner completely. He's coming off a wonderful performance against the Jets, but it was just one game. He hasn't put together two dominating performances yet. It's true, his arrow has been pointed upward of late but all it will take is one line drive punt into the arms of Bryant to bring him down a couple notches.
9. You could write this every week, but the Packers have to establish some kind of running game. Dallas' front seven is weakened by a pair of suspect inside linebackers who have seen better days. With nose tackle Jay Ratliff not much of a factor lately, guards Daryn Colledge and Josh Sitton will have a chance to get out on the linebackers and open some big holes for Brandon Jackson.
10. Don't assume the Cowboys are knocked out. They're going to come to Lambeau Field and compete. They'll be away from their doubting and frustrated home fans, they've got nothing to lose and they're not going to be doing anything fancy. That makes them a bit of a dangerous team. If the Packers get up on them early, they might fold, but it if they hang around for awhile, the Packers could have a problem.
