2025 Week 4 — Green Bay at Dallas

Micah Parsons makes his ballyhooed return to Dallas as Packers visit Cowboys

Green Bay visits Dallas exactly a month after the Packers acquired the star pass rusher in a blockbuster trade with the Cowboys

The Associated Press

Green Bay (2-1) at Dallas (1-2)

Day / Time / TV: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NBC

Against the spread: Packers 2-1; Cowboys 1-2.

Series record: Packers lead 22-17.

Last meeting: Packers beat Cowboys 48-32 in a wild-card game in Texas, on Jan. 14, 2024.

Last week: Packers lost to Cleveland 13-10; Cowboys lost to Chicago 31-14.

Packers offense: overall (21), rush (20), pass (17), scoring (18)

Packers defense: overall (3), rush (3), pass (7), scoring (1)

Cowboys offense: overall (4), rush (11), pass (3), scoring (10)

Cowboys defense: overall (30), rush (17), pass (32), scoring (27)

Turnover differential: Packers plus-1, Cowboys minus-5.

Micah Parsons is set to take the field against his former team exactly a month after the Green Bay Packers acquired the star pass rusher in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys. Parsons is pretty sure he’s never been in the visitor’s locker room at AT&T Stadium, and he’s certain he will have his suite under the retractable roof at least the rest of this season because, as he says, “No refunds.”

Of course, the best payback for the two-time All-Pro would be winning in prime time Sunday night. That would push the Packers (2-1) closer to their expected status as Super Bowl contenders and the Cowboys (1-2) deeper into the hole of also-rans, which is how many have perceived them since owner Jerry Jones unloaded his best player in his prime for two first-round picks and an older run-stopping defensive lineman in Kenny Clark. “Once the game starts, who’s going to be worried about any trade?” said Parsons, who was shipped out after a long and acrimonious dispute over a contract extension. “It’s just me against them five men in front of me, and then we’ve got one common goal, and that’s to win the football game.”

Still, those five men — and plenty of others — are so familiar to Parsons, there’s no way around how unique the situation is. The perfect symmetry of game day arriving exactly a month since the Aug. 28 trade comes after the Cowboys had to play their first game exactly a week after the stunning deal.

Dallas performed well in that NFL-opening loss to Philadelphia, then the defense was horrifically bad when Dallas found a way to beat the New York Giants, and again in a loss at Chicago, which dropped its first two and hasn’t had a winning season in seven years. “If you truly do believe, which I truly do believe, that each week is its own week, and you can’t get too high, you can’t get too low,” first-year Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “I literally haven’t spent a lot of time going, ‘Man, I can’t believe we’re playing Micah this week.’” Schottenheimer’s players did their best to deliver the same message, in the face of heavy skepticism, of course.

In one breath, Parsons told The Associated Press it was just another game. In another, the two-time All-Pro and 2021 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year said sacking his mentor, Dak Prescott, would be “painful.” “It’ll definitely be fun,” Prescott said. “Yeah, it’s one me and my fiancée were just talking about the other day and just all the reps of practice, going against Micah in times when he couldn’t hit me, whether him getting back there, just the trash talk back and forth, me telling him he wouldn’t tackle me anyways, he still can’t bring me down. “Just getting to go out there and compete with a guy that’s a good friend, that I’ve competed with in numbers of ways throughout this building, outside of this building,” the star QB said. “But he’s got five guys up front, plus tight ends and running backs, that he’s got to get through. Then we’ll worry about if he can get to me.”

Don’t forget Clark

All the hoopla surrounding Parsons — just the second player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to have at least 12 in each of his first four seasons — is overshadowing Clark also facing his former team. And Clark was with the Packers more than twice as long as Parsons was with the Cowboys. The forgotten man? “That’s up to whoever. That’s on everybody else,” said Clark, a three-time Pro Bowler after the Packers drafted him late in the first round in 2016. “I’m here to win and play my (rear end) off and do everything I can for us to get a win.”

And don’t forget NFL’s sacks leader

With Parsons’ return dominating the headlines, one of his new teammates enters the week as the NFL sacks leader. Rashan Gary has 4½ sacks and has had at least one in each game. All the attention Parsons has received from opposing defenses has enabled Gary to flourish. “Micah’s going to make plays. I’ll just put that out there,” Schottenheimer said. “Because Micah’s a great player. But just adding Micah to the mix doesn’t negate the fact that they had really good players there before Micah got there.”

Packers’ penalty problems

The Packers committed 14 penalties in their 13-10 loss at Cleveland. That represented their highest penalty total in a single game since 2010, when they had 18 in a 20-17 loss to the Chicago Bears. Green Bay’s 24 penalties over its past two games represent its biggest total in a two-game stretch since 2010 as well. The good news for the Packers? They went on to win their most recent Super Bowl title during that 2010 season.

Banged-up fronts

Dallas will face Parsons without two starters on the offensive line. Brock Hoffman will make his second consecutive start in place of center Cooper Beebe, who is on injured reserve with a foot issue. T.J. Bass is stepping in for rookie first-round pick Tyler Booker, who has a high ankle sprain. Star receiver CeeDee Lamb also is out with a high ankle sprain. For Green Bay, left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Tom missed the Week 2 victory over Washington. They returned in last week’s 13-10 loss to Cleveland, but Tom lasted just one play and Banks later got hurt as well.

Fast-starting Packers

The Packers have outscored opponents 44-9 in the first three quarters and still haven’t allowed a touchdown before the fourth quarter. But Green Bay is getting outscored 35-20 in the fourth quarter. The Browns scored all their points in the final four minutes last week.

Packers player to watch

After Micah Parsons developed into one of the NFL’s top pass rushers during his four seasons with the Cowboys, the two-time All-Pro returns to Dallas to face his former team. A contract stalemate led to the trade that sent two first-round picks and DT Kenny Clark to the Cowboys. Parsons had at least 12 sacks each of his four years in Dallas. He has 1½ sacks with a Green Bay defense that is among the league's best so far.

Cowboys player to watch

With all the attention on Parsons this week, it's easy to forget Kenny Clark is also facing his former team for the first time. And he was with the Packers twice as long as Parsons was with the Cowboys. Clark made the Pro Bowl three times in his nine seasons with Green Bay after getting drafted late in the first round in 2016. If the Cowboys were going to trade Parsons, they wanted to improve a run defense that has struggled for years. They did that, but the pass defense has been awful through three weeks — the NFL's worst, in fact.

Key matchup

Parsons vs. Dallas offensive line. Budding star left guard Tyler Smith was just a few lockers down from Parsons his first three years in the league. The 2022 first-round pick probably never imagined he would one day have to think about blocking Parsons in a regular-season game. The same goes for the rest of a unit missing two starters because of injuries. Brock Hoffman is at center in place of Cooper Beebe (foot), and T.J. Bass figures to start in place of rookie first-rounder Tyler Booker, who was in a walking boot this week after being diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.

Key injuries

Packers: OT Zach Tom missed one game with an oblique injury, then returned Sunday at Cleveland but was on the field for just one play. He has been ruled out, and guard Aaron Banks (groin) is listed as doubtful. S Javon Bullard (concussion) is listed as questionable. ... WR Jayden Reed is on injured reserve after undergoing surgeries on his shoulder and foot last week.

Cowboys: CB DaRon Bland is set to return after missing two games with a foot injury. ... CB Trevon Diggs doesn't have an injury designation either. He's on the injury report with a knee issue after an offseason of rehabbing his second major knee injury in as many years. He injured a shoulder against the Bears, but that didn't show up on the injury report. ... Booker, who played the entire Chicago game, is expected to miss multiple weeks along with Beebe and WR CeeDee Lamb (ankle). Beebe is already on injured reserve, and Booker and Lamb could join him.

Series notes

Green Bay is 5-0 at AT&T Stadium, the only team with at least four wins and no losses in the retractable roof venue that opened in 2009. It's also the longest road winning streak for a Dallas opponent… The Packers have won 10 of the past 11 meetings, including five in a row. The most recent was a gutting loss for the Cowboys, who fell 48-32 in a wild-card game when a victory would have kept them at home for the divisional round… Green Bay has scored at least 34 points in all five visits to AT&T Stadium.

Stats and stuff

The Packers were penalized 14 times against Cleveland, their highest single-game total since 18 in a 20-17 loss to Chicago in 2010… Green Bay hasn’t allowed a touchdown in the first three quarters of any game this season… The Packers are 23-11 in prime-time games under coach Matt LaFleur… The Packers have allowed fewer than 250 yards in all three games. The previous time they did that was 1967, the year Green Bay beat Dallas in the playoffs in the famous “Ice Bowl.”… Packers QB Jordan Love had thrown 249 consecutive regular-season passes without an interception before getting picked off in the fourth quarter at Cleveland… Cleveland ended RB Josh Jacobs’ streak of 11 consecutive games with at least one rushing touchdown. The run included a playoff game… DL Rashan Gary has an NFL-leading 4½ sacks, including at least one in each game… Cowboys QB Dak Prescott needs one victory to tie Tony Romo for third on the club's career list at 78. Pro Football Hall of Famers Troy Aikman (94) and Roger Staubach (85) top the list… TE Jake Ferguson had a career-high 13 catches against the Bears and is second in the NFL with 27 grabs… K Brandon Aubrey leads the NFC with four field goals of at least 50 yards and is the club career record holder with 28.

The Packers’ pre-game press release is HERE.

The Cowboys’ pre-game press release is HERE.

2025 Week 3 — Green Bay at Cleveland

Josh Jacobs looks to extend rushing TD streak when heavily favored Packers visit winless Browns

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Green Bay (2-0) at Cleveland (0-2)

Day/Time/TV: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

Against the spread: Packers 2-0, Browns 1-1

Series record: Packers lead 14-7

Last meeting: Packers beat the Browns 24-22 on Christmas Day 2021 in Green Bay.

Last week: Packers beat Commanders 27-18; Browns lost at Ravens 41-17.

Packers offense: overall (12), rush (18), pass (12), scoring (6)

Packers defense: overall (3), rush (2), pass (10), scoring (4)

Browns offense: overall (16), rush (26), pass (10), scoring (27)

Browns defense: overall (1), rush (1), pass (3), scoring (T25)

Turnover differential: Packers plus-1; Browns minus-4.

Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs would put himself in an elite group of running backs if he reaches the end zone on Sunday at Cleveland. Jacobs could become the fifth back in NFL history to rush for a touchdown in 12 straight games, including the playoffs. “I don’t really know too much about it,” Jacobs said Thursday about the streak. “It’s definitely a great honor, but I don’t really too much dig into it or look into it. I’m more concerned with wins or losses, for real.”

The last player with a 12-game run of rushing TDs was LaDainian Tomlinson for the San Diego Chargers in 2004. The others to do it were John Riggins (15 straight in 1983), Emmitt Smith (14 in 1995 and 13 from 1994-95) and George Rogers (13 in 1985-86). The Browns are allowing 2.1 yards per carry and have held opposing ballcarriers to no gain or negative yardage on 10 of 36 designed runs. That 27.8% rate is fourth highest in the league. The Packers have been stuffed on only seven carries, a rate of 14.3% that’s sixth lowest in the NFL. “He’s a very powerful runner. He runs with a lot of effort, too, and so for us it’s the first guy in being able to hold him up and then we got to rally to the ball,” Browns rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger said.

Jacobs and the Packers are seeking their first 3-0 start since 2020. Green Bay hasn’t trailed in either of its games and has built 17-3 leads in wins over Detroit and Washington. Jordan Love has not thrown an interception in his last eight regular-season games. “I think we’re always confident. Every week is obviously a new journey. First road game, so it’s gonna be a test,” Love said. Cleveland is 0-2 for the first time since 2017, when it became the second team in NFL history to go 0-16. The Browns have held the lead for only 4 minutes, 32 seconds — fourth-lowest in the league — and that happened in their opener against the Bengals.

While the Packers are rolling in all three phases, the Browns have struggled on offense and special teams, despite the defense allowing the fewest yards in the league. Last week at Baltimore, a blocked punt and pair of turnovers resulted in 21 points for the Ravens and a 41-17 loss. “You have to stay on the field and score points, and certainly have not scored enough points the last couple games. And it’s really incumbent on us as a team to play complementary team ball,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Of course, we would like to play well on all three sides of the ball, and there’s opportunities to always do that, but we have to play really good, complementary team ball.”

Pass-rushers summit

Sunday’s matchup features two of the league’s best pass rushers in All-Pros Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons. Since Parsons came into the league in 2021, Garrett has an NFL-best 63 1/2 sacks, while Parsons is fifth with 54.

Garrett is tied for the league sack lead with New Orleans’ Carl Granderson at 3½, tied for fifth with five quarterback hits and tied for 11th with nine QB pressures. “He’s a game-wrecker. Yeah, you’ve got to be really intentional about what you’re trying to get done, because if you have a bad matchup, forget about it. This guy can make it ugly in a hurry,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

Parsons’ snaps have been limited since he was acquired from Dallas on Aug. 27, but he has 1½ sacks and is tied for fifth with 11 pressures. “We have to expect him to be anywhere. He could be off the ball. He can be on either side, he can be up the middle. So, there’s really no telling on where they can utilize him, especially in a small sample size,” Stefanski said.

Packers’ injury concerns

Green Bay tight end Tucker Kraft hurt his knee in practice Thursday. Kraft had six catches for a career-high 124 yards last week and has scored a touchdown in each of Green Bay’s first two games. If Kraft is unable to play, it likely would result in more playing time for Luke Musgrave, who has three catches for 36 yards this season.

Wide receiver Jayden Reed is out with a broken collarbone. That could mean more opportunities for rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden and third-round selection Savion Williams. Neither player caught a pass against the Commanders. “We’ve got a lot of guys in that receiver room who can step up, who’ve played a lot of good minutes and this won’t be their first time getting in there,” Love said. “So just got to keep leaning on those other guys and guys got to step up and keep making plays, but we got a deep receiver room, so it won’t be too big of an issue.”

Stuck in neutral

Joe Flacco has been responsible for all four of the Browns’ turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble). Flacco has also struggled to find any semblance of a downfield passing game, going 11 of 28 on throws of at least 10 air yards. Flacco’s 70.1 passer rating on downfield throws is fourth worst of QBs who have played two games. “He understands the way we’re built and how we want to have success. So, it’s something we continue to reiterate and, you don’t want to stifle him to make throws and make good plays,” offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. “But you want him to recognize, for any player, like, ‘Hey, these are the looks that we want those big plays to occur. When we don’t get that, this is the answer.’”

Packers player to watch

RB Josh Jacobs. He’s rushed for a touchdown in 10 straight games, a streak that goes to 11 if playoff games are included. That stretch of 11 straight regular-season and playoff games with a touchdown run matches the second-longest such streak by any NFL player since 2000. LaDainian Tomlinson had a touchdown run in 12 straight games in 2004.

Browns player to watch

DE Myles Garrett. The nine-year veteran leads the NFL with six tackles for loss and is tied for first with 3½ sacks. He needs two sacks to pass Derrick Thomas (107½) for fifth-most sacks by a player in their first nine seasons. Garrett is also looking to become the first Browns player with at least 1½ sacks in three straight games since Jadeveon Clowney in 2021.

Key matchup

Packers DE Micah Parsons versus Browns offensive line. Parsons played 44 of the Packers’ 65 defensive snaps (67.7%) in Week 2. In Week 1 he played just 29 of 65 snaps (44.6%). He is tied for fourth in the NFL with 9½ hurries along with 1½ sacks and 3½ quarterback hits. Browns LT Dawand Jones has allowed six hurries and two QB hits in two games according to Pro Football Focus.

Key injuries

Packers: WR Jayden Reed is unavailable after breaking his collarbone against the Commanders. Reed said on social media that he underwent surgeries on his foot and his clavicle this week… RT Zach Tom (oblique) missed the Commanders game and is questionable for Sunday… TE Tucker Kraft (knee) is also questionable… LG Aaron Banks (ankle) is expected to play Sunday after missing the Commanders game.

Browns: DT Mike Hall (knee) missed last week’s game at Baltimore and is out for Sunday. ... RT Jack Conklin (elbow) also didn’t play at Baltimore, and he’s questionable for this game. ... WR DeAndre Carter (concussion), G Joel Bitonio (back) and K Andre Szmyt (calf) also are questionable.

Series notes

The Packers have won six of their past seven meetings with the Browns, including each of the past four matchups. They are 7-4 at Cleveland. They won their most recent game with the Browns by intercepting Baker Mayfield four times and sacking him five times.

Stats and stuff

Packers QB Jordan Love hasn’t thrown an interception in nine straight regular-season games, tying the longest streak by a Packers quarterback since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Aaron Rodgers went nine games without throwing an interception in 2018. Love was intercepted three times in the Packers’ playoff loss at Philadelphia last season… Packers TE Tucker Kraft had a career-high 124 yards receiving against the Commanders. Kraft has caught a TD pass in each of Green Bay’s first two games… Packers DL Rashan Gary has 2½ sacks. ... Packers DL Devonte Wyatt has a sack in each of Green Bay’s first two games… Packers CB Keisean Nixon had a career-high five passes defensed against Washington. That is the highest single-game total for any Packer since Jaire Alexander had five against the Los Angeles Rams in 2018… The Packers are 2-0 for the first time since 2020, a season in which they reached the NFC championship game… The Packers went 5-0 against AFC teams last season and have won their past seven meetings with AFC squads overall. That is their longest winning streak against AFC teams since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger… The Packers have allowed a total of 97 yards rushing. The most recent time they allowed such a low total of yards rushing through their first two games was 2016. They’re giving up just 2.4 yards per carry… The Packers have gone 23-10-1 in September games since 2016. The only team with a better September record in that time is Kansas City (24-7)… Cleveland has lost eight straight games going back to last season and hasn’t scored more than 17 points in its past seven… QB Joe Flacco needs 37 yards to surpass Vinny Testaverde for 17th in NFL passing yards and 62 to pass Carson Palmer for 16th most… RB Quinshon Judkins had 10 carries for 61 yards in his NFL debut last week… RB Dylan Sampson is second on the team with 11 receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown… WR Cedric Tillman is one of six WRs with a TD catch in each of the first two games… WR Jerry Jeudy has at least 50 receiving yards in four straight games… LB Carson Schwesinger is second among rookie LBs with 12 tackles… The Browns haven’t allowed a 300-yard passer in 30 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the league.

2025 Week 2 — Washington at Green Bay

Packers and Commanders enter Thursday night matchup looking to build off season-opening wins

BY  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington (1-0) at Green Bay (1-0)
Day/Time/TV: Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime Video
Against the spread: Commanders 1-0; Packers 1-0.
Series record: Packers lead 22-17-1.
Last meeting: Commanders beat the Packers 23-21 at Landover, Maryland, on Oct. 23, 2022.
Last week: Commanders beat the New York Giants 21-6 at home; Packers beat the Detroit Lions 27-13 at home
Commanders offense: overall (2t), rush (2), pass (12t), scoring (13t)
Commanders defense: overall (5), rush (10), pass (10), scoring (1)
Packers offense: overall (22), rush (21t), pass (18t), scoring (6t)
Packers defense: overall (6), rush (1t), pass (18), scoring (6t)
Turnover Differential: WAS: 0  GB: +1

Commanders player to watch

WR Deebo Samuel. The Packers grew accustomed to dealing with Samuel during his years with the San Francisco 49ers. Samuel joined the Commanders in the offseason and had seven catches for 77 yards to go along with a 19-yard touchdown run in his first game with his new team.

Packers player to watch

LB Edgerrin Cooper. The 2024 second-round pick from Texas A&M followed up an impressive rookie year by having a career-high 12 tackles in Green Bay’s season opener as the Packers kept Detroit out of the end zone until the game’s final minute.

Key matchup

Commanders running game vs. Packers run defense. Washington rushed for 220 yards on 32 carries against the Giants. Rookie seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in his debut. Quarterback Jayden Daniels rushed 11 times for 68 yards. The Packers allowed Detroit just 46 yards on 22 carries.

Key injuries

Commanders: P Tress Way (back) and DE Deatrich Wise Jr. (knee) are questionable.
Packers: DL Brenton Cox Jr. (groin) and CB Bo Melton (shoulder) have been ruled out. CB Nate Hobbs (knee), DL Micah Parsons (back), OT Zach Tom (oblique), S Zayne Anderson (knee) and G Aaron Banks (ankle/groin) are questionable.

Series notes

The Packers have won each of the last six times Washington has visited Lambeau Field. Washington’s last road victory over the Packers was a 20-17 game at Milwaukee in 1988. The Commanders’ last win over the Packers at Lambeau Field was a 16-7 decision in 1986. This marks the Commanders’ first trip to Lambeau Field since 2021, when the Packers beat them 24-10.

Stats and stuff
Daniels’ 891 career yards rushing are the most by any Washington quarterback in his first 17 games. Robert Griffin III rushed for 840 yards in his first 17 games… Samuel is tied for fourth in the NFL with 36 touchdowns from scrimmage since 2021. The only players with more during that stretch are Ja’Marr Chase, Mike Evans and Davante Adams… Ekeler has an NFL-leading 2,435 yards after the catch since 2021. Samuel is third with 2,229, behind only Ekeler and Chase… Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is seeking his sixth straight season with at least 1,000 yards receiving. No other player in franchise history has more than three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons… Commanders LB Bobby Wagner has recorded at least 100 tackles in 13 straight seasons… Packers RB Josh Jacobs has scored a touchdown in a franchise-record nine straight games… Packers QB Jordan Love has thrown 195 consecutive regular-season passes without an interception, though he was picked off three times in their playoff loss to Philadelphia last season. He hasn’t been intercepted in his last eight regular-season games… Packers K Brandon McManus has made his last 17 regular-season field-goal attempts, though he did miss one in Green Bay’s playoff loss… The Packers haven’t allowed a sack in four of their last seven games… Packers DL Rashan Gary recorded 1½ sacks against Detroit to increase his career total to 40½. He’s the eighth player to have at least 40 sacks for the Packers… DL Micah Parsons recorded a sack while playing less than half of Green Bay’s defensive snaps in his Packers debut. Parsons’ workload figures to increase as he recovers from a back issue… The Packers are 22-10-1 in September games over the last 10 seasons. Only Kansas City (24-6) has a better September record in that time… Packers coach Matt LaFleur was a quarterbacks coach for Washington from 2010-13. LaFleur was also a quarterbacks coach for Atlanta from 2015-16, when current Commanders coach Dan Quinn was the Falcons’ head coach.