The Green Bay Packers got a huge 23-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday.
They have now won four of their last five games, including three in a row. The Packers have the edge over the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions in the NFC North, but are trailing the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings.
Green Bay Packers Lead NFL in Takeaways Through First Six Weeks of the Season
ESPN insider Rob Demovsky was asked for a trend to watch with the Packers for the rest of the season. He identified the fact that their defense leads the league in takeaways thus far with 11, and in the first half of games with six.
“No one has more takeaways in the first half of games this season than the Packers. They ran their total to six thanks to interceptions by Evan Williams and Brandon Cisse. For Williams, it was his second interception of the season, while Cisse — the Packers’ top draft pick this year — snagged his first career pick after receiver CeeDee Lamb slipped on the Lambeau Field turf.
Safety Xavier McKinney is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with three. Fellow safety Evan Williams isn’t far behind with two. Green Bay’s nine total interceptions top the league. If they can maintain this pace, the Packers will be among the top teams in the NFC come playoff time.
Packers’ Offense Overcame Big Obstacle vs. Cowboys
Green Bay has also made big strides offensively over the past few weeks. Demovsky noted that the offense turned around its third down misfortunates against Dallas.
“Through five games, the Packers were the worst third-down team in the league, converting only 27.6% of them. All they needed was the Cowboys’ shoddy defense to help change that. Dallas came in with the worst third-down defense in the league at 52.6%. On the opening drive, the Packers converted a third-and-5, two third-and-13s and a third-and-6 — the last one a 9-yard touchdown catch by Matthew Golden. They went on to convert nine of their first 10 third downs to start the game. Their only failed conversion in the first half came on third-and-goal from the Cowboys’ 2, forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal.”
The Cowboys’ defense isn’t great, but sometimes you just need to have some success against a struggling unit. The Packers’ offense gained confidence that could propel it to be more consistent in third down situations. The Packers will face another struggling defense next week when they take on the Detroit Lions.
NFL Insider Believes Packers’ Emerging Trend Is No Fluke