NFL News & Analysis

NFL Week 5 PFF ReFocused: Green Bay Packers 34, Dallas Cowboys 24

Aaron Jones and the Green Bay Packers rolled over the Dallas Cowboys on the road, picking up a 34-24 win in Jerry World to improve to 4-1 on the year.

PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game and the other games played this week will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle. ELITE subscribers can view player grades, advanced statistics, positional snap counts and more in Premium Stats.

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Final Score

Green Bay Packers 34, Dallas Cowboys 24

Green Bay Packers

With so many key injuries on the Packers' offense on both the line and receiving corps, it was running back Aaron Jones who stepped up with a huge effort. He scored four times and allowed the Packers to move the ball in huge chunks throughout the game with his cutbacks on run plays and ability to make defenders miss in the open field.

A big day on the ground and important conference road win would suggest it was a great day for the offensive line, but the entire unit underwhelmed. The interior struggled without center Corey Linsley, and the edges had problems with the speed of Robert Quinn off the edge.

Za'Darius Smith sacked Dak Prescott as he backed out of the pocket to end a Cowboys' first-quarter drive. Smith added another sack in the third quarter. Preston Smith beat La'el Collins inside for a drive-ending sack in the second quarter. Preston Smith also battled down a Prescott pass in the third quarter.

Chandon Sullivan had a nice interception of Prescott as he undercut a Randall Cobb crossing route. Jaire Alexander broke up a short pass intended for Amari Cooper to end the Cowboys’ first drive of the second half. Kevin King caught one interception and dropped another.

Dallas Cowboys

Leighton Vander Esch has had an outstanding start to his NFL career, but this will be a game he'll want to forget. He was far from the only one, but he was constantly exposed throughout the game by Aaron Jones for his aggressive pursuit angles, as he too often found himself completely out of position to make tackles after Jones' cut against the grain.

Dak Prescott had an inconsistent game with some weird interception luck.
He threw two interceptions that weren’t his fault as one was a drop and one a miscommunication. However, Prescott threw a crossing route right to Packers’ cornerback Kevin King, but he was unable to hold on to the ball and it fell incomplete. Prescott also floated a pass for Randall Cobb that ended up getting tipped and then intercepted but the play was called back due to penalties.

Amari Cooper was a one-man wrecking crew against the Packers. He beat Alexander on an out-and-up route for a 46-yard gain in the first quarter. And he beat Alexander a second time on a double move and then run through his tackle attempt for a 53-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Cooper did have a costly drop in the first quarter that led to a Packers’ interception.

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