The Dallas Cowboys (5-1) blazed into Lambeau Field on Sunday and scattered the Green Bay Packers (3-2) in a 30-16 wipeout that left little doubt about the better team. Here's what we learned:
- Dak Prescott made another compelling case to keep his starting job. The Cowboys passer wrote NFL history on Sunday by going pick-free over the first 163 throws of his young career -- overtaking some guy named Tom Brady in the process. Prescott lost a fumble one play later, but rebounded to author a pristine one-minute drive before the half, guiding Dallas on a four-play, 77-yard march capped by the rookie's 20-yard touchdown strike to Brice Butler. It was the kind of quick-thinking scoring drive that plenty of veterans struggle to match on a weekly basis. Prescott (18-of-27 passing for 247 yards with three scores) also cost the team with his first NFL pick, but the overall picture doesn't change. Prescott rolled into a hostile environment on Sunday and took care of business. Whether or not he gives way to Tony Romo -- and that topic will dominate the NFL this week -- the future is ultra-bright under center in Big D.
- This won't be a fun week in Packers Land. Green Bay's underrated offensive line did an excellent job buying time for Aaron Rodgers, but time wasn't enough. While the veteran passer put on a clinic with his pocket movement, Rodgers was slow out of the gate, throwing for only 119 yards in the first half at just 5.7 yards per lob. While he finished with 294 yards on the day, much of that came with game entirely out of hand. I'm not breaking news here, but something is fundamentally missing with Green Bay's air attack. Watching Rodgers struggle remains bizarre, but who else do you blame when your All-Pro quarterback loses a fumble inside the Dallas 5-yard line or throws a costly pick? Who do you blame when Rodgers misses a wide-open Randall Cobb in the end zone? Beyond all that, this Packers offense is guilty of the greatest sin: They're boring to watch.
- Ezekiel Elliott was tasked with taking on the Green Bay's top-ranked run defense. Facing a unit that hadn't allowed any club to cross 50 yards on the ground, the Cowboys rookie soared for a season-high 157 yards at 5.6 yards per rush. I'll keep writing this until it's no longer true, but Elliott grew stronger as the clock wound on and completely buried the Packers with a fourth-quarter drive that saw him put this game in the books.
- Eddie Lacy got hot early, leap-frogging Dallas safety Byron Jones on a 25-yard gain that helped set up Green Bay's first-quarter field goal drive. The thick-framed runner hopscotched another defender before the half and served as a sturdy option on the ground with 65 yards at 3.8 yards per rush. Playing through a left ankle injury from wire-to-wire, Lacy battled for real estate, but it felt mildly meaningless against the problems plaguing this offense.
