Cowboys at Packers Prediction: 5 Keys To Ending Nightmare History At Lambeau

The next chapter in the storied rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers will be written on Sunday night, and it is one that Cowboys Nation hopes takes a different turn.

The Packers are 10-1-1 in their last dozen meetings against the Cowboys. ... and for "America's Team,'' Lambeau Field has been a haunted house.

But if these Cowboys do their part? Maybe this looms as a classic NFC showdown on Sunday night. It is one that won't have the Micah Parsons storylines (not him as a player, anyway, as he's hurt), but there are plenty of themes for Dallas as this is a game the NFC East franchise needs.

Do they need it in the standings? Sure.

But maybe just as big, does the franchise need it for its psyche? Definitely.

At 2-3, with the Packers and then a beat-up Philadelphia Eagles team next, the Cowboys would love to get back on track and start playing consistent football while notching some conference/divisional wins.

How do they do it? 

By doing these Five Things.

1 - GOTI has to handle the blitz

Bucs coach Todd Bowles' blitzes had Dak Prescott in a spin last week, leading to an upset loss, so the Cowboys can likely expect Packers coordinator Jonathan Gannon to do the same in terms of gameplan.

CeeDee Lamb was quiet last week, dealing with a quad injury, and George Pickens showed out for the first time this season, while Ryan Flournoy had a big catch as well.

This is a game where GOTI has to show itself again.

They had an off week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they can't afford to have another off day.

So, back to the blitz: That's not traditionally the Pack's thing; they were a bottom-six team in the last two seasons in using the blitz.

But Gannon, the former Eagles coordinator, knows Dak and knows the Cowboys and coming in, he is blitzing on 33 percent of dropbacks this season. ... that's up from 21 percent last year, and places Green Bay in the top 13 this year.

The "Greatest Offense There Is'' vs. The Blitz. That's the No. 1 key here.

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2 - Defense has to stop the stoppable run:

The Packers' run game is woeful, as they rank dead last for yards per game (60.4).

That's the good news.

'The bad news, of course, is that the Cowboys' run defense has been horrific through five games.

So, Dallas would love to make this Packers' offense one-dimensional and force Jordan Love into long-yardage passing situations ...

And then pray that Joey Porter Jr. (he is playing, right?) and the secondary holds up.

The Packers do throw deep. But they can't run the football to save themselves. For Dallas, this isn't the time for them to have a "get-right" game.

3 - Secondary has to lock down 3 challenges

No, the Packers can't run the ball, but what they can do is dial up the launch codes and hit long bombs. Just ask the Bears, who allowed 31 points last week.

And how?

Last week, Tucker Kraft had a 46-yard catch, Christian Watson had a 53-yarder, and Matthew Golden had a 50-yarder.

Maybe that's what the Cowboys secondary was watching when Parker rolled that big-screen TV out onto the practice field at The Star this week.

Coaching the secondary is beleaguered young coordinator Christian Parker's specialty. With some help from just-hired aide Mike Pettine, this would be a good time for the 'specialty'' to be "special.''

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4 - Get Javonte rolling:

The Packers are woeful at running the ball, but stunningly, Dallas isn't much better, averaging 81.6 yards per game, ranking 30th in the NFL.

The Cowboys have had one game with 100+ yards on the ground, and the rest are 75 or under. Getting Williams rolling needs to be a centerpiece here, as it allows for some ball control in addition to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens trying to give Green Bay nightmares in the air.

Dallas can't be one-dimensional as the Micah-less Packers' pass rush is heating up with seven sacks in the last two weeks.

The offensive line pushing Javonte to success needs to be a big reason why Dallas wins this game.

5 - Red-zone dominance:

Despite the Cowboys' up-and-down form this season, they are nearly automatic in the red zone, scoring a touchdown on 82 percent of their trips inside the 20-yard line (second-best in football).

Defensively, the Packers do a good job of keeping teams out of the red zone, ranking 21st in allowing a touchdown, while the Cowboys' defense is one of the worst, ranking 29th.

So, this will be a game that could hinge on how successful each team is in the red zone.

Our Mike Fisher has predicted a 30-28 Packers win, and that jives with what the oddsmakers think. But if Dallas achieves success in these five key areas?

Fish will be happy to be wrong.