3 Takeaways from Cowboys' Week 10 Loss vs. Packers

Mike McCarthy's return to Lambeau Field was spoiled by his former team. But not until after the Dallas Cowboys put up a fight for more than four quarters in a tight game against the Green Bay Packers.

Each team compiled more than 400 yards of offense and scored four touchdowns. However, Green Bay prevailed when Mason Crosby kicked a 28-yard field goal with 3 minutes and 6 seconds remaining in overtime to send Dallas to a 31-28 loss in McCarthy's first game at Lambeau since the Packers fired him in 2018.

The Cowboys had a 28-14 lead after three quarters, and they appeared to be well on their way to a third straight win. But the Packers scored two TDs in the fourth quarter, as they ended the game with 17 unanswered points.

Here are three takeaways from Dallas' Week 10 loss.

There were plenty of highs and lows for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in Sunday's game. He had three touchdown passes, two of which came in the second quarter. But the 29-year-old was picked off twice, as Packers safety Rudy Ford notched a pair of interceptions in the second quarter.

It was impressive to see Prescott bounce back from some early struggles to lead a touchdown drive in the third that ended with his 35-yard scoring strike to CeeDee Lamb. That pushed Dallas' lead to 28-14.

However, the Cowboys' final four drives resulted in two punts, the end of the first half and a turnover on downs. In their only OT possession, they failed to convert a 4th-and-3 at the Packers' 35-yard line when Prescott threw an incomplete pass intended for Tony Pollard.

“I’m very frustrated with the end of the game, obviously,” McCarthy said, per Steve Megargee of the Associated Press. “I think just the biggest thing for us is we need to just go out here and just learn from these games."

For Prescott and the offense, they'll need to do a better job of closing out these types of games. Some big plays could have put things away in the fourth, which would have prevented the Packers from forcing overtime.

Dallas' defense has been among the best in the NFL this season, and it typically generates a plethora of big plays. That wasn't the case Sunday, even though the Cowboys were facing a Packers offense that had been struggling during their five-game losing streak.

Green Bay lost a pair of fumbles, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't throw any interceptions. Dallas recorded only two sacks, and it didn't have anybody who could shut down rookie wide receiver Christian Watson, who led the Packers with four catches for 107 yards and three touchdowns.

Linebacker Micah Parsons, one of the Cowboys' defensive leaders despite being in only his second NFL season, was not pleased with the unit's performance, particularly late in the day.

"I think it’s disgusting,” Parsons said, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s something that can’t happen, right? You’ve got to be able to finish games in this league, especially against guys like Rodgers."

With how well Dallas' defense has performed for much of the season, it seems quite likely that it will fare much better down the stretch.

Fresh off their bye, the Cowboys couldn't hold on against the struggling Packers. Things aren't going to get any easier for Dallas the rest of November, as it will need to take down some even tougher teams if it hopes to bounce back from this loss.

In Week 11, the Cowboys will go on the road to face the Minnesota Vikings, who are 8-1 and will be coming off an impressive road win over the Buffalo Bills. Then, Dallas will have a quick turnaround for Week 12, when it hosts the NFC East rival New York Giants on Thanksgiving.

If the Cowboys are going to stay close in the NFC East race, they can't afford a three-game losing streak. The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-0 and likely to add another win on Monday night against the Washington Commanders, while the Giants are 7-2 and have been one of the league's surprise teams.

Dallas is 6-3 and sitting as the No. 6 seed in the NFC, a game ahead of the San Francisco 49ers (5-4) in the wild-card race. So at this point, the Cowboys are still in a great spot to make the playoffs. But they'll need to correct their issues and avoid a prolonged rough stretch, even as they face some big tests.