GREEN BAY, Wis. (Oct. 18, 2026) — The Green Bay Packers scored 17 unanswered points in the first half and held on through a sloppy second half to beat the Dallas Cowboys 23-13 at Lambeau Field on Sunday night.
The loss drops Dallas to 2-4 and is its second straight, following a Thursday night defeat to Tampa Bay ten days earlier.
A first half that decided it
Green Bay opened the scoring with 4:46 left in the first quarter when quarterback Jordan Love found Matthew Golden on a 9-yard touchdown pass over the middle. A 25-yard field goal by T. Smack midway through the second quarter made it 10-0.
The Packers then added a late score before halftime. Love ran it in himself from 1 yard out with 25 seconds left in the half, sending Green Bay into the locker room ahead 17-0. Dallas did not score in the first two quarters.
Dallas responds, but can’t close the gap
The Cowboys came out of halftime with more urgency. Javonte Williams scored on a 1-yard run with 9:24 left in the third quarter, and Brandon Aubrey’s extra point cut the deficit to 17-7.
Green Bay answered with field goals on its next two scoring drives. Smack hit from 44 yards late in the third quarter and from 29 yards with 10:10 left in the game, pushing the lead to 23-7.
Dallas did not score again until 52 seconds remained, when Dak Prescott threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to R. Flournoy. The Cowboys went for two, but Prescott’s pass to CeeDee Lamb fell incomplete, and Green Bay recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the result.
Dallas outscored Green Bay 13-6 after halftime, but the first-half deficit proved too much.
By the numbers
The game was closer statistically than the score suggests. Dallas finished with more first downs (24 to 20) and nearly matched Green Bay in total yardage (303 to 318). Time of possession was almost evenly split, with Green Bay holding the ball for 30:51.
The difference came largely from turnovers and situational play:
- Turnovers: Dallas threw two interceptions; Green Bay threw one.
- Fourth downs: The Packers’ defense stopped Dallas twice on fourth down.
- Kicking: Smack went 3-for-3 on field goals. Dallas did not attempt one.
Dallas leaned heavily on the pass. The Cowboys completed 34 of 54 attempts for 258 yards, but averaged just 4.6 yards per attempt and ran the ball only 15 times for 48 yards. Green Bay completed 23 of 41 passes for 276 yards. Its ground game also struggled, gaining 57 yards on 26 carries (2.2 per attempt).
Pressure came from both sides. Green Bay’s defense was credited with three sacks and seven quarterback hits; Dallas recorded one sack and eight hits.
Discipline was an issue for both teams. Each was flagged 11 times, for 96 yards (Green Bay) and 108 yards (Dallas).
What’s next
Dallas travels to Philadelphia for a Monday Night Football matchup against the Eagles on Oct. 26.
