Packers, Cowboys tie 40-40 after back-and-forth classic
06, Jul 2026Who won the Micah Parsons trade is a debate that won’t be answered anytime soon — because the first meeting since Dallas traded away its former franchise cornerstone to Green Bay ended in a draw.
In an extraordinary finish to “Sunday Night Football,” a game billed as Parsons vs. Jerry Jones came down to a duel of quarterbacks.
One month after Jones, the Cowboys’ owner, stunningly traded Parsons to Green Bay over a contract dispute, the teams met for the first time and staged a back-and-forth brawl that spilled into overtime and ended 40-40 after a last-second kick by Green Bay’s Brandon McManus.
It was the second-highest-scoring tied game ever.
Nine lead changes and two ties later, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had thrown for 319 yards and three touchdowns against a Packers defense that had been one of the stingiest in the league in the four-week-old season. His Packers counterpart, Jordan Love, overcame a costly first-half fumble to throw for 337 yards with three touchdowns.
Parsons was quiet for much of the game as Dallas (1-2-1) strategically ran plays to the opposite direction of where he was lined up. Yet he came up with one of the most important plays of the night in overtime when he sprinted from behind to tackle Prescott and stop what appeared to be an apparent rushing touchdown. The Cowboys settled for a field goal, which the Packers (2-1-1) ultimately matched.
To start the night, the Dallas offense was so unspectacular that the Cowboys’ first points didn’t come until the second quarter — and they were scored on special teams, when a blocked point-after attempt was run back for two points. After the unusual score, the Cowboys still trailed by 11 points with less than a minute to play before halftime, their offense appearing to go nowhere.
The course of the game then changed in seconds. Love fumbled on the next possession, and Dallas recovered. Thirty-two seconds later it had scored to lead 16-13 just before halftime after a drive that jump-started the Cowboys offense. Including both of its touchdown possessions to end the first half, Dallas scored on six of its last seven drives. Green Bay scored on each of its last five possessions.
With star receiver CeeDee Lamb sidelined by injury, Cowboys wideout George Pickens had a breakout game with eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Three of Romeo Doubs’ catches for Green Bay, meanwhile, ended in touchdowns.
On their final drive in regulation, the Packers put the ball in position for a 53-yard field goal with four seconds left, and McManus drilled the kick cleanly to force overtime.
Dallas still has not beaten Green Bay since 2016. Dating to 2009, Green Bay is 10-1-1 in the series.
280d ago / 12:19 AM EDT
Final: Cowboys 40, Packers 40
After an incredibly hard-fought game, we have a tie.
Brandon McManus kicked a field goal as time expired in overtime to tie the game at 40.
Sometimes both teams play so well, you don’t want anybody to lose. But a game this good ending in a tie doesn’t feel great, either.
Green Bay is now 2-1-1.
The Cowboys are 1-2-1.
281d ago / 11:58 PM EDT
Dallas takes the lead in overtime!
After getting the ball first in overtime, Dallas drives down to score a field goal for a 40-37 lead. Per overtime rules, Green Bay will get a possession to answer but if they do not score, the game ends as a Cowboys victory. Micah Parsons came up with a huge tackle from behind of Dak Prescott to save what looked like a rushing touchdown by the Cowboys quarterback, forcing the field-goal attempt.
281d ago / 11:53 PM EDT
George Pickens has been unstoppable
The Packers wideout has eight catches for 134 yards, including two touchdowns. And he comes up big yet again in overtime to keep Dallas moving down the field.
281d ago / 11:43 PM EDT
We’re headed to overtime!
Brandon McManus drilled a 53-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter, and we’re heading to overtime tied at 37.
The Packers drove 39 yards in seven plays to set up the game-tying kick.
This is the Cowboys’ second overtime game of the season already.
281d ago / 11:35 PM EDT
Plot twist! Dallas has taken back the lead yet again
With 43 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter the Dallas Cowboys have taken back the lead, this time 37-34 after a touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to George Pickens. Prescott is up to 256 yards and three touchdowns after his 28-yard connection to Pickens, who has 108 yards.
281d ago / 11:32 PM EDT
Dallas struggles with red-zone stops continue
Green Bay's touchdown to take the lead, 34-30, with 1:45 to play isn't much of a surprise for Dallas fans, who have seen their team struggle to get stops in the red zone all season. Tonight, Green Bay is 5-for-5 getting points inside the Dallas 20-yard line. The Cowboys came into tonight ranked near the bottom third of the league in getting red-zone stops.
281d ago / 11:32 PM EDT
Packers take the lead late!
What a drive!
The Packers go 80 yards in 10 plays to take a 34-30 lead with 1:45 to go. The go-ahead score came on a clutch 3rd-and-10 pass from Jordan Love to Romeo Doubs for his third touchdown of the night.
281d ago / 11:11 PM EDT
A sixth lead change!
This game has become one of the most entertaining of the month-old season after Dallas takes back the lead on a direct snap with 4:50 to play in the fourth quarter and hold a 30-27 edge on Green Bay. This hasn't been a good second half for defensive enthusiasts, but as Jordan Love and Dak Prescott duel, it's turned into a matchup where the team with the ball last might just win.
281d ago / 11:04 PM EDT
Dallas converts key fourth down
At midfield, the Cowboys opted not to punt with just under eight minutes to play in regulation, instead going for the conversion when needing two yards. They got 12, when Prescott found George Pickens for a completion. Dallas stays alive...
281d ago / 10:56 PM EDT
Packers take the lead again!
Well, maybe Jerry Jones was actually wrong about the run defense.
After struggling on the ground for the first three quarters, the Packers gashed the Cowboys in the run game to re-take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Green Bay went 70 yards in only eight plays to score a touchdown. Jordan Love had a 25-yard scramble on the drive, while Josh Jacobs got in the end zone on an 18-yard run of his own, his second TD of the night.
The Packers lead 27-23.
281d ago / 10:49 PM EDT
End of third: Cowboys 23, Packers 20
After Green Bay had a dominant start to the night, this has been a really fun game.
The teams traded the lead in the third quarter, and now the Packers are once again driving with a chance to tie or go back in front.
We should be in store for an exciting finish.
281d ago / 10:45 PM EDT
Well, Jerry Jones may have been right about the run defense
The Cowboys acquired defensive tackle Kenny Clark from the Packers in the Micah Parsons trade in part to make their run defense sturdier.
It’s working so far, at least in this game.
Through three quarters, Green Bay has run the ball 20 times for only 59 yards, averaging just under three yards per carry.
281d ago / 10:45 PM EDT
Dallas takes back the lead
Jake Ferguson ran a short in route and Dak Prescott found him with perfect timing for an eight-yard touchdown pass and Dallas had retaken the lead, 23-20, just before the end of the third quarter. That 12-play, 80-yard drive was the most impressive of the night for the Cowboys, who showed a different level of offensive creativity. Quarterback Dak Prescott completed eight of his nine passes.
281d ago / 10:37 PM EDT
Dak Prescott is making this offense hard to predict
Did the Cowboys read our last blog post about the lack of playmakers outside of George Pickens? Because on this drive, trailing 20-16 late in the third quarter, the Cowboys have been spreading the ball around in a way that's different than previous possessions. Dak Prescott is 5-for-5 passing on the drive and has completed passes to four different receivers, and none of them is Pickens.
281d ago / 10:29 PM EDT
Will Dallas find another offensive playmaker?
Its ground game is going nowhere, with 46 yards on 13 carries. So, how will Dallas, once again trailing, stay in this game? Someone other than George Pickens will have to be a playmaker.
This is where the Cowboys miss CeeDee Lamb. Dallas leaned on him so much that he was still the team's leading receiver entering tonight, even though he had barely played in Week 3. With 68 yards tonight, George Pickens has finally usurpsed Lamb for the team lead in receiving.
281d ago / 10:29 PM EDT
The Packers are back in front
Green Bay has retaken the lead after its first possession of the second half.
The Packers marched 76 yards in nine plays for the score. They were aided by a 15-yard facemask penalty as well as an impressive 19-yard run by Josh Jacobs.
Jordan Love found Tucker Kraft for a 14-yard reception to get Green Bay inside the one-yard line. A false start penalty moved the Packers back, but three straight Jacobs runs eventually got Green Bay in the end zone.
The Packers lead 20-16.
281d ago / 10:15 PM EDT
Penalty, drop lead to Dallas punt
Dallas couldn't recapture the spark from the end of the first half. On its first drive after halftime, Dallas was called for a false-start penalty, which was then followed by a drop by George Pickens on a slant route. It leads to a Dallas punt with 12:43 left in the third quarter.
281d ago / 9:55 PM EDT
Halftime: Cowboys 16, Packers 13
The Packers have had the ball for five minutes more than the Cowboys, run 11 more plays, and gained 46 more yards, but they trail by three points at halftime.
Jordan Love is 14 of 19 for 172 yards with two touchdowns and a fumble.
Dak Prescott is 11 of 13 for 113 yards and one touchdown.
281d ago / 9:52 PM EDT
Dallas leads? Dallas leads!
Did anybody see this coming from the Cowboys after their rough offensive start? They have now scored on the last two possessions before halftime, the last thanks to a Green Bay turnover, and suddenly Dallas leads 16-13 with nine seconds to go before half.
If you're counting at home, that's 14 points in just 32 seconds.
281d ago / 9:50 PM EDT
Fumble! Cowboys recover!
Jordan Love was stripped by James Houston, and now the Cowboys have the ball inside the Green Bay 20 with 13 seconds left in the half.
281d ago / 9:43 PM EDT
Touchdown, Dallas!
Dak Prescott's game had looked like a microcosm of his season so far, with a strong completion rate that hadn't sparked much productivity while he completed nine of his first 11 passes. But then on the final drive of the team's first half he helped the offense come alive, starting with his long completion for an acrobatic George Pickens catch. Prescott then ran in for a touchdown.
It's Green Bay 13, Dallas 9 with less than a minute to go before halftime.
281d ago / 9:41 PM EDT
George Pickens with an elite catch
281d ago / 9:31 PM EDT
Penalty-filled game so far ...
The teams have combined for nine accepted penalties with time still left in the first half.
The fouls have cost the Packers 29 yards, and the Cowboys 40.
281d ago / 9:27 PM EDT
Cowboys starting safety limping to sideline
Safety Malik Hooker needed help from staffers, one under each of his arms, to get off the field with less than 6 minutes left in the second quarter. He wasn't putting weight on his legs.
A Dallas secondary that has been short-handed could be facing even more attrition.
281d ago / 9:25 PM EDT
Packers forced to punt after five plays
Green Bay was gifted a first down after a 15-yard penalty, but the Packers couldn’t do anything with the help, punting after only five plays.
Green Bay tried to run some trickery on the drive, calling a double pass that ultimately resulted in only a short gain.
Special teams downed the punt on the one-yard line, though, giving the Cowboys a very long field on their next possession.
281d ago / 9:21 PM EDT
Dallas now 0-3 on third down
The Cowboys have gained 35 total yards on three drives tonight, including their last, another punt in the second quarter.
281d ago / 9:10 PM EDT
Dallas blocks the point after!
After the Cowboys allowed their second touchdown of the night to Green Bay, they clawed back points by blocking the point-after attempt and running it all the way back. It's now 13-2, Green Bay. It's just the latest blocked kick in a spate of them across the league over the last two weeks.
281d ago / 9:10 PM EDT
Romeo Doubs scores another touchdown for the Packers
After a holding penalty sunk the Packers’ last drive, this time Green Bay was able to overcome a holding during a nine-play, 68-yard jaunt to the end zone.
Romeo Doubs once again was the beneficiary of a short pass near the goal line, this time scoring on a short slant.
The extra point was blocked and returned for a score, however, getting the Cowboys on the board.
Green Bay leads 13-2.
281d ago / 9:08 PM EDT
Penalty negates apparent interception for Dallas!
It looked as though the Cowboys had caught a break and that cornerback Trevon Diggs had jumped a Packers route for an interception. Except the Cowboys began the play with 12 players on the field and were penalized for it, resulting in just a five-yard penalty and no turnover for the Packers. It was a risky throw, but one that Jordan Love might have only thrown because he understood the Cowboys might be penalized and that he could get a 'free' play.
281d ago / 8:58 PM EDT
Cowboys punt after only five plays
Dallas punted after only managing a five-play, 15-yard drive. The Cowboys entered Week 4 ranked fifth in the NFL in third-down conversion rate, but they are 0-2 on their first two third downs tonight.
281d ago / 8:53 PM EDT
Micah Parsons makes his first contact with Dak Prescott
Micah Parsons almost had his first sack of Dak Prescott on the Cowboys’ second possession. He made contact with Prescott right after he fired off a completion, but Parsons definitely made his presence known to his former teammate.
281d ago / 8:52 PM EDT
Packers punt after seven plays
Green Bay’s second drive stalled near midfield after a holding penalty set the offense back.
Jordan Love is off to a hot start, though. He’s completed 7 of his first 9 passes for 106 yards.
281d ago / 8:37 PM EDT
Three-and-out for Cowboys
Dallas can't answer Green Bay's opening touchdown drive. It goes three-and-out before punting on fourth-and-4. Notably, the Packers ran away from the direction of Micah Parsons on its third-down attempt.
281d ago / 8:32 PM EDT
Cowboys are right on pace, which isn't a good thing
Dallas came into tonight tied for allowing the second most points in first quarters this season (9.0 per game), and right off the bat it has given up a touchdown on Green Bay's opening drive. Green Bay went right at the core weakness of the defense passing for every single yard of the opening drive.
281d ago / 8:32 PM EDT
The Packers are already in the end zone
Less than five minutes into the first quarter, the Packers have a 7-0 lead on the Cowboys.
Jordan Love led an eight-play, 69-yard drive on Green Bay’s opening possession that culminated in a Romeo Doubs two-yard touchdown catch on a goal-line fade.
And now it’s time for Micah Parsons to take the field.
281d ago / 8:29 PM EDT
Dallas allows yet another explosive play
Dallas had allowed 12 explosive passes of 20 yards or more in its last two games and opened the game by allowing another. In fact, the scheme was so shoddy that not one but two Packers receivers were open for the 46-yard catch by Matthew Golden.
281d ago / 8:24 PM EDT
The Packers will take the field first ...
... Will Jordan Love continue his dominance of the Dallas Cowboys?
281d ago / 8:19 PM EDT
Will the Cowboys run at Micah Parsons tonight?
One of Jerry Jones’s justifications for trading star defensive end Micah Parsons to the Packers was Parsons’s alleged inability to help stop the run.
Well, Green Bay enters tonight’s game ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game. The Cowboys, meanwhile, had the league’s 11th-best rushing attack entering Week 4.
We’ll see if Dallas puts its money where its mouth was when it comes to attacking Parsons on the ground.
281d ago / 8:08 PM EDT
The Cowboys could use a little more from Dak Prescott
Through three games, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has thrown only three touchdowns as well as three interceptions.
While Prescott has been efficient — completing 71.4% of his passes — he hasn’t been explosive, averaging only 6.3 yards per attempt. In his last seven starts dating back to last season, Prescott has posted a passer rating over 100 only once.
281d ago / 7:47 PM EDT
Micah Parsons takes the field
Packers star pash rusher Micah Parsons, traded just prior to the season from the Cowboys, has taken the field in Dallas.
281d ago / 7:45 PM EDT
Packers will be thin up front
Green Bay's offensive line depth will be tested with right tackles Zach Tom (oblique) and Anthony Belton (ankle) out and guard Aaron Banks (groin) possibly missing the game, as well.
281d ago / 7:23 PM EDT
Signal change
The Cowboys' passing defense has been one of the most porous in the NFL this season, allowing 13 plays of 20 yards or more. Trying to improve, Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus told reporters this week that the defensive signs signaled in from the sideline would change this week. Previously, players on different sides of the field looked for different signals. Now, Eberflus said, it would probably be "a one-word thing," he said, according to the Dallas Morning News.
"That means the whole call and that helps out and we're doing some of that and the guys are buying into that. I think it's important the guys hear (one) word."
281d ago / 6:55 PM EDT
Tony Dungy’s message to Cowboys ahead of Packers game
Tony Dungy shares what he would tell the Cowboys ahead of the Packers if he were in Brian Schottenheimer’s shoes.
281d ago / 6:35 PM EDT
Lack of video tribute for Parsons isn't 'disrespectful'
Mike Florio shares why Micah Parsons had a strong career in Dallas but notes video tributes usually happen after a player retires, not after four years with a team.
281d ago / 6:18 PM EDT
The last time Dallas beat Green Bay ...
... was all the way back in 2016. What has followed since is 10 Packers wins in the last 11 meetings between these franchises.
281d ago / 5:59 PM EDT
Blocking outside noise
"Blocking out the noise" is one of the biggest cliches in sports, but this week the Packers prepared for their visit to Dallas by taking that literally. Quarterback Jordan Love told reporters, via Packers.com, that the Packers practiced against a blaring soundtrack of music that was louder than usual to get ready for the atmosphere inside the domed AT&T Stadium.
Coach Matt LeFleur told reporters that the team's offensive timing off the snap had not been good. Avoiding pre-snap penalties will be an emphasis inside the noisy road environment.
281d ago / 5:37 PM EDT
CeeDee Lamb could be missing for a while
Top Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb is projected to miss the better part of a month with a high-ankle sprain after being rolled on last week in Chicago. Lamb joined Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the only players to record 100-plus receiving yards in both Week 1 and Week 2.
His impact on the offense is difficult to overstate. Lamb has led Dallas in receiving every season since 2021 and is the only NFL player in that span to record at least 1,100 receiving yards every season.
281d ago / 5:16 PM EDT
Green Bay short two pass catchers
The Packers offense has been shorthanded to start the season. WR Christian Watson began the year on the PUP list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in Week 18 last season (he is eligible to return in Week 6 vs. the Bengals). WR Jayden Reed, who was already dealing with a foot injury, was placed on IR after breaking his collarbone in Week 2 (he is eligible to return in Week 8 at Pittsburgh on "SNF").
Reed, who was a second-round pick by Green Bay in 2023, led the Packers in both receptions and receiving yards in each of his first two seasons (2023-24). He caught one TD in the Week 1 win vs. Detroit this season.
TE Tucker Kraft leads the Packers in receptions (11), receiving yards (169) and receiving TD (2) this season. He caught a touchdown in each of the first two games, including Week 2 vs. Washington, in which he had a career-high 12.
281d ago / 4:56 PM EDT
Chris Simms, Mike Florio preview 'SNF'
Chris Simms and Mike Florio don't think Dallas will be able to cope with a motivated and stacked Green Bay squad on "Sunday Night Football."
281d ago / 4:35 PM EDT
Jordan Love could be huge for fantasy players this week
Matthew Berry, Jay Croucher and Lawrence Jackson unpack their top quarterback picks for Week 4, including the Packers' Jordan Love vs. Dallas.
281d ago / 4:14 PM EDT
Jake Ferguson stepping up with Lamb out
With CeeDee Lamb sidelined for a majority of the loss in Week 3, TE Jake Ferguson had career highs in targets (14) and receptions (13) while leading the team with 82 receiving yards.
Ferguson’s 27 receptions this season are second-most in the NFL (behind Rams receiver Puka Nacua), the most of any player through their first three games played of a season in Cowboys history, and tied for the most by a tight end through three games in NFL history (Antonio Gates in 2007).
In July, Ferguson signed a four-year, $50 million extension with Dallas. Ferguson grew up in Wisconsin and played college football at Wisconsin but said he was never a Packers fan as a kid.
281d ago / 3:55 PM EDT
Progress of rookie wideout
When Green Bay selected Matthew Golden with the 23rd overall pick in April's draft, it was the first time a receiver had been taken by the franchise in the first round since 2002. Golden was arguably the fastest receiver in the draft. He's slowly gotten up to speed during his first season.
- Week 1: Two catches, 16 yards
- Week 2: 2 carries, 15 yards (zero pass targets)
- Week 3: 4 catches, 52 yards and three carries, nine yards
281d ago / 3:36 PM EDT
Jordan Love could love this matchup
Love, the Packers' quarterback, hasn't passed for more than 200 yards in two of his three games this season. Week 4 could be the antidote. He could have multiple big-play opportunities tonight considering that Dallas has given up five passing touchdowns of at least 25 yards, the most of any defense this season.
First-year coach Brian Schottenheimer said that allowing so many explosive plays in back-to-back weeks was "coaching."
"We’ll take a hard look at it, and maybe to simplify things and we’re going to do what we do well, I can promise you that," he told reporters.
281d ago / 3:18 PM EDT
Dallas struggling with turnovers
The six turnovers committed by the Cowboys thus far are second-most in the league, behind only Cincinnati's eight. The giveaways have marred an offense that has averaged the fourth-most yards per game.
Last week, they proved costly. In a loss at Chicago, the Cowboys had only four second-half possessions, and threw interceptions on three of them.
281d ago / 3:01 PM EDT
There's something about 27
Does it matter that Packers quarterback Jordan Love is 27?
In Green Bay, it's traditionally been a good omen.
Packers quarterbacks Bart Starr (in 1961), Brett Favre (in 1996) and Aaron Rodgers (in 2010) all won NFL championships for the franchise at the age of 27.
281d ago / 2:46 PM EDT
The most dependable Cowboy has been the kicker
Without ever having kicked in high school or college, Brandon Aubrey has established himself as one of the elite kickers in the NFL and the most dependable Cowboy since joining the team in 2023.
In his career, he has made 84 of 93 kicks, including 28 of his 31 attempts from 50 yards or longer. This season, Aubrey kicked a field goal that sent a Week 2 matchup against the Giants into overtime, then added a game-winner. In all this season, he is 8-for-8 on field goals, including four from 50 yards or longer.
281d ago / 2:31 PM EDT
Disparate defenses take the stage
While Green Bay's defense has smothered opponents thus far, the Cowboys have laid out the red carpet, allowing 68 points and nearly 900 yards of total offense in the past two weeks alone.
Green Bay's 10 sacks are fifth-most in the NFL; Dallas has four, to rank 28th. Green Bay is allowing 4.8 yards per pass attempt — best in the league. The Cowboys are allowing 9.8 yards per attempt, meanwhile, which ranks dead last.
Matt Eberflus, the former head coach in Chicago, is in his first season as Dallas defensive coordinator.
281d ago / 2:17 PM EDT
Placing bets? Look at Jordan Love
Jay Croucher and Trysta Krick explain why they both like Jordan Love passing props in the blockbuster Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys matchup on "Sunday Night Football."
281d ago / 2:00 PM EDT
Will the Cowboys be the first to score 20-plus on the Packers?
Through three games, the Packers have yet to allow more than 20 points, which has helped them lead the league in scoring average at just 14.7 points allowed per game.
The last time the Packers held opponents to 20 points in each of a season's first four weeks was 2001, per NBC Sports research.
281d ago / 1:43 PM EDT
Kenny Clark is looking forward to hitting Jordan Love
Mike Florio sifts through Kenny Clark’s comments about playing his former teammates in Week 4 and explain why it’ll be special on "Sunday Night Football."
281d ago / 1:43 PM EDT
Micah Parsons 'rightfully the favorite' for Defensive POY
Trysta Krick and Jay Croucher break down the NFL Defensive Player of the Year market, analyzing why Micah Parsons is the favorite and how Myles Garrett continues to hold value.
281d ago / 1:43 PM EDT
Texas feels like home for Green Bay
The Packers sure love playing at AT&T Stadium, where they are 6-0 all time. That includes five wins against the Cowboys and a victory in the 2011 Super Bowl.
Rohan Nadkarni and Greg Rosenstein contributed.
