By Jamal Baker
NDG Contributing Writer
Where do you even begin when discussing the Sunday night football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers that ended in a 40-40 tie at AT&T stadium?
As a lifelong fan of the NFL, this was the first time I have ever witnessed a tie, and honestly one second from a win, feels more like a loss.
The sentiment from players in the locker room postgame was one of indifference and unfulfillment.
“Out of all my years of playing football, I have never heard of a tie or any of that. Honestly, you guys probably know better than me, if that’s new or something but I don’t know how to feel bro. Next week, next game I guess,” star wide receiver George Pickens said postgame.
The Cowboys came into the game missing key offensive starters like CeeDee Lamb, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker but the offense was firing on cylinders against the vaunted Packers defense.
Pickens stepped up in Lamb’s stead and had himself a phenomenal day—recording eight receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
“The guy, that’s what he’s done,” quarterback Dak Prescott said of Pickens. “When I say look at his film and look at his resume — whether it’s just been in the months that he’s been here or the time he’s had in Pittsburgh — that’s what he does, that’s who he is, and that’s what allows that chemistry to grow, is when I get a guy who I’ve seen on film make play after play, and then he shows up here … Yeah, I mean no surprises, honestly. Super proud of him.
“He played just as I expected him to play, and what I was most impressed about is just the way that he was focused and locked in on the game, the whole game, and not only just locked in, but doing everything that he needed to do, and doing it right.”
In what appeared to be a game where the Cowboys were clearly overmatched when the Packers jumped out to a 13-0 lead with 10:39remaining in the second quarter, the ensuing extra point was blocked by Juanyeh Thomas and returned to the endzone by Markquese Bell to make the score 13-2.
Riding that momentum, Prescott showed why he is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league—finishing with a stat line of 319 passing yards and three touchdowns, to go along with a rushing touchdown.
However, the three-time Pro Bowler is not satisfied with his Houdini Esque performance.
“I’m unfulfilled with this — very, yeah,” said the All-Pro quarterback. “You don’t play the game for ties. I’ve told you before, I don’t care about the stats. I don’t care about the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows that you hear about.
“The end result [should be a] win. When you don’t get that, right now, it’s tough for me. In ten years, it’s the first tie I’ve been a part of. It’s hard to kind of wrap my head around, but I know I would’ve felt a hell of a lot worse if it was a loss; but I’m not satisfied, not that I would be if we won.
“Um yeah, it’s just, it’s a weird feeling.”
I wrote about it last week, but the Cowboys defense is a major problem. When your offense gives you 40 points, you’d hope the Cowboys defense can hold their opponent under that number, but Dallas failed to get the one late stop to get them over the hump.
Packers edge defender and former Dallas star Micah Parsons generated pressure all night and recorded his first and only sack in a critical moment in overtime.
In a game where Jones and Parsons certainly wanted to prove themselves right, nobody won in the elite pass rusher’s return to Dallas.
