Green Bay offense vs. Dallas defense

	PACKERS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	22
	Pass	7
	Tot. Yds.	8
	Scoring	18
	Int's allowed	13
	Sacks allowed	20
	COWBOYS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	12
	vs. Pass	21
	Total yds. allowed	15
	# of Ints.	9
	# of Sacks	20
	Turnover differential	-7

If it's not one thing it's another. That's the way things have been going offensively for the Green Bay Packers. In last Sunday's crushing loss to the Bears, QB Brett Favre corrected his problem of locking on WR Antonio Freeman by hitting seven different receivers with at least two passes.

The problem that now plagues the Pack is the receivers' inability to hang onto Favre's passes. TE Tyrone Davis was the main culprit last week, dropping three easy balls and Freeman chipped in with a dropped slant route that might have resulted in a 62-yard touchdown.

Look for Green Bay to continue to focus on more underneath routes in order to sustain drives. Favre was in a better rhythm last week and he didn't force nearly as many throws into tight coverage.

It will be imperative for the Cowboys to get consistent pressure throughout the day on Favre. Dallas' front seven got tremendous pressure on Minnesota's Jeff George last week in the first half but they didn't keep their intensity level high the entire game.

The Packers were a mess up front last week, blowing far too many assignments against the Bears' hustling defense. Defensive coordinator Dave Campo doesn't want to blitz Favre all that often and he might not have to if his front four continues its outstanding play.

Dallas welcomes back Leon Lett from his suspension but don't expect the former Pro Bowler to make a huge impact. Ideally, the Cowboys would like to use Lett in nickel situations in order to generate an inside pass rush but it's unlikely he will be able to handle more than 15-20 plays.

RDC Deion Sanders was clearly affected by his hamstring injury against the Vikings and the Packers will consistently run one of their favorite plays -- the quick hitch to Freeman -- if he isn't able to play bump coverage. Freeman hasn't made a big play in weeks and this would be the perfect game to end the drought.

After rushing for only 79 yards on 26 carries against a porous Bears run defense, RB Dorsey Levens must rebound in a big way. Levens never really got on track and his decision-making was clearly off. Green Bay needs to have success running the football up the middle because Dallas' speedy flow LB's close quickly on the flanks.

Dallas is surrendering under 100 yards per game (96.1) but they were gouged early by the Vikings when Leroy Hoard hammered the ball between the tackles. MLB Randall Godfrey must be effective on inside run blitzes in order for the Cowboys to be successful.

Look for the Cowboys to target Packers OC Frank Winters, who was out-muscled in the run game on a few occasions last week.

Because of Garrett's physical limitations, the Cowboys will go to a more conservative, high-percentage passing game that will utilize TE David LaFluer, who caught both of his touchdowns a year ago from Garrett.

Green Bay defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas must do something to generate a pass rush. The Packers managed just a half a sack last week and they only rushed more than four players 25% of the time. Thomas has been reluctant to set SS LeRoy Butler free on the blitz but that appears to be his only option.

About the only positive news coming out of Green Bay this week was the improved play of FS Darren Sharper, who snared one interception and had another nullified by a teammate's penalty. Sharper will again play a key role because the Packers don't have a corner that can run with WR Rocket Ismail.

While Garrett doesn't have great arm strength, Sharper must be aware of Ismail on intermediate crossing routes. Dallas' wideouts, including Ismail, killed drives last week with easy drops, which is the main reason the Cowboys converted just 1-of-13 third down attempts.

The loss of Emmitt Smith will hurt the Cowboys' inside running game but Chris Warren is a better reserve option than many teams have at their disposal. Warren's skills have definitely declined over the past three years and he has to be more willing to hit the hole now that he's the starter.

With Smith in the lineup, Warren benefitted from his inside pounding which often forced opponents to pinch the middle of the field. With that no longer being the case, Warren can't afford to bounce everything to the outside. Green Bay must be conscious of Warren's tendencies and overplay the flats. The Packers' linebacker corps is coming off their worst overall performance of the season and they often appeared lost without weakside starter Brian Williams.

Dallas' Richie Cunningham could have put away the Vikings with a couple of first quarter field goals but he continues to consistently hit the ball true -- his 42-yard attempt missed wide left and he pushed the 37-yarder wide right. Dallas PR Deion Sanders will probably rest his hamstring on special teams again this week, which leaves Jeff Ogden as the best option. In a game that will be greatly impacted by field position, Dallas holds the edge with P Toby Gowin, who averaged 46.7 yards on six punts a week ago.