Green Bay Packers: 4 players to watch at Dallas Cowboys

The Green Bay Packers are hoping to bounce back from their first loss of the season against the Dallas Cowboys and need these four players.

The Green Bay Packers and Matt LaFleur are facing adversity for the first time in his extremely short tenure. They got off to a hot start, winning their first three games of the season, despite not playing their best team football. Now, they have a big challenge facing them, as they look to bounce back from a defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. Even more challenging, they have to hit the road to take on the 3-1 Dallas Cowboys.

The Packers are far from a perfect team at this point, but they’ve been able to do enough to win games. They’ll need a full team effort this time around against the Cowboys. Dallas features one of the best running backs in the game in Zeke Elliot and Green Bay has struggled to stop the run game so far this season. That, and other reasons, are why we should keep our eyes on these four players on Sunday.

Blake Martinez

The Packers have been blitzed on the ground so far and it’s their defense’s obvious weakness. Green Bay has struggled against the likes of the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles. Now they have their biggest challenge in Elliott and the Cowboys.

Blake Martinez has to be ready to play. He’s the only true middle linebacker on the roster who can do a little bit of everything. He’s also in line for a big contract and needs to step up his game to earn that money. If he can get into the gaps and play on the other side of the line of scrimmage, he could help stop the bleeding Green Bay has experienced on the ground the last three weeks.

Kenny Clark

The other part of the ground game equation is Kenny Clark. He’s unquestionably Green Bay’s best defensive lineman, and they’ll need a monster game from him as well. Clark will be expected to take on multiple offensive linemen, shed them and make plays in the backfield. If he can do all that, it could be a good game for this defense.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Moving to the other side of the ball, the Packers need someone, anyone, to step up at the receiver position. It’s unclear if Davante Adams will play due to his turf toe, so the Packers could use a big day from their second-year receiver. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has the speed to get behind defenders and make big plays down the field. He’s also been the closest thing to a consistent receiving threat, other than Adams, the Packers have had all season. It will be extremely interesting to see how ready he is on Sunday against the Cowboys.

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers always seems like a player to watch, but even more so than normal this week. The Packers have struggled to get anything going on the ground and now might be without their top receiving threat. That means Rodgers must shoulder even more pressure on offense. If Green Bay wants to win, they’ll need a herculean effort from their two-time MVP. And don’t count him out.