Matt LaFleur walked into his news conference on Sunday night with a third consecutive win in hand, and he spent much of it on the game his Green Bay Packers could have had. The 23-13 result against the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field lifted Green Bay to 4-2, yet the head coach saw a night when his team let a beaten opponent stay within reach.
“We left a lot out there,” LaFleur said. He listed the culprits without hesitation: penalties and dropped passes, and he told reporters the Packers must play cleaner football when they had chances to bury the Cowboys.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur speaks to the media🎙️ https://t.co/wLhhxCPncN
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 19, 2026
The chances that got away
The numbers support his frustration. Green Bay was flagged 11 times in a game that produced 22 penalties in all, and at least three deep throws that could have been touchdowns were not caught. Rookie Matthew Golden had two of them slip away and Christian Watson had another. Twice the Packers settled for field goals from Trey Smack rather than touchdowns, which is why a 17-0 halftime edge never stretched beyond reach.
None of that changed LaFleur’s view of his quarterback. Packers writer Zach Jacobson relayed the coach’s verdict on Jordan Love, a short and emphatic line built around the phrase “He’s a G.” Love threw for 276 yards on 23 completions in 41 attempts, hit Golden for a score and added a one-yard sneak just before halftime, and Golden still turned six catches into 104 yards.
Matt LaFleur knows his QB is ballin' 🗣️ @Packers pic.twitter.com/ZwePWxLFG9
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2026
A defense on a roll
The steadiest part of the night belonged to Jonathan Gannon’s defense. the Cowboys went into the locker room scoreless for the first time since November 2021, and the Packers have now held three straight opponents to 14 points or fewer, all of them wins. Safety Evan Williams and rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse each intercepted Dak Prescott in Cowboys territory, and the only Dallas touchdown after Javonte Williams’ short run came from Ryan Flournoy in the final minute, on a six-yard pass. The two-point try failed.
The 13 points were the fewest the Cowboys have managed under Brian Schottenheimer, a pointed result for Gannon, who interviewed twice for the Dallas defensive coordinator job before the Cowboys hired Christian Parker.
Health was mostly good news. Cisse left with a stinger, and running back Josh Jacobs is due back from the commissioner’s exempt list on Monday, which would give LaFleur his lead running back for the stretch that follows.
What comes next
The Packers travel to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, October 25, with kickoff at 4:25 p.m. EDT, a division road game in which the drops and flags LaFleur called out would cost more. The full box score from Sunday night is in the Game Center, and Green Bay’s schedule and roster are on the Packers team page.
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