Lions' next opponent: Rodgers, Packers rule at home of Cowboys again
Arlington, Texas — Aaron Rodgers darted toward the line of scrimmage before flinging a ball sidearm for another dazzling completion at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Aaron Jones waved "bye-bye" to Dallas cornerback Byron Jones on the way to one of four rushing touchdowns, which tied Green Bay's franchise record.
The "Aarons" were quite comfortable in a 34-24 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday — Rodgers because he won again at AT&T Stadium nine years after his first victory in the retractable-roof stadium was the 2011 Super Bowl, Jones because the West Texas kid felt right at home.
"All my family was up in the stands," said Jones, who grew up a Cowboys fan about 600 miles away in El Paso and played for the hometown UTEP Miners. "I could see my brother right there. I threw him one of the balls when I scored. That was pretty cool. Just being back in Texas."
Rodgers zipped that sidewinding toss to Robert Tonyan in tight coverage along the sideline to fix one broken play, flipped a left-hander to Tra Carson to rescue another, and helped Green Bay improve to 5-0 at AT&T Stadium.
The first three Green Bay wins over the Cowboys at their 10-year-old stadium were all dramatic, highlighted by Rodgers' improbable 35-yard completion to Jared Cook to set up a winning field goal on the final play of a 34-31 divisional-round playoff win three years ago.
"I've had some good games here," said Rodgers, who was injured when Matt Flynn rallied the Packers to a 37-36 win after trailing 26-3 in the second half six years ago. "Four good ones."
Not quite the same drama this time after the Packers (4-1) built a 31-3 lead, although Dak Prescott (463 yards passing) and Amari Cooper (226 yards receiving) set career highs trying to keep things interesting in the fourth quarter.
The last hope for Dallas ended with 1:41 left when Brett Maher missed his second field goal — a 33-yarder that would have given the Cowboys a shot at an onside kick down seven.
"When you do that, put yourself in a hole, you put yourself in a position that no matter how hard you fight and no matter how many good things you do on the back end, it's hard to come out of that against a good team like they are," Prescott said.
Missing his biggest threat in Davante Adams because of a toe injury, Rodgers threw for 238 yards without an interception — to the delight of a large contingent of Green Bay fans that pulled off several "Go Pack Go" chants without much resistance from the home crowd.
Prescott, on the other hand, matched a career high with three interceptions, although the first was a drop by Cooper on what should have been a big play early.
The Cowboys (3-2) lost their second straight game and dropped into a tie with Philadelphia atop the NFC East after winning their first three, just as the Packers had done.
Green Bay, also coming off its first loss, took sole possession of first in the NFC North with Chicago's 24-21 loss to Oakland. The Packers opened the season with a win over the Bears.
Lions at Packers
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.
TV/radio: ESPN/760
Line: Packers by 6