Dallas, TX
Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys: Key storylines, matchups and injury news ahead of NFL Super Wild Card Weekend | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics | PFF
• Keep an eye on CeeDee Lamb: Lamb got the better of Jaire Alexander when these two teams last played, pulling in four of his six targets for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Packers CB1. However, he also tallied another seven receptions for 95 yards and another touchdown against other Packers defenders in that game.
• A huge opportunity for Packers rookie WR Jayden Reed: Reed will be matched up against Cowboys slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who has allowed more yards than any slot cornerback other than Keisean Nixon and Alontae Taylor.
• Dig into the numbers for yourself: PFF’s Premium Stats is the most in-depth collection of NFL and NCAA player performance data. Subscribe today to get full access!
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys
When to watch: Sunday, Jan. 14th at 4:30 pm EST (FOX)
Spread: Green Bay Packers +7.5
Over/Under: 50.5
Packers CB Jaire Alexander is unlikely to cover CeeDee Lamb in the slot
One key storyline coming into this game is the matchup between Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander.
But while the two stars will be matched up against one another for a significant portion of the game, there’s a real opportunity for the Cowboys to exploit a mismatch when Lamb lines up in the slot.
Lamb has lined up in the slot on 524 of his 991 snaps this season — 69 of his 135 catches, 907 of his 1,749 yards and eight of his 12 receiving touchdowns have come when he has lined up as a slot receiver. He leads the league in all three of those categories when lined up in the slot, while his 2.51 yards per route run ranks sixth.
Jaire Alexander, on the other hand, has lined up in the slot on just 17 of his 445 defensive snaps. When the two teams met in Week 10 of the 2022 season, Alexander played just five snaps in the slot or in the box despite Lamb lining up in the slot on 57.3% of his snaps in that game.
Lamb got the better of Jaire Alexander in that Week 10 clash, pulling in four of his six targets for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Packers CB1. However, he also tallied another seven receptions for 95 yards and another touchdown against other Packers defenders.
The Packers primary slot cornerback is Keisean Nixon, who finished the regular season having allowed the second-most slot receiving yards of any defender in the NFL. He has allowed a reception once every 7.9 slot coverage snaps and an average of 1.25 yards per slot coverage snap, the 10th- and 14th-worst marks in the NFL this season.
Lamb vs. Alexander will get all of the hype, but the biggest mismatch will be if and when Lamb moves into the slot away from Alexander in coverage.
Jayden Reed vs. Jourdan Lewis gives the Packers their own mismatch in the slot
It’s not quite the same advantage as Lamb vs. Nixon, but the Packers will have their own mismatch advantage in the slot on offense in this game, thanks to the emergence of rookie wide receiver Jayden Reed.
The second-round pick out of Michigan State has feasted out of the slot this season, with his 653 slot receiving yards trailing only CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Only Lamb has scored more touchdowns from the slot (8) than Reed’s seven.
Reed will be matched up against Cowboys slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who has allowed more yards than any slot cornerback other than Nixon and Alontae Taylor. Lewis’ 1.33 yards allowed per coverage snap in the slot ranks 11th-worst, while his 8.7 snaps per reception allowed in the slot is tied for 15th-worst.
Reed saw 98 targets over the regular season, the second-most among Packers receivers over the whole campaign. However, his 55 targets over the second half of the season is comfortably first, and he has seen 13 more targets than any other Packers player in the past four games he has played.
Impact Player Injuries
Green Bay Packers
Dallas Cowboys
ARLINGTON, Texas – A horde of Socceroo fans stormed an Arlington Walmart ahead of Australia’s World Cup match on Friday at Dallas Stadium.
A Socceroo Walmart takeover
Videos of Australian soccer fans taking over a Walmart in Arlington went viral on Monday.
The Walmart is located across the street from where the Socceroos played a World Cup match on Friday against Egypt.
Plenty of chants were heard in the videos, ranging from “We’re going to Walmart” as they entered the building to “We’re getting deported” while exiting.
The Arlington Police Department got involved to break up the impromptu rally.
Australia lost to Egypt on Friday afternoon, ending their run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Source: Information in this story comes from social media videos.
A confrontation between Egypt’s coaching staff and a Dallas police officer at the team’s hotel sparked a viral video ahead of a World Cup match.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said he considered the matter resolved after he and team director Ibrahim Hassan had a physical confrontation with a police officer at the team’s hotel in Dallas.
Video began circulating Thursday, a day before Egypt beat Australia in the round of the 32 at the World Cup, showing both men arguing with a Dallas police officer, apparently over a player preparing to take a picture with a young fan in the hotel lobby.
The officer approaches Hossam Hassan first, but his interaction with Ibrahim Hassan becomes a shoving match. Ibrahim Hassan appeared to be upset at the officer intervening.
Dallas police issued a statement saying that just before midnight, officers were responding to a request from hotel security about an individual without event credentials attempting to gain access.
“It was later learned that the individuals weren’t displaying credentials properly, which is a requirement,” Dallas police said in a statement.
The statement said the issue was resolved at the scene, and that police met with Egyptian representatives to address their concerns.
Hossam Hassan said through a translator that the team had accepted an apology from the police.
“We are really happy to be here at this tournament and we are satisfied with the security personnel that are accompanying us,” Hossam Hassan said. “I would like to point to the high-level organization we have with us and the level of security we have with us.”
Hassan is the first person to play and coach for Egypt at the World Cup. The victory over Australia came in Egypt’s debut in the knockout round of the tournament.
The match ball from Argentina’s 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England – better known as the ‘Hand of God’ ball, thanks to Diego Maradona’s famous goal – is set to go up for auction. It has been auctioned before, previously for $2.4m.
Maradona’s shirt from that match sold for about $9 million back in 2022. Maradona and Argentina would return to the Estadio Azteca to win the tournament soon after, their second World Cup title. England has not played there since.
AP Photo/Michael Lipchitz, File AP Photo/Michael Lipchitz, File Argentina’s soccer star Diego Maradona and West German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher holding their World Cup Soccer Ball awards while posing with two young soccer players during the Soccer Golden Shoe Award ceremony held in Paris, France, on Nov. 13, 1986.
The ‘Hand of God’ is famous because Maradona punched the ball in using his left hand over the English goalkeeper, making the score 1-0.Four minutes later, Maradona struck again. The Argentinian took 11 seconds and 11 touches to pass six English defenders and score what was later voted the “Goal of the Century.” The game ended 2-1.
The goal should not have stood, but no VAR meant no replay to overturn the call.
The game referee kept the ball in Tunisia for more than three decades.
This comes ahead of England’s return to the Azteca for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 against Mexico Sunday at 7 p.m. North Texas will likely be rocking from Sunday night right into the US Men’s National Team game against Belgium on Monday at 7 p.m. The winners of those games are headed to this year’s quarterfinals.
Mexico has never lost a World Cup game at the Azteca (7-3-0) and has only lost twice there in its history (70-17-2). England is 2-0 against Mexico in World Cup games, including on the way to their only World Cup title. That game was in England.
Maradona died at the age of 60 in November of 2020.
Argentinian soccer great Diego Maradona has died after undergoing surgery for a subdural hematoma earlier this month. He was 60 years old.
-
Los Angeles, Ca1 hour agoMan hospitalized in critical condition from L.A. car fire
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoWhich Lions player has the most to prove in 2026?
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoLettuce | SF Jazz | Music in San Francisco
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoWATCH: Australia soccer fans take over Walmart near Dallas Stadium
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoMDSO: Man killed in hit-and-run in northwest Miami-Dade; driver sought
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoWhere to watch Boston Red Sox vs Los Angeles Angels: TV channel, start time, streaming for July 4
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoOut-of-order elevator at Denver Housing Authority property leaves disabled tenants looking for answers
-
Seattle, WA2 hours ago
Where to watch Portland Fire vs Seattle Storm on July 4: TV channel, start time and streaming
