Next game: Sunday, November 22nd vs. San Francisco
Packers Gameday at 10:00 a.m. on Newsradio 620 WTMJ with coverage on Live at 10 on TODAY'S TMJ4 HD; also text "sports" to 79008 for score updates and tweet comments about the game @620wtmj.com.

4th Quarter

6:32 p.m.  Packers' 4th Drive  :38
Drive start: Dallas 38
Wow...Packers are plus-13 on turnovers this year.

Nick Collins grabs the onside kick.  Victory formation time.

6:21 p.m.  Cowboys' 3rd Drive  3:17
Green Bay 17, Dallas 7
Romo-Williams 9 yd TD pass
Drive start: Cowboys 47
Romo scampers 13 yards for a first down to start the frantic attempt to stop a 94-game-or-so (according to Larry) streak without a shutout.

Romo ALMOST was intercepted on a pass behind an intended receiver (Choice) and Barnett nearly picked it.

Holding on the offense to further stifle the Dallas offense, though they keep moving on Witten's catch.  Woodson has owned him today. Yes, putting a top corner on a tight end.  Smart move.

4th-1 at the GB 24: Romo sneaks it to get it, but time winds down.

In the final minute, Witten gets to the nine yard line.  Uh oh.  Goal line stand in the final minute.  Thank goodness it's to hold them to zero points, not to keep the lead.

Romo finds Williams for the TD.  Oh well.

6:13 p.m.  Packers' 3rd Drive  5:57 
Drive start: Packers 4
While the Packers' defense holds Dallas to 200 yards, Ryan Grant with two MAN-runs for a first down.

3rd-9 at the GB 17: Grant bounces right...Wayne: "awww, penalty marker down."  Holding on Scott Wells.  That destroys a first down.

3rd-17 from GB 9: run Grant.  It's all about running down clock, folks, and making Cowboys take time out.  Not about getting the first down.

5:58 p.m.  Cowboys' 2nd Drive  10:39
Drive start: Dallas 23
Oops!  Marion Barber slipped on the frozen tundra on a pass from Romo and went for a six-yard-loss.

Uh oh...no huddle...Romo going downfield to Witten.  That's dangerous if we hear his name a lot.  I've RARELY heard his name today.  That's a great sign so far.

3rd down: he gets to Crayton on a shoe-string grab, as Wayne puts it, for a first down.  Uh oh.

Romo to Austin...to the 45 of Green Bay.  Now he's in a groove, for the first time all day.   Witten hurt on the sideline.

Romo deep to Martellus Bennett wide open and he just missed him.  Messed-up coverage and Bennett had no green shirts within 20 yards.

Witten back in....3rd-10...pass knocked down by Jolly and Jarrett Bush almost picked it.  Dom Capers, against a great team so far, BRAVO! 

4th down...and they're going for it....73,000 stand and cheer....Romo to Crayton and a SUPER catch at the Green Bay 29.  Credit where credit is due.

Now near the red zone....they enter it with Crayton outside with a linebacker covering?  Huh?  Get better personnel in.

To the 11 yard line, where Barnett trips Crayton to make it pass interference at the 7.  Think, people, think!

Offense commits malfeasance with Witten moving.  Oops. 

3rd and goal and the crowd wants a shutout....but they boo when a penalty marker flies on Tramon Williams. 

1st-goal at the one...WOODSON!   DAGGER NUMBER TWO!  Right through the star of the Dallas Cowboys Helmet!"

5:49 p.m.  Packers' 2nd Drive  11:41
Green Bay 17, Dallas 0
Drive start: Dallas 3
Now the Cowboys challenge...or they can't.  A recovery of a fumble cannot be challenged, according to NFL rules.  The Cowboys got screwed by the NFL rules, because Tashard Choice had recovered the ball, but the ref's didn't see it.  You might see Jerry Jones complain in February at the league meetings.

Rodgers great pass to Donald Driver who was juggling it and it was knocked away.  If he does his job, it's a 17-point lead.

Rodgers-HAVNER!  Wayne calls the Dagger!  (May be premature with Dallas' explosiveness.

5:35 p.m.  Cowboys' 1st Drive  13:14
Drive start: Dallas 8
Illegal block in the back on the return team...nice.  For once, they have, as 620WTMJ traffic reporter (and singer-songwriter, as you'll hear here) Andi Miller would say, "stinky poopy" field position.

Well, Roy Williams took care of that with a 20-yard catch.

FUMBLE!  Clay Matthews recovers on a recovery and bobble and recovery and he gets it at the THREE!!!!!  Thank you Charles Woodson for an AWESOME blitz.  They may have the hang of the 3-4 after all.

5:34 p.m.  Packers' 1st Drive (continued from 3rd quarter)
Green Bay 10, Dallas 0
Rodgers 1 yd TD run
Rodgers OFF the hands of James Jones.  Ugh.  Heard from Bryan Ramsey here in studio, "You've gotta make that catch dude.....dude.......DUDE!"

Dude.

Driver interfered with again - automaticamente first down.

Rodgers with another throwaway.  That would be worth a standing ovation in my book.

WOW!  Larry mentions the Cowboys have only gained 114 yards today.

Rodgers to Jordy Nelson to the cusp of the end zone...did he get it?  Even if not, it's still first and goal.

His knee had to be down before the ball crossed the line (and it definitely did, and he definitely had the ball past the plane).  That's a touchdown and a 10-point lead, folks (pending the extra point)....hang on....the goal line replay shows that he didn't get it in on time.  Doncha love TV, folks?

Refs were correct...ruling is confirmed.  Despite the boos.  Refs are wrong on where the ball should be marked.  Bad spot.

Rodgers sneak!  EASY TD!

3rd Quarter

5:19 p.m.  Packers' 2nd Drive  6:50
Drive start: Packers 19
Rodgers to Driver on a one-step drop for a gain of 11.  Bubble screens on one-step drops are VERY good to slow down pass rushes.  Maybe we should run them more often?

Michael Jenkins was hurt on that play and he's off the field on his own power.

ARod gets to Jennings on a SUPER throw at the Packers 48.  That was, dare I say, Favvvv.....I CAN'T SAY IT!  Waaaah!   Waaaah!  (LOL)  Yes, it was Favre-esque.

Rodgers on a short drop...and DeMarcus Ware eats him like a Kroll's butterburger.  (Unsolicited plug.)  They were going to let Ware run free on a screen...and it didn't materialize, according to Larry.

3rd-13....yeeeeeeesh.  Meanwhile, Ken Hamlin gets hurt.  Guys in white shirts are falling like trees in the walking path of Paul Bunyan.  I know they're the Cowboys, but you don't want to see this.

Rodgers finds Donald Lee for a first down!  Again, threading needles. 

Larry: "that ball...you couldn't throw it any better."

Now in Dallas territory: Grant "PILEDRIVES" to the 31.  Wayne says that like a Bruce Springsteen lyric.  Wish I had tickets, like my boy John Jagler.

Rodgers "quick toss" to Nelson to the 21!  I'm hearing more "quick toss" out of Wayne's mouth which is a great thing,

An illegal use of the hands to the face gives the Packers an automatic first down, moving the ball to the 16.  First red zone trip today.

5:10 p.m.  Cowboys' 2nd Drive  8:56
Drive start: Cowboys 20
Great stop by Bigby to strip a completion away from Miles Austin.  Credit the Packers' secondary for shutting down Dallas receivers so far.  Please make sure that I'm not speaking too soon.

WILDCAT ALERT!  Romo to the right, which means Choice runs left.  He still ran for a first down, pending a penalty.  It should be COMPLETELY obvious they're running.

FACE MASK!  Al Harris.  Where are your brains?  Nine penalties for 85 yards on Green Bay.

Romo knocked into the fullback and recovered his own fumble...oh well. 

Roy Williams was WIDE OPEN and the ball went through his hands.  ANOTHER reason why he's not the number one receiver.  You got that? 

3rd-12: Romo over the middle and Choice FUMBLES!  Wait, down by contact and a BIG gain for a first down.  Wait again...pass intereference penalty. 

Wayne: "WOW.  That's a break."

Twitter: @ryand587
"defense is playing well but the offense is not there... And more stupid penalties!!"

Olgetree stopped on a screen pass FAR short of the first down.

4:59 p.m.  Packers' 1st Drive  13:18
Drive start: Packers 23
Thanks to a Tramon Williams fumble as he crossed the previous first down marker for the Cowboys.  Wasting a 31-yard return.  The two biggest plays of the game destroyed by fumbles.  Wait...was he down?

McCarthy has thrown the red flag out, furthering protests from former Soviet flag makers.  

Our spotters show that the left knee was down before the ball comes out.  Pretty conclusive, according to Larry McCarren.  

Note: there was ANOTHER flag on the Packers with the return - a holding penalty.  That will affect things should the Packers get the ball.

GOOD!  He was down by contact.  The penalty will come into play, so the return was still wasted, but that's a much better fate than previous. 

Grant gets an opening on 2nd down on a great delayed handoff for 13 yards.  He had to run through an arm tackle in the backfield by Anthony Spencer.

A seven-yard "piledrive" by Grant will also up his average from less than four yards in the first half.

3rd down and 5 at the 44: NICE by Rodgers to scramble and get 10 yards.  Tough hit by Spencer, but Rodgers shakes it off.

Two plays later, Rodgers THROWS A PASS AWAY!  Congratulations.  You're figuring it out.  I actually feel a lot better about ya.

3rd-7: Rodgers sacked - and this time, it was not his fault.  Donald Lee was pathetic in trying to block a linebacker, all while committing holding (declined, but still, pathetic).

4:52 p.m.  Cowboys' 1st Drive  15:00
Drive start: Cowboys 36
Johnny Jolly gets into the backfield to knock down Barber.  Slick.

Ah, a kid from Manitowoc for the Cowboys to replace Columbo.

SACK!  Nick Barnett!  His second...and A.J. Hawk comes in to help.  Perhaps the Packers have started to figure out things on the 3-4 defense.  Fourth sack of the night.

3rd-19 (love saying that about the Cowboys' offense): Romo pulls a Fran Tarkenton before an incompletion...followed by an ineligible man downfield.

2nd Quarter

4:32 p.m.  Packers' 5th Drive  :42
Green Bay 3, Dallas 0
Crosby 48 yd FG
Drive start: 50 yard line
Good return by Williams to set it up. 

WHAT?  False start on Greg Jennings.  Seventh penalty of the half.

Driver made up for it on a GREAT pass by Rodgers to the 27.  :17 seconds left and Rodgers stops the clock.

A screen pass to Jackson with :17 left that gets blown up?  BAD play call, folks.  Forces a field goal attempt.

4:28 p.m.  Cowboys' 4th Drive  1:50
Drive start: Dallas 17
Thanks to Korey Hall, that bad field position for Dallas.  First time today, really.

1st Down: Wayne screamss "DOWN HE GOES!"  Clay Matthews has a motor.  Nice draft pick, Ted.

Nick Collins almost grabbed an incredible interception on 3rd down, but the job is done.  Force the punt.

4:22 p.m.  Packers' 4th Drive  3:39
Drive start: Green Bay 31
3rd-6: Rodgers fumbles after scrambling because he tried to make a play.   Is he trying to become the new Fran Tarkenton?  Lee recovers for Green Bay.

4:19 p.m.  Cowboys' 3rd Drive  4:03
Drive start: Dallas 28
Romo bombs it deep to Williams who FUMBLES near the Packers' 31...pileup...Clay Matthews may have whiffed on the ball...unravel....PACKERS BALL!  The first big play of the game and the guy who wants to be a number one receiver for the Cowboys shows why he's not.

4:11 p.m.  Packers' 3rd Drive  7:34
Drive start: Green Bay 23
Daryn Colledge has an ankle injury.  Evan Diedrich-Smith goes in for him.  Even more problems on the O-line.

ANOTHER HOLDING PENALTY!  Even more problems.  Larry: "just sucks the life out of a series."

3rd and 12: SCREEN PASS!  Jackson GOT the first down to the 35.  Normally I'd criticize that kind of play.

Larry: "I want to jump up and down and scream and pump my fist.  We had a screen play that looked good."

3rd and 9 - again a short pass to Jackson, but this time wasn't a real screen pass, and not a real gain.

4:07 p.m.  Cowboys' 2nd Drive  9:50
Drive start: Dallas 25
Romo dumps off to the tight end for a six yard gain after having to scramble.  Rodgers, you watching? 

A.J. Hawk must have gotten the message earlier this week, as he held Felix Jones for no gain.

Choice...first down? Spotted short.  They're punting.  Nice.

3:58 p.m.  Packers' 2nd Drive  13:36 
Drive start: Green Bay 12
Grant plows to the 18 yards line, with Igor Olshansky from Volgograd Tech makes the stop.  Again, Grant slams and when you can depend on your running back to make first downs, it's a big help.

Then Rodgers-Jennings for 13 yards, but Brady James is down and hurt.  Adding to Marc Colombo being out with a left fibula break.  Ugh.

HOLDING on Donald Lee as Rodgers gets chased by DeMarcus Ware...and Spencer Havner gets nailed for a late hit after the play.  25 yards in penalties?  PATHETIC!

The ref said 41 on the DEFENSE, not 41 on the OFFENSE.  They'll only count the late hit.  Still 15 yards.  Still pathetic.

Wow...Larry calls out Donald Lee for his blocking and says the Packers may need to scheme ways for Lee to NOT have to pass protect.  Jermichael Finley, GET HEALTHY!

3rd-22: my goodness.  Too many of these this year.  And Rodgers just hands off to Jackson.  Boo-birds voice their disagreement on the play call.

3:54 p.m.  Cowboys' 1st Drive  :10 (1st)
Drive start: Green Bay 49
Now that we're back in normal time (2nd quarter), Romo gets sacked by Barnett to the 40 yard line!

3rd-18: and Dallas pulls a stupid play call by sending Choice on a swing pass which was well diagnosed.  Cullen Jenkins making the tackle.

3:50 p.m.  Packers' 1st Drive (continued from 1st quarter)
Well, we're getting some word that this isn't a catch at all, the Jones 3rd down reception.  The refs agree.  Darn.  They pull it back to :20 in the first quarter.  So, we're back in time.  Where's the flux capacitor?  Are Doc Brown and Marty McFly on the crew of officials?

Anyway, Patrick Crayton gets to spectacular field position at the Packers' 49.

1st Quarter

3:41 p.m.  Packers' 3rd Drive  3:18
Drive start: Packers 17
I'm not a fan of the Cowboys owning the field position battle, but at least the Packers' suspect 3-4 defense has kept teams off the scoreboard.

Marc Columbo has gone in for x-rays on his left leg.  That will help the Packers' defense, though not for a happy reason.

Packers pulled Josh Sitton on a one-yard gain by Grant.  Larry makes the comment that it's a lot more effective than that when the team pulls.

It's also a lot more effective when you don't commit a false start, like T.J. Lang just did.  UGH.

It's also a lot more effective when you a screen pass if Jordy Nelson doesn't hold, forcing a team into 2nd and forever.

At least Nelson made up for it by making a play to make it 3rd-4, until Rodgers fumbles...at least it's down by contact.  This sack isn't Rodgers' fault, because he can't be blamed when a blitzer comes in un-blocked.

Never mind...Dallas gets nailed for illegal hands to the face.  Saved by Michael Jenkins.  Brazilian flagmakers can protest the Cowboys now for lessening the available worldwide supply of yellow fabric.

Wayne..."and....now...some...whistles....again...false...start....Green Bay."  Maybe the Brazilian flagmakers will split their forces in front of both Lambeau Field and Jerry Jones' overgrown living room.

Rodgers hits Jones with a 3rd down completion to the 39...GREAT first down.  Clutch again on 3rd down, some good notes on this offense sometimes!

3:33 p.m.  Cowboys' 2nd Drive  6:01
Drive start: Cowboys 42
That's the penalty nowadays with missed long-distance field goals.  Great field position.

Barber breaks TWO missed tackles.  Somehow, I'm afraid, we'll be hearing that a lot.  Then they used him on a screen pass for 12 yards.  This guy is a Packers killer - at least he was back in 2008.

WILDCAT ALERT!  Tashard Choice running right.  It's REAL easy to see what direction a team will run - the opposite of where the quarterback is lined up at wideout.

NICE!  Hawk gets Barber contained for a two yard gain.  How good would it be to see him dominate a game for once?

Romo incomplete on 3rd down as Romo threw to a gaggle of receivers on the right side, but too many defenders around.

3:24 p.m.  Packers' 2nd Drive  10:28
Drive start: Packers 28
Rodgers-Driver 10 yard quick strike on a three-step drop.  Nice.  Keep with the fast drops so he's not holding the ball so much.

NO!  Rodgers scrambling...ah, he does find an open Jones at the 47.  That's a relief.

Defensive holding on Dallas...nice to see the other team get called once.  One of their guys went doh-see-doh dancing with Driver.

3rd-2 at the Dallas 40: we can deal with those, usually.  It would be nice to just pound Grant down the middle to get it and set up some play action bombs later, a la Bart Starr.

Well, Rodgers does hit Jennings on a slant for the first.  That's not so bad.  Still, you'd like to keep defenses more honest.

AGH!  Loss of one on a screen pass to Grant.  Dallas has good open field tacklers, as they proved tackling Rodgers on the next play (not a sack - ahead of the line of scrimmage.)

4th-9 at the Dallas 34: Do you kick a field goal here?  They are.  No good....same as Folk - wide left.

3:19 p.m.  Cowboys' 1st Drive  13:37
Drive start: Cowboys 39
Larry: "A mediocre series followed by a mediocre punt."  Nice verbiage, Larry.

Romo finds Witten for a short gain before Wayne says "stacked up and driven back."  If he says that about the Packers defending that Packers-killing tight end in the 4th quarter, there's good news.

Not good news: Roy Williams catches a one-step pass from Romo and goes 19 yards, thanks to a missed tackle by Tramon Williams.

Barber then rumbles another 13 yards, then seven yards.  Goodness...this defense stinks so far.  10 yards per rush?  A game isn't five offensive plays, but it's not a good omen to start.

Interesting that they're running no huddle...perhaps to take advantage of matchups.

3rd-3 at the GB 19: SACK!  Nick Collins on the blitz across the backfield.  Good to hold them to three.

Wait...no!!!!  He pulled it left.

3:15 p.m.  Packers' 1st Drive  15:00
Drive start: Packers 25
It starts with a four-yard gain by Ryan Grant.  Maybe Mercein inspired the Packers' playcalling with running the ball into a cloud of dust. 

Maybe Rodgers was stuck in that dust when he fumbled the ball, picked it up, threw it away, then got nailed for intentional grounding.  Larry: "ball just slipped out of his hands as he went away from center."

3rd and 16's aren't fun, and short throws underneath the coverage won't do it.

3:12 p.m.
Coin toss time: Sean Jones and Chuck Mercein are the Packers' honorary captains.  Jones never beat the Cowboys in a Packers uniform; Mercein was the main cog in the drive that won the Ice Bowl.

Cowboys call tails, it's head.  Packers wins the toss and will receive.

3:05 p.m.
Wayne Larrivee: "Temperature, 47 degrees...trust me, it's a lot cooler than that."  Too bad it's not 60 degrees colder to make it Ice Bowl-like.  Wait, we remember what happened last time it was below zero at Lambeau. 

2:57 p.m.
Inactives for today:
Cowboys:
S Mike Hamlin
G Montrae Holland
T Pat McQuistan
LB Steve Octavien
C Duke Preston
DB Allen Rossum
LB Jason Williams

Packers:
TE Jermichael Finley
WR Jake Allen
WR Biren Ealy
T Breno Giacomini
FB Quinn Johnson
OLB Aaron Kampman
OLB Brady Poppinga
T Mark Tauscher

Pregame Story

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Four games into the season, the Dallas Cowboys were sitting at .500 and facing intense scrutiny for failing to play up to expectations. They've turned it all around since, winning four straight.

Now they'll face a Green Bay Packers team that's stuck in a similar spot and looking for the same type of dramatic turnaround.

It's probably not something the fans howling for change on Wisconsin's barstools and sports talk radio stations want to hear heading into Sunday's game at Lambeau Field: stay the course. But if the Packers are to replicate the Cowboys' turnaround, wholesale changes might not be the way to go.

Dallas coach Wade Phillips said for the most part, from quarterback Tony Romo on down, the Cowboys (6-2) just got better at the things they've been trying to do the whole time.

"There's no secrets to it," Phillips said. "There's no secret answer. It's just keep plowing. If you're good enough and work hard at it, things are going to work out for you."

The Packers (4-4) certainly thought they were good enough, emerging from the preseason with a surge of momentum and high expectations. But it hasn't worked out; the same problems keep popping up, they aren't getting solved and the Packers are on the brink of a lost season.

Still, Romo knows a team with decent talent that hasn't quite figured everything out can be dangerous.

"When you're 4-4, as everybody goes through, you have to hear about all the other things that go along with not being where everyone hopes to be," Romo said. "But to think that this isn't a good football team is wrong. They have good players, they have a good scheme, they play hard, they play together. It's going to be a very big challenge for us."

Now riding a sharp turnaround from their rocky 2-2 start, Romo is proud the Cowboys didn't panic.

"You're either Super Bowl champs or the worst team ever, or you're in the middle of the pack and then you're back to Super Bowl champs," Romo said. "And that's just part of the process. That's what makes the NFL so exciting is that each week there's a whole 'nother story being written. And I think you have to understand that as a player in (a) leadership role, and have a calming influence on everybody."

In four straight victories, Romo has thrown nine touchdowns with only one interception with three games of 300-plus yards passing. And Romo, who was raised in Burlington, Wis., should feel comfortable at Lambeau on Sunday. As a starter, he's 2-0 against the Packers, 17-6 on the road and 13-1 in games played in November.

Statistically, Packers starter Aaron Rodgers might be even better than Romo -- except in terms of wins and losses. Rodgers says he's trying to lead his teammates, both vocally and by example.

"Hopefully that means something to them and they see the urgency, they hear it in my voice and see it in my eyes," Rodgers said. "As one of the leaders of the football team, you've got to first lead by example, but I think the stuff you say to the guys, the way you prepare, I think should speak to the situation as well."

The Packers are coming off an emotionally charged loss to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a head-scratching loss at Tampa Bay. They would now need a remarkable collapse by the Vikings to get back in the NFC North race, so they're likely looking at a wild-card berth as their best-case scenario. Rodgers and the players know the heat has been turned up on Packers coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson, but said major changes aren't the answer.

"I think there's been some comments made by various people about should there be a lot of changes," Rodgers said. "The only changes, in my opinion, that need to be made are with the players. We've got to play better. We believe in the scheme on both sides of the ball, and we haven't been playing as well as we're capable of playing."

To do that, they'll have to solve familiar problems: Green Bay has allowed a league-worst 37 sacks and has committed too many penalties, often burying an otherwise-productive offense in down-and-distance holes it can't dig out of. McCarthy joked this week that perhaps the Packers should adopt the ultimate max-protect tactic: keep even the wide receivers in to block.

"It just has to get corrected, period," wide receiver Greg Jennings said. "There's no waiting. We just need to fix it right now. Do we have the guys that can get it done? Yes, we do. We definitely do. They wouldn't be here if they couldn't."

On defense, the Packers do a good job stopping the run but can't get enough pass rush pressure and have had more than their share of penalties. Even the special teams are breaking down, allowing momentum-changing plays in the return game the past two weeks.

Facing a streaking Dallas team might not be the ideal time for the Packers to fix everything that ails them, but they don't have a choice.

"Believe me, we know the importance of it," defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins said. "We're not at all trying to downplay the situation. We're 4-4 right now. It's not where we expected we would be or where we wanted to be, but it's where we're at. It's still very possible to turn this thing around."

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)