When the Packers faced the Cowboys in 2013, Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant had 153 yards on 11 catches in the kind of performance we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from one of the NFL’s hardest receivers to stop.
That memory and the film of Bryant’s exploits this season are on the Packers’ minds heading into Sunday afternoon’s game at Lambeau Field. Defensive back Micah Hyde raved about Bryant on Monday, pointing out that there are “only a few guys in the league” that can do the things Bryant is able to do on offense.
Stopping Bryant will obviously be a crucial part of the defensive game plan this weekend, but Hyde said that the team isn’t going to devote so much attention to Bryant that Jason Witten, Cole Beasley or Terrence Williams is left alone to hurt the Packers.
“It’s a tough task to play guys like that,” Hyde said, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We understand that. We understand they’re going to make their catches, they’re going to make their plays. We’re not going to freak out....So as long as we do what we do, we’ll be fine.”
The Packers secondary has been much better this season than it was in 2013, but the Cowboys will offer them a major challenge through the air and on the ground. Stopping the ground game could require the Packers to devote an extra body in the box, which will force the team’s corners to win their battles with Bryant if the Packers are going to remain unbeaten at home this year.