For a few seconds on Sunday night, it looked like the Cowboys had found exactly the play they needed.
Dee Winters intercepted Jordan Love, got back to his feet and raced into the end zone. With Dallas trailing 7-0, the defense appeared to have delivered a touchdown that would give the Cowboys a chance to tie the game.
Instead, replay ruled Winters down by contact, taking the score away and putting the offense on the field at Green Bay’s 42-yard line. Dallas still had an excellent opportunity. What happened next became the turning point in a 23-13 defeat.
The interception itself stood. Matthew Golden’s contact with Winters simply meant the return did not count. That matters here, because the Cowboys still controlled what happened next. They had possession in Packers territory, a manageable deficit and a chance to make their defensive takeaway count.
Initially, the offense responded. CeeDee Lamb made a tough 16-yard catch on third-and-three to move Dallas into the red zone. Even after losing the defensive touchdown, the Cowboys were in position to finish the possession with points and put pressure back on Green Bay. Then the opportunity disappeared.
Green Bay linebacker Zaire Franklin came through on a delayed blitz and delivered a heavy hit on Dak Prescott. On the following play, facing third-and-eight, Prescott looked for Lamb over the middle. Safety Evan Williams stepped into the throwing lane and intercepted the pass. A possession that began with the celebration of a potential touchdown ended without even a field-goal attempt.
That was the damaging part of this sequence. Dallas had already done the difficult work of taking the ball away and moving into scoring position. The Cowboys did not need to force a breakthrough. They needed to protect the opportunity they had created.
Instead, Green Bay took possession and kept the Dallas defense on the field for another extended stretch. The Packers put together a 15-play, 73-yard drive that consumed more than eight minutes and ended with a field goal for a 10-0 lead. Dallas had gone from a potential tying score to a two-possession deficit without adding a point.
The next Cowboys possession made that missed chance even more costly. A Ryan Flournoy holding penalty wiped out a productive Tyler Goodson run, and Prescott threw another interception after Lamb slipped on his route. Green Bay followed with a touchdown drive to take a 17-0 lead into halftime. Dallas had reached threatening positions on consecutive possessions and come away empty both times.
The overturned Winters touchdown will understandably draw attention. But Dallas still had the ball, favorable field position and time to answer. The interception that followed was where that promising moment turned against the Cowboys. On a night when points were difficult to find, Dallas could not afford to waste the opening its defense provided, and that moment became the games turning point.