The Jets host the Cowboys at MetLife with a rare 0-4 start on the line, facing a Dallas squad hit by injuries and a recent 40-40 tie. New York leans into a run-heavy game plan to blunt Dallas' offense, while leveraging tight ends Mason Taylor and Jeremy Ruckert as reliable mismatches to free Garrett Wilson. Dallas’ edge hinges on pressuring Zach Wilson and forcing turnovers, a task the Jets hope to flip by pressuring Dak Prescott and stifling the Cowboys’ aerial attack.

Key x-factors include the Jets’ revamped run scheme led by Hall with depth charts reshuffling around Khalil Herbert, and the defense seeking its first takeaway of the season. If Sauce Gardner locks down George Pickens and the Jets create negative plays, they can control the pace and keep Prescott off schedule. The Cowboys must compensate for Lamb’s absence and protect their fragile rotation along the line while the Jets’ pass rush tries to tilt the balance in a tense Week 5 showdown.

Packers' finishing clock betrayed them in Dallas as overtime drifted into a one-second sprint. A late Love drive, a flat pass to Golden, and a final incomplete pass kept Green Bay from stealing a win, setting up a game‑tying kick by Brandon McManus. LaFleur owned the miscue, saying the operation was too slow and the two‑minute sequence lacked urgency. Despite the stumble, Love’s growth and the Packers' young receivers offered fresh fantasy angles as they head into the bye at 2-1-1.

In the first half, Green Bay nearly went up 14-0 before a strip-sack turned into a Cowboys TD and a halftime deficit. The bye arrives with questions about clock discipline and execution, but optimism remains: Love connected with Doubs, Kraft and Golden, while Emanuel Wilson contributed in the ground game. The defense held Dallas late, leaving fantasy managers with a mix of caution and upside.

The Green Bay field-goal protection saga hinges on personnel decisions, not just coaching. The piece argues Matt LaFleur’s control over kicking-unit selections has undercut Rich Bisaccia, from Keisean Nixon’s underutilization to the Week 4 block that exposed a shallow protection group built around backup linemen and cast players. By Week 4, protections were improvised; the remedy was late and costly. The call is simple: deploy the best players on kicking plays every snap.

With Kraft, Jenkins, and Brooks finally getting involved, and Nixon returning to the spotlight, Green Bay must commit to a stable, elite protection unit and unrestricted return duties if it wants to win the hidden game of field position. The critique centers on missed opportunities and a wake-up call for LaFleur: empower Bisaccia and the top-tier kickers and blockers now, or endure repeat miscues that cost games and perhaps the season.