Jordan Love, Green Bay's defense lead the way in Packers' 23-13 victory over Cowboys

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love didn’t bother wondering what might have been.

The reality of a three-game winning streak is appealing enough.

Love threw a touchdown pass and scored on a 1-yard keeper and the Packers held Dallas’ high-powered offense in check and beat the Cowboys 23-13 in a penalty-filled game Sunday night. Love went 23 of 41 for 276 yards with one interception.

His numbers would have looked even better if three more potential touchdown passes hadn't been dropped.

“I want to make every throw,” Love said. “I want these guys to make every catch. That’s the expectation. Stuff happens. Drops happen. Obviously, I want those guys to make those plays, and we’re capable of making those plays. But for me, it’s got to be the next play mindset. You’ve got to move on.”

Love's 9-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Golden capped Green Bay's first series and put the Packers ahead for good. The Packers are 11-1-1 in their last 13 meetings with the Cowboys, including a tie last season at Arlington, Texas.

The Packers (4-2) have won three straight as they await the return of three-time Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs, who comes off the commissioner's exempt list Monday. Jacobs hasn't played all season and pleaded no contest last month to two misdemeanor charges stemming from an altercation with his then-girlfriend in May.

In each of those three wins, the Packers have allowed 14 points or fewer. The last time Green Bay allowed no more than 14 points to three straight opponents was in 2016.

“If we continue to work, continue to come in with the right mindset, continue to trust in each other, continue to trust in the coaches, continue to trust in this game plan, I think the sky’s the limit for us,” Packers safety Javon Bullard said. “And if we continue to just attack each of our opponents, take it one game at a time, one snap at a time, I think we can be the best defense in the league.”

Green Bay intercepted Dak Prescott's passes twice to thwart second-quarter scoring opportunities. Prescott went 34 of 54 for 258 yards. He threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy with 44 seconds left, but couldn’t connect with CeeDee Lamb on a 2-point conversion attempt.

Dallas (2-4) trailed 17-0 at halftime. That's the first time the Cowboys went scoreless in a first half since Nov. 7, 2021, when they were down 16-0 in a 30-16 loss to Denver.

“We’re in a hole," Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "(We) put ourselves there. There’s one way out of it. That’s what I told the guys, I said, ‘You know, got to work. Got to find solutions. Can’t repeat mistakes.’ They understand that.”

This game featured 22 penalties — 11 by each team. Dallas had 108 penalty yards, while Green Bay had 96.

Green Bay could have won by substantially more.

Golden dropped what would have been a 43-yard touchdown and couldn’t complete the catch on a potential 23-yard score in the second quarter. A potential 26-yard touchdown pass went in and out of Christian Watson’s hands in the third quarter, though that pass was deflected in the end zone by Dallas’ Malachi Lawrence.

The Lambeau Field fireworks started prematurely after Golden couldn’t hang on to the 23-yarder even as the officials were signaling the incompletion. Green Bay still scored a touchdown after one of those drops and settled for Trey Smack field goals after the other two.

“Those are plays that you want back, especially just knowing the type of game – Sunday night, how important it was for us to come out with this win,” said Golden, who caught six passes for 104 yards. “For me, I’m not going to be too down about it because I know 10 times out of 10 I’m going to make those plays.”

Prescott's two turnovers proved costly. Dallas was inside Green Bay's 30 on consecutive possessions when Evan Williams and Brandon Cisse intercepted passes.

“We need some good momentum,” Prescott said. "And the only way to do it is to get a win.”

One positive development for Dallas was an improved performance from its defense, which entered the night allowing a league-high 6.4 yards per play.

Dee Winters made a diving catch late in the first quarter for Dallas' first interception of the season. Winters then got up and weaved between multiple defenders to run over 40 yards for an apparent touchdown, but a replay review determined he was touched by Golden while still on the ground.

Cowboys: WR KaVontae Turpin left with a rib injury in the first quarter. Winters strained his Achilles in the second quarter.

Packers: CB Brandon Cisse left with a stinger in the second half.

Cowboys: At Philadelphia on Oct. 26.

Packers: At Detroit next Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love and Matthew Golden celebrate after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Dallas Cowboys' Joey Porter Jr. breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers' Matthew Golden during the second half of an NFL football game in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)

Dallas Cowboys' Kenny Clark sacks Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love during the second half of an NFL football game in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Dallas Cowboys' Joey Porter Jr. breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers' Bo Melton during the first half of an NFL football game in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Green Bay Packers' Evan Williams stops Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott during the second half of an NFL football game in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Saints safety Justin Reid said he had trouble sleeping on the team's overnight flight from New York to Paris.

“I’m not in a bad mood about it because you still get to ride that high off of a big-time win,” Reid said Monday, alluding to the Saints' 34-27, Week 6 victory over the Giants on Sunday. "We’re giving ourselves an opportunity here and able to ride on some good vibes.”

After falling behind 10-0, the Saints (2-4) remarkably scored 34 straight points before holding on with a fourth down stop on a pass to the end zone, ending New York's comeback bid.

“The most important thing is that you got the win. This league is measured in wins and losses; it's not measured in scores," Reid said. “We showed up to the plate when we needed to and were able to close out a tough game."

The victory, which stopped a three-game skid, provided some respite from an increasing sense of desperation that had owner Gayle Benson expressing dissatisfaction last week.

The Saints now have a 2-1 record on the road, where their only loss came by a single point in overtime.

Next, they’ll try to take a winning performance in the Big Apple into another in the City of Lights. They’ll serve as the “home” team this coming Sunday in what also is the NFL’s first scheduled regular-season game in France.

France sold its Louisiana territories — named to honor former French king Louis 14th — to the United States in the early 1800s. The fleur-de-lis on the Saints' helmet, as well as similar ones on the flags of New Orleans and Louisiana, resemble what was the primary emblem of French royalty for centuries.

That symbol doesn't always engender pride among modern French citizens. They live in a republic that emerged from the French Revolution in the late 1700s.

But if French spectators opt to root for the “visiting” Pittsburgh Steelers — with whom they're bound to be more familiar, given their eight Super Bowl appearances, and six championships — that might not be such a bad thing for the Saints, considering their form in front of hostile crowds this season.

The Saints' running game, which had been anemic in recent weeks, came alive against the Giants. New Orleans finished with a season-high 175 yards rushing, led by Kendre Miller's 70 yards on 20 carries. Alvin Kamara, CJ Donaldson and quarterback Tyler Shough each also ran for 30-plus yards.

“It was all 11 — physical up front,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said Monday, noting that even receivers did well getting out to block Giants safeties.

“Our running backs ran really, really hard,” Moore said. “We had a good mix there. We've got to continue that. We've got to build on that.”

The Saints have largely done well against the pass this season, but had a rough day against the Giants, who gained 395 yards through the air.

Defensive back Martin Emerson, who grew up about a three-hour's drive east of New Orleans, in the Pensacola, Florida, area. Now in his first season with New Orleans (after his first three in Cleveland), Emerson had his first two interceptions as a Saint.

Kamara's 69 yards from scrimmage included a weaving, 31-yard touchdown on a screen pass that resembled the 31-year-old running back's vintage form.

Rookie guard Jeremiah Wright, a fourth-round draft choice out of Auburn, had his first extended playing time, subbing in on the right side when veteran Cesar Ruiz was injured.

“Proud of him for stepping up and taking advantage of the opportunity," Moore said of Wright. "You never know when your opportunity's going to present itself and you've got to take advantage of it. So, good job by him."

With backup QBs under center for the Giants, Saints cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley had a difficult day — perhaps their worst this season — against receivers Malik Nabers (12 catches, 165 yards) and Isaiah Likely (six catches, 99 yards and a TD).

Ruiz left late in the first half against the Giants with a knee injury. ... The Saints still await the debut of their first-round draft choice, Jordyn Tyson, who began the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He has traveled with the team to Paris in the event he is able to return to practice this week.

3:57 — The amount of time off the game clock — from 1:18 left in the second quarter until 12:21 remained in the third — it took for the Saints to turn a 10-0 deficit into a 17-10 lead.

The Saints are spending all week in Paris as they prepare for Sunday's game at the Stade de France. After that, they'll return home on a bye week and return to their recent house of horrors — the Superdome — the week after Halloween, on Nov. 8 against Cleveland.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

New Orleans Saints cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (22) and Saints safety Justin Reid (21) tackle New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely (9) during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) hands the ball off to Saints running back CJ Donaldson (43) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)