The Green Bay Packers walked away from AT&T Stadium with an unsatisfying tie against the Cowboys, especially frustrating given that the game was once firmly in their control. Even after 10 minutes of overtime, the score remained locked at 40-40, and the Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has openly expressed his frustration over how the game unfolded.

Matt LaFleur did not mince words when asked about the game situation.”Obviously the play calls sucked, they weren’t good enough,” LaFleur admitted. He continued, “Obviously didn’t come down here to tie a football game, but that’s what happened. It’s disappointing because of all the things that led up to the tie.”

The theatrics began when the Cowboys went ahead with a minute remaining in regulation. Dak Prescott threw to George Pickens on a catch-and-run touchdown with 43 seconds left that appeared to seal the game. Jordan Love, however, maintained his cool, advancing Green Bay far enough that kicker Brandon McManus could kick a 53-yard field goal with time expiring to tie the game 37-37 and send it into overtime.

Once in overtime, the new NFL overtime rules gave both teams a chance. Dallas got the ball first and took a long pass deep into Packers’ territory to coast all the way to the five-yard line before it stalled. Brandon Aubrey boot-kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 40-37. Green Bay replied in kind: Love drove the Packers into the red zone, but two screen passes yielded nothing and a final attempt at the end zone fell incomplete.

McManus bailed out the drive with another quick kick, sending the game into a 40-40 tie as the clock stopped and securing the highest-scoring tie in Packers history. The stat sheet testament to how much closer the game was. Love went 31-of-43 for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Josh Jacobs paced the rushing effort with 83 yards and two touchdowns, and Emanuel Wilson added 44 yards on the ground.

The visiting offense called on Prescott nearly perfectly, who went 31-of-40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Pickens blistered the Packers’ defense for 134 yards and two touchdowns, while Javonte Williams had 85 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Packers’ last tie before sunday

Sunday’s result marked the first time the Packers played a game tied since Week 2 of the 2018 season, when they tied the Minnesota Vikings 29-29 at Lambeau Field.

That afternoon saw Green Bay lose a substantial lead in the fourth quarter when Minnesota came back for 22 points in order to tie and send the game to overtime. In overtime, the two teams came up short, including two missed field goals by then kicker Daniel Carlson, clinching the tie.

The similarities from that game to Sunday’s game are hard to overlook. In each instance, the Packers began with a double-digit lead before losing it in the second half. Much like the Vikings game, Green Bay had opportunities late to finish off its foe but couldn’t do so in key locations.

Sunday’s draw was also the seventh tie in Packers history. Three of them have come against Minnesota (1978, 2013, 2018), so the Vikings are their most frequent tie opponent. While Dallas is not a divisional rival, the magnitude of this game and the volume of scoring will make it one of the more notable ties in franchise history.

What truly set this game apart is the scoreboard. At 40-40, this was the highest-scoring tie in Packers history, dating back generations, breaking up any previous standoff in terms of offense production.

As LaFleur pointed out, though, style points don’t erase frustration of opportunity lost. Green Bay finds itself in a crucial juncture of the season still looking for cohesiveness in play calling and execution.