Cowboys vs. Packers 2016 picks and predictions: Experts lean toward a Green Bay win at Lambeau

Two of the NFC’s top teams will clash in one of football’s hallowed halls when Green Bay plays host to a red-hot Dallas team on Sunday. But even though the Cowboys are on a four-game winning streak with a rookie quarterback who is already breaking league records, most experts are picking the Packers to defend their home turf.

Dak Prescott set the league’s rookie record for most passes without an interception to start a career after leading Dallas past Cincinnati in Week 5. With 155 mistake-free attempts, he’s just eight passes away from eclipsing Tom Brady for the most overall passes without a pick as a professional. He’ll have a great opportunity to pass the Patriot legend against a Packer defense that’s recorded only three interceptions through four games in 2016.

Prescott has teamed with another rookie sensation, Ezekiel Elliott, to give Dallas a potent 1-2 punch. The Cowboys invited criticism by bucking recent draft trends and selecting a tailback at No. 4 overall, but the Ohio State product has been a bruising breakthrough star in recent weeks. In his last three games he’s rushed for more than 400 yards and is averaging more than 6 yards per carry.

However, only one team the Cowboys have defeated on their recent winning streak has a winning record, and that’s a relatively unimpressive Washington team. The biggest test of the young season will come in Wisconsin against an always difficult Packer team.

Green Bay stands at 3-1 this fall despite a relatively punchless offensive attack. Aaron Rodgers is averaging better than two touchdown passes per game, but he’s also throwing for just 219 yards per game -- a significant drop from his 270/game career average and the fourth straight season in which his passing output has decreased.

The Cowboys’ lax passing defense could provide a launching point for Rodgers. Dallas ranks just 19th in the league in passing yards allowed. The former MVP has his full slate of weapons at his disposal now that Jordy Nelson is healthy for the first time since 2014. He may, however, be without starting running back Eddie Lacy, who left last week’s game with an ankle injury and was limited in practice this week.

Only one ESPN analyst, Merrill Hoge, is predicting a road win for the Cowboys. Over at CBS, John Breech is a similar island in his love for Dallas. SB Nation is the most balanced among the networks surveyed; the writers there (and the OddsShark computer) evened out to a neat 50/50 split between Prescott’s Cowboys and Rodgers’ Packers.