If there ever was a time when both teams were guilty of looking ahead to a later date on the schedule, it would be this time.

Since the Micah Parsons trade back on Aug. 28, both the Cowboys and Packers have known that Sept. 28 is going to be one of the biggest events of the entire NFL schedule.

But yes, there are other storylines here to monitor than just Micah’s return to AT&T Stadium. Here are the 10 big storylines for the week, with five each for the Packers and Cowboys.

Packers

Micah’s Back – After his contract negotiation that lasted nearly two years never got resolved, the Cowboys shockingly traded away one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL to the Packers. Parsons immediately signed a new deal, giving him $47 million per season, much higher than the reported $41.5 per season the Cowboys had initially offered. But there never seemed to be more negotiations during training camp, where Parsons attended but was in a clear “hold-in” situation to avoid fines. Once the season got closer and Parsons continued to reiterate an apparent back injury, it seemed the Cowboys decided the best interest was to ship him to the Packers in exchange for Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.

The Parsons effect – Through three games, Parsons has just 1.5 sacks, but he had a career-high eight pressures last week against the Browns. Usually when a team adds a great pass-rusher, it only helps the play of the other guys on the until. Case in point – Rashan Gary is leading the NFL in sacks this year with four. Gary is getting close to already securing his sixth straight year of at least 5.0 sacks. So far this year, he’s had a sack in every game and seems to be benefitting nicely from the pressure Parsons is providing on the other side.

Shocking loss – Not just losing the game in Cleveland, but the way the Packers fell to the Browns last Sunday was a big surprise across the NFL. Green Bay had a shot to win with a last-second field goal but it was blocked by the Browns, who recovered close to midfield. Thanks to an offside penalty on Parsons, Cleveland got in position to boot a 55-yarder as time expired, giving the Packers their first loss. After steamrolling the Lions and Commanders, who are both 2-1 as well, it appeared the Packers were easily going to be 3-0 heading into Arlington.

O-Line injuries: Not that the Cowboys are going to feel sorry for anyone, but the Packers have their share of O-line injuries, too. In Sunday’s loss to the Browns, both right tackle Zach Tom (oblique) and left guard Aaron Banks (groin) left the game with injuries and did not return. There is a thought among the Packers’ media and fan base that both players could be out this week and return after the Week 5 bye. That’s something to monitor especially when there’s more than one backup on the line.

Undefeated in Arlington – If Packers fans are confident about this game, it could be because this team has never lost at AT&T Stadium, and that includes a win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. But against the Cowboys, the Packers are 5-0, which includes two playoff wins. The last time Dallas defeated Green Bay at home, occurred in 2007 when the starting quarterbacks were Brett Favre and Tony Romo and the head coaches were Mike McCarthy (Green Bay) and Wade Phillips (Dallas).

CeeDee Scratch – Unfortunately for the Cowboys, the return of Micah isn’t the biggest storyline entering this game. Being without CeeDee Lamb, at least for one game, probably two or three more, is going to be a significant loss. Lamb was averaging eight catches per game in the first two weeks before suffering the high-ankle sprain, on a running play early against the Bears. Without him, look for George Pickens to have a lead role, along with Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Ryan Flournoy and maybe one of the three practice squad receivers, including Jalen Brooks.

Thin Line – Already down starting center Cooper Beebe (high-ankle sprain), now the Cowboys have yet another setback in the loss of rookie right guard Tyler Booker, who … you guessed it … has a high-ankle sprain. Booker’s injury might be worse than Lamb and he’s a real candidate to go on injured reserve, which would immediately make him out four games, keeping him out until Oct. 26 in Denver – assuming they place him on IR this week.

Bland back? – One player who has a shot to come back this week is starting cornerback DaRon Bland, who missed the last two games with a foot injury. Both Jerry Jones and Brian Schottenheimer have said this week it looks like Bland could be back against the Packers. What a difference he seems to make, considering the Eagles passed for just 144 yards when he was in the lineup in Week 1, and the Giants passed for 450 and the Bears went for 298 in the last two games without Bland.

Can Clowney help? – The Cowboys are statistically one of the worst defenses in the league right now, in several categories. Figuring out how to fix Matt Eberflus’ defense is the top priority. Could it be changing the scheme? What about personnel? While both Jones and Schottenheimer didn’t go into detail with what the fixes might be, they both are hopeful newly-signed veteran Jadevon Clowney could help. He is expected to make his Cowboys debut this week.

They miss Micah – Without a doubt, losing an All-Pro rusher like Micah Parsons before the start of the season was a big blow to the defense. When he was expected to be in the lineup, it was a deep rotation of edge rushers that included Dante Fowler, Marshawn Kneeland, Sam Williams and Donovan Ezeiruaku. But without him, those four haven’t made a big impact. Only Kneelnad from that group has a sack, as does James Houston, who might be the most productive of the group so far. Let’s see how Clowney’s addition helps and what the rotation looks like when he plays this week.