GREEN BAY — As if they didn't get a good enough view during Dallas' 37-27 victory over Green Bay last season, Packers coach Mike McCarthy and his staff got an up-close-and-personal look at the Cowboys when they coached the NFC team in the Pro Bowl.

"I think half our team was the Dallas Cowboys," McCarthy said.

Actually, the final count was 13 Cowboys at the Pro Bowl. At the top of the list were quarterback Tony Romo, halfback Marion Barber, wide receiver Terrell Owens, tight end Jason Witten and offensive linemen Flozell Adams, Leonard Davis and Andre Gurode.

If you're scoring at home, that was seven of the Cowboys' 11 offensive starters sunning themselves in Hawaii in February.

"They are as good as advertised," McCarthy said. "I don't think you can deny that."

Unfortunately for the NFL, the Cowboys might be better than advertised. Their offense, which is averaging 34.5 points and 433.5 yards after two games, is the most versatile and explosive in the league.

Monday night, the Cowboys torched Philadelphia's always-strong defense for 41 points and, in a performance that had to send shivers through the rest of the league, made it look awful easy.

"They've put on some shows this year; they've scored some points," Packers defensive end Cullen Jenkins said. "We know they're an explosive offense."

At least the Packers know what they're in for when they meet the Cowboys in a matchup of 2-0 teams tonight at Lambeau Field. The onus is squarely on their defense.

If Green Bay doesn't play better defense than it did last year, when the Cowboys scored 27 first-half points and finished with 414 yards, Dallas will emerge from the game with the upper hand in the NFC — just like it did last year. That makes this the biggest test of the season for the Packers' defense.

"They definitely have some great weapons," Packers linebacker Nick Barnett said. "They're one of the strongest offenses that we've faced, so it's definitely a test. Every week is a test, but this is a good test."

It's a bigger test than the Packers remember since the Cowboys have added still another dynamic playmaker in halfback Felix Jones. The first-round draft pick from Arkansas has scored two touchdowns — one from scrimmage, one on a kickoff return — and has added the element of home-run speed to the Dallas offense.

Jones offers a change of pace from Barber, whom Packers linebacker Brady Poppinga calls "Barber the Barbarian" for his physical running style. Then there's the deep passes to Owens and the over-the-middle passes to Witten to contend with.

"We present a lot of challenges," Owens said.

Deciding which of those challenges deserves extra attention is a defensive coordinator's nightmare. The best plan might to go after Romo, who picked the Packers apart last season while going virtually untouched. Romo can be pressured into occasional mistakes, so look for the Packers to finally break out the new blitzes they worked on all offseason.

Whatever their strategy, the Packers are willing to accept the challenge presented by the Cowboys' versatility.

"Every week there's multiple guys to focus on," Jenkins said. "It just happens that this week the guys that we have to focus on are some of the best in the league. It's one of those things where we've got to look at ourselves as some of the top players in the league. If you look at yourself that way, then you've got to expect to go out there and stop those players as well."

With a shortage of stars but an abundance of high-quality players, Green Bay's defense hovered between good and very good last season and through two games this season. If the Packers are going to take a step up this season, the defense will have to become dominant.

Nothing would show dominance more than a strong effort against the Cowboys' dynamic offense.

"It's probably one of the best all-around offenses, but I'm not going to put them in the Hall of Fame," Barnett said. "We're not intimidated by them. We know what our challenges are. We know what we face and we're going to go out there and swing with the best of them and try to connect with a couple of these punches."

The Packers had better connect because if they swing and miss, the Cowboys are likely to be standing in the end zone.