James Starks

The only thing that can put Eddie Lacy on pause is the sub-freezing temperature of the Wisconsin outdoors that inflames his lungs.

But while an asthma attack sidelined him for a portion of the second quarter, the Green Bay Packers running back roared back and ended up with 101 yards on 19 carries against the respected Dallas run defense ranked No. 8 in the NFL this season.

"I had a real good first drive. And then...."

And then he had to tell running backs coach Sam Gash that he couldn't breathe. Backup running back James Starks was sent in, and Green Bay fell behind, 14-7, trailing at home for the first time since Week 2 against the New York Jets. All Lacy could do was warm up with a jacket and wait for his inhaler to help him out.

"You know your body is good enough to go out and play," said Lacy. "But ... you just can't breathe. And it's a breathing thing. It's not something you want to go out and risk...risk something bad happening. There's nothing I can do about it. It's a medical condition. I take my inhaler, I do everything I'm supposed to do. When it happens, it happens."

Lacy's absence early in the game was puzzling given the stage and his performance early on. He returned to the game and was a key to the Packers' ability to pull out the win. The team will need him next week to slow down Seattle's pass rush.