NFL
By: Greg Rector
Dallas Cowboys (8-4) vs WFT (6-6) Sunday, December 12th, 8:20 PM
The Cowboys travel to face the team with no name in a battle of bitter NFC East rivals. The no-name team is riding a 4 game winning streak heading into this game, while Dallas leads the division. There was a whole lot of folks wearing burgundy on social media yesterday shouting “Bring on Dallas,” for some reason. Oh yeah it’s the team they despise the most within the division and for those of us of a certain vintage it goes both ways, as Cowboys fans who were alive in the ’60s through to that fateful day Michael Irvin was injured in Philadelphia, absolutely despise the burgundy and gold, “The Hogs,” and this rivalry will always be the one we want to dominate. If they want Dallas so bad, well you get your wish. Just remember there’s a saying “Be careful what you wish for.” Let’s take a look at this game.
Cowboys offense vs No Name defense
Here’s where the careful what you wish for comes into play. The No Names defense has been solid against the run, while they are much weaker against the passing game. So while the “Bring on Dallas,” crowd from the DMV region wants the Cowboys, let’s not forget that means Cooper, Lamb, Gallup, Schultz, Pollard, and Elliott. Oh and just to top it off some guy at quarterback (Dak Prescott) who brings a 7-1 record against the No Names. Yes, the Cowboys’ offense has been an enigma of sorts lately, but if you don’t think the 10 days between games for the Cowboys hasn’t been spent on getting back to what works hasn’t been objective number one at Cowboys practices, do so at your own peril. This starts and ends with the offensive line, a few angry “gentlemen,” who’s been blasted for their play from the last few weeks. Zach Martin, Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, aren’t used to being criticized and are certainly motivated to silence their critics. The return of their position coach (Joe Philbin) after his visit from COVID, will definitely help this group. I can pretty much guarantee that “Boy Wonder,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has also been busy watching the films, and maybe just maybe his bout of Garrtetitis will end and we’ll actually see more run plays that aren’t Elliott going up the A gap time after time. A few extra days of study and resting one’s mind and the body were badly needed for this offense. Since head coach Mike McCarthy who was also not on the sideline thanks to COVID for the New Orleans game pretty sure he saw things that needed to be fixed. McCarthy has a solid record when coming off a bye week or having more than 7 days between games. The matchup battle to watch will be the Cowboys receivers and the No Names secondary, Washington ranks 29th in passing yardage allowed. If they give up big yardage against this group it will be a long night for those shouting “Bring On Dallas.” The extra preparation time will be a key advantage for the Cowboys’ offense. Despite missing Chase Young and a few others, the WFT defense has been solid, the Cowboys will need to avoid the turnovers, and get back to being consistent. Time of possession is something that the Cowboys have been on the wrong side of in too many games lately.
No Name Offense vs Cowboys defense
Yes, the Cowboys defense has fallen off from being ranked 5th overall to now sitting 10th overall. Still, this has been beyond the fondest wishes for Cowboys fans from the 28th overall group in 2020. The drop-off is directly related to what I mentioned above, time of possession. The group was much better in the Saints game and it showed in the final outcome. When they don’t have to be on the field for 2/3rd’s of a game (Broncos and Raiders games) funny how they are far more effective. Sacks, quarterback pressures, passes defended, tackles for losses, and interceptions. Amazing how that happens. The Cowboys will first and foremost need to stop the tandem of Gibson and McKissic out of the No Names backfield. The two backs have been very effective in the 4 game winning streak. After waiting all season for his return the Cowboys will finally have DT Neville Gallimore and returning from his one-game suspension Trysten Hill, the two projected starters finally together. Hopefully, that makes running against the Cowboy’s defense harder. In addition, Demarcus Lawrence in his return was his usual stout self against the run. Not many DEs stack up against Lawrence in setting an edge, forcing backs to go back inside is something he’s very good at. WFT will be without TE Logan Thomas after he suffered a season-ending ACL injury. That’s a big loss as Thomas is also a very good run blocker. Now the even better news for the Cowboys’ defense will be the return of the other DE, Randy Gregory. Basically, the Cowboys’ defensive front is finally together for the first time all season. Gregory’s return is even more vital of course as a pass rusher. The final piece of the pass rush, just some guy named Micah “The Lion is Always Hungry,” Parsons, the rookie has simply gotten better as the season goes on. Dan Quinn (1-0 as head coach) can finally use his line as they envisioned. The weakness of the defense as they’ve been all year Neal and Vander Esche at LB, will hopefully not be exposed as much by having the real starters upfront. The No Names offensive line will have their hands full. The matchup between Terry McLaurin and Trevon Diggs could be a lot of fun to watch as well in this game. McLaurin is an excellent receiver and will have to be defended on every down. Taylor Heinicke has been efficient and made timely plays. Up to the defense to make his evening a long one by getting pressure on him early and often.
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Intangibles and Prediction
Giving teams bulletin board material (Bring on Dallas) is fun for the fanbases. The players have to ignore the ancillary noise that comes with facing a division rival. This is the middle game of a business trip for the Cowboys. the extra preparation should help Dallas going into this game. Ignoring all that stuff and handling the No Names has to be the only focus. Never mind how critical Cowboys Nation and the media have been about the offense, get back to the business at hand, that’s winning football games and securing the NFC East division title. The best outcome is a quiet Fed-Ex Field with fans of the No names exiting early. This is the healthiest Cowboys roster of the season and they had better play like it. NFC East games are mostly lower-scoring affairs especially once December arrives and the weather gets nastier. I look for that to be the case, especially with a night game. I will say Cowboys 23- WFT 17 as a final score.
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
