NFC Game Of The Week
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Cowboys: I know they haven’t looked as strong as they did last season, but don’t count them out just yet. The Eagles maybe on top of the division right now, but I can see the Cowboys challenging them down the stretch if the Eagles were to hit a bump on the road. How teams are now playing the Cowboys is exactly what many predicted. Defenses are loading up to take away Ezekiel Elliott and they are making Dak Prescott beat them and Dak has accepted the challenge. What’s a sophomore slump? He’s been pretty strong this year for the Cowboys. He’s thrown 14 touchdown passes and four interceptions. Last week was by far their most dominant game from start to finish. I know it was against a horrible 49ers team, but they looked much more alert and ready to play. My knock on Dallas this year has been how comfortable they get when taking a lead, then it evaporates. They were able to get back to the football that helped them capture the one seed in the NFC last year and when they are able to dominate the line of scrimmage and pound the football, great things will happen for them. To get back above .500, they will meet their biggest rival on Sunday.
Redskins: They’ve always been a middle of the pact type of team and they’ll continue to be that until many things change. Should Kirk Cousins be the long-term answer at quarterback? That’s to be determined in the future. He hasn’t been bad when you think about it. When Jay Gruden decided to start him at quarterback, it all panned out better than we all expected it too. In 2015, the Redskins won their first division title since the late 1990s and hosted a playoff game. They missed it last year and are in the thick of the hunt now in the NFC. The Redskins have been absolutely abysmal at wide receiver this year. Terrelle Pryor has shown flashes of being good, but he isn’t consistent and that’s the only thing that’s hurting him. They’ve had a lot of success at tight end and running back. It’s about time that Jordan Reed stayed healthy, this guy has tremendous upside when he’s 100 percent and on the field. I’m still trying to figure them out as a defense. They can’t seem to get to the quarterback without blitzing and loading the box and that can hurt a team. It’s Cowboys week in Landover on Sunday.
Cowboys Player To Watch: Damien Wilson– One thing the Redskins love to do is use the middle of the field and space their running backs. Dallas struggles with stopping either the tight ends or the backs. This guy will have to be alert and at least make a stop somehow.
Redskins Player To Watch: Vernon Davis– He’s older now, but he still has it and he’s more than capable of making plays in the open field. He plays as if he were a wide receiver and he’s been a very reliable target for Cousins.
Final Analysis: When these two play each other, it’s always a tight battle down the stretch so why wouldn’t we expect anything different in this match up? The biggest key for the Cowboys will be to remain aggressive on defense throughout the game. They can’t have spurts or any type of slouches whatsoever. Offensively, keep feeding Zeke the ball, you obviously know what will happen if you do. For the Redskins, attack the middle of the field and keep Dak Prescott contained in the pocket.
Prediction: Cowboys 27 Redskins 24
