AFC Game Of The Week
Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) at Dallas Cowboys (4-3)
Chiefs: After the two-game skid they were on after starting 5-0, the Chiefs got back to its winning ways with their win over a struggling Denver Broncos team. Right now, the AFC West is theirs to lose right now. When you view the division, there’s really no competition like there was at the beginning of the season. Kansas City got off to that really quick start and Oakland along with Denver also started out quickly. Since then, the Chiefs have remained the only team in the division with an above record of .500. Their offense is potent and they’ve used some trickery here and there to move the ball down the field, something they’ve never been known to do much of. The offense has also had other guys step it up outside of Alex Smith connecting with Travis Kelce on the regular and speaking of quarterbacks, Alex Smith has put together a great season and right now if the season were to end, he’d be a top-three MVP candidate. He’s yet to throw a single interception this season and great things will happen to you as a football team when you hold onto the ball and don’t turn it over. I’ve been disappointed in their defense because I know they are a much better unit than where they’re ranked right now. With a win on Sunday, they’ll be a season-high 3.5 games up in the division.
Cowboys: So, they’ve looked good in their last two games and yes, I know they played both the 49ers who are winless in week seven and their rivals, the Washington Redskins just last week. Their biggest issue has been getting off to fast starts and not letting up and in these last two games, they played a well-rounded style of football which consisted of running the ball (of course), Dak throwing when necessary and the defense has been aggressive, something we haven’t seen much of from them. With their passing game, I always see Dak Prescott target every other receiver that the Cowboys have, whether its Butler, T. Will, Cole Beasley (his go-to guy) and Jason Witten, but he just doesn’t seem to be on the same page with Dez Bryant who I think is still a very solid and productive receiver when he gets into a rhythm. Why don’t they find ways to get him the football? Even if it’s on short and quick screens to move the chains, he’s a sure-handed guy that can get you a first-down or even a touchdown. Their defense has looked much better as of late. As I said up top, you finally see them playing with some urgency and aggression and they’ve been able to get off the field which is always important. This will be a tough test for them with the first place Chiefs in town.
Chiefs Player To Watch: Kenneth Acker– The Chiefs defense hasn’t been what we’ve expected it to be this year, especially against the pass. Last week against Denver, they replaced Terrence Mitchell with Kenneth and their pass defense improved. On Sunday, we may see a line up of Marcus Peters, Kenneth Acker and Steven Nelson in the lineup.
Cowboys Player To Watch: Cole Beasley– With Zeke out for the next six games as of now, their offense will have to go through someone and he’s developed an incredible chemistry with Dak. Cole is the Cowboys Julian Edelman. He’s a threat to always make a big catch and he can also help move the chains.
Final Analysis: Andy Reid is extremely familiar with the Cowboys going back to his years with the Eagles. Had he been able to play, this would’ve been a very intriguing battle of two young running back in Zeke and Kareem Hunt. The gameplan is simple for the Dallas Cowboys: They will need their offense to step up big time and score often to even have a chance to win this game because their defense isn’t built to beat teams up consistently. For the Chiefs, keeping Dak in the pocket and not allowing him to make any throws on the run is key.
Prediction: Chiefs 38 Cowboys 24
