(Photo: Fox Sports)
NFC Game Of The Week
Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills
Cowboys: I’ve been so impressed with them as of late. Earlier in the year, many say their week one win over the New York Giants was their best win and from a performance perspective, that might be true because they were so dominant from the first whistle until the clock had the triple zeros. In my personal opinion, their best performance took place last Sunday night at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. Anytime they face Philly, they always split each matchup and if we’re being honest with ourselves, they should’ve won the first meeting in South Philly on November 5th. With the win on Sunday, the Cowboys moved into a tie for first place in the NFC East and as of now, they are the two seed in the NFC Playoff Picture behind of course, the San Francisco 49ers. Look how they dominated from start to finish. Their offense loves to attack the middle of the field and they got what they wanted in that area practically all night and the Eagles had no answer for it. I couldn’t be more proud of Dak Prescott. He has elevated his play and made the guys around him better. In all the years I’ve watched him play, I haven’t seen him in sync with a Wide Receiver as he is with CeeDee Lamb who has also been proving himself this year. He’s truly developed into that number one receiver that the Quarterback can depend on. As I said last week, as much as I attempt to trust them, there’s always going to be that thought in the back of my head and the one question I will continue to ask when it comes to them. Can they put this brand of football on display when it matters most which is in January? I truly feel the Cowboys are a Super Bowl contender this year with how the offense is playing and how the defense is handling their business. They already pushed one weight off their backs last year winning that playoff game on the road. I still need to see more. This Sunday, they will make a trip to Orchard Park for a big game.
Bills: (Stands up and gives them some applause). It’s been a rocky year for them. I still remember when they were 3-1 and how they were considered to be the best team in the AFC after shutting down a Miami Dolphins team that put up 70 points the week before. Since then, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. This is a team that dropped a game to the lowly New England Patriots and that’s what I honestly feel deflated some of their season. This is no excuse for them, but they have had a tough schedule if we are being realistic. At Cincinnati, At Philadelphia and at Kansas City. Those are three of the toughest places to play at if you’re a visitor. However, the Bills played the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend and beat them! They always appear to get up and ready for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. It was a grind it out, defensive game and Buffalo survived. This win at Arrowhead saved their season. As of late on the radio and I also said this on this site, there have been times when Josh Allen has put this team in position to win football games. He has led them down the field and come away with six points or even three. They would unfortunately lose games because the defense wouldn’t handle their business when it mattered. I’ll make a comparison for all of my sports lovers. What I just mentioned is the equivalent of a pitcher in baseball throwing a shut down, striking batters out non stop, but his offense doesn’t give him the run support to back the effort. The win on Sunday in Kansas City is not only a confidence booster, but it saved their season and it keeps them alive in the playoff hunt in the AFC. Finally the defense prevailed and came to the aid of their Quarterback. There’s been a few distractions for them as of late from Sean McDermott’s comments regarding September 11th to Von Miller assaulting his pregnant girlfriend. They will return home Sunday to face a streaking Cowboys team.
Cowboys X-Factor: Michael Gallup– What Tyler Boyd is to the Cincinnati Bengals is what Michael Gallup is to the Dallas Cowboys. This guy just knows his role and when his number is called upon, he answers the call each time. Michael is their chain mover. This is who Dak will target when the Cowboys are looking to convert on third down. This isn’t your typical slot receiver and I say that because he can go over the top and make those tough, contested catches in traffic. I feel Michael is just as important to this offense as some of the other big names.
Bills X-Factor: James Cook– Dalvin’s little brother! Since Joe Brady took over as the Buffalo Offensive Coordinator, he’s found multiple ways to get James more involved in this offense. I like when the Bills decide to hand the ball and give him his carries. James has shown he’s more than capable of running the ball when that opportunity can present itself. He’s currently on a four-game streak where he has eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage. James is that dual threat out the backfield and the more they get him the football, better things appear to happen.
Final Thoughts: What a game this should be. Both Quarterbacks are special and dynamic in their own way. Josh leads the league in total touchdowns with 35 and Dak leads the league in passing touchdowns with 28. The two biggest keys for the Bills in this game is making Dak uncomfortable in the pocket and I’m also forcing the Cowboys to beat me over the numbers. In other words, they must earn the middle of the field because that’s their bread and butter in the passing game. Buffalo must get off the field on third down against a Cowboys offense that’s first in the league in third down conversions. I want to see if the Cowboys can force a turnover of Josh Allen. Since Dan Quinn has taken over the Dallas Defensive Coordinator, the Cowboys lead the league in takeaways (88) and interceptions (55). Ironically, Josh Allen leads the league in interceptions with 55 since 2021. Outside of the 49ers, the Cowboys are the hottest team in the league. One thing about Dallas I’ve noticed is they will win a big game one week and struggle some out the gate the following and I can see that happening here. I’m picking the Bills to win this game. They have a little bit of juice after that win last weekend, but they need to put that behind them and focus on what’s in front of them.
Prediction: Bills 29, Cowboys 27
