Dallas Cowboys: DeMarcus Lawrence is the key to stopping Redskins
Dallas Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence is second in the NFL with 9.5 sacks. Redskins’ left tackle Trent Williams has been battling a knee injury — Pick one.
Allowing the Dallas Cowboys to face the San Francisco 49’ers pretty much gave the Cowboys two bye weeks. Losing to the winless 49’ers after having an extra week to prepare for your opponent might have caused heads to roll in Dallas.
With or without running back Ezekiel Elliott, we should have beaten the 49’ers. However Elliott’s performance only cemented my belief that Cowboys wins and losses are determined more by his legs than quarterback Dak Prescott‘s arm.
It’s time to remember these feel good moments because the challenges of a first place schedule return this Sunday as the Cowboys face our hated division rivals – The Washington Redskins.
While both teams enter the game with 3 – 3 records, nothing is normal when these two teams face each other. In the two games last year, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 813 yards with 69 completions. The Redskins lost both games and Cousins has a 1 – 4 career record against the Cowboys.
For the Cowboys, they face a battered and injured Redskins team with four of their offensive linemen dealing with injuries. Redskins left tackle Trent Williams has been dealing with a knee injury for several weeks. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence could exploit Williams’ injury to put pressure on Cousins. Limited time in the pocket for Cousins may prevent him from torching the Cowboys secondary.
If there’s a premier match-up to watch, the easy choice is wide receiver Dez Bryant vs cornerback Josh Norman. I’ll choose a different route – keep your eyes on Trent Williams vs DeMarcus Lawrence. Lawrence is second in the NFL with 9.5 sacks this season and is likely to keep Cousins on a treadmill. Not an actual treadmill – it’s an expression that means Cousins will be running from defenders.
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This match-up will determine if Cousins can provide monster points for your fantasy team, but I wouldn’t bet on Cousins to provide a win. Unfortunately, when these two teams play each other – expect the unexpected.
#GoCowboys