Dallas Cowboys scouting report Week Four: Houston Texans
THREE KEYS
1. Which line will hold up best?
This game very well may come down to which offensive line can hold up better. Both teams biggest strength on defense is their defensive line, and both teams have shown the ability to get after the quarterback early in the season. DeMarcus Lawrence and J.J. Watt will both have a huge impact in this game and whoever plays better will play a big factor in which team comes out with a victory.
2. Watson’s impact in the run game.
In recent history, the Cowboys have struggled against quarterbacks who have the ability to make a true impact in the run game. This weekend in facing Deshaun Watson, Dallas will go up against one of, if not the best, rushing quarterbacks in the game, and this could create big problems for the Dallas defense.
With Deandre Hopkins and Will Fuller’s speed on the outside, there could be many holes created especially in man coverage for Watson to take off and run. Dallas linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith will play a big role in trying to stop Watson from running the football, and if they are unuseful the outcome will likely not be favorable for the Cowboys.
3. The Dak Prescott show.
Plain and simple it is going to be hard for the Cowboys to run against this Texans team. Houston has not allowed a rusher to gain over 82 yards in a single game, which is an extremely impressive number.
Although Dallas may have the best running back in the National Football League in Ezekiel Elliott, it seems hard to believe the Cowboys will be able to lean on him to carry the offense like they did last week against Detriot. This puts the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Dak Prescott.
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Teams have thrown the football against the Texans, just look at Andrew Lucks‘s 464 yards, five touchdown day last Sunday, so it can be done. If Dallas can give Prescott time they should be able to move the ball down the field. How Prescott performs Sunday, in my opinion, will be the biggest factor to whether or not Dallas comes out of this game with a win.