Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets: Predicting a winner

When the Cowboys have the ball

Contrary to the popular narrative, I think the Dallas Cowboys are on to something with their offensive passing game. With wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup both in the lineup, there is definitely a noticeable difference in terms of spacing to create throwing lanes for Dak. No matter how you cut it, it’s no easy task to throw for 468 yards and that’s exactly what Prescott did.

There was a lot of hang wringing this past week about the Cowboys running game or lack thereof. I think the Cowboy should continue to take what the defense gives them and not try to force the run just because they have running back Ezekiel Elliott on the field.

That being said, there is an undeniable drop off in how Elliott gets his yards. Of the top ten running backs in the league, there are three that don’t have a rush longer than 27 yards and Elliott is one of them. The Cowboys need to produce some explosive plays in the running game and giving rookie running back Tony Pollard 6-8 carries per game can help.

As bad as the Jets have been, their defense is not playing all that bad. Currently 12th in the league in total yards given up per game, they pose a formidable threat. With offensive tackle Tyron Smith out and possibly La’el Collins as well, the Jets have an opportunity to disrupt and put Dallas in some uncomfortable situations.

I think the Cowboys continue to lean on the Prescott to Cooper connection and moves the ball early and often against the Jets. The area missing that I’d like to see show up is Dak using Elliott more consistently on dump downs as opposed to small window passes.

Prediction: Cowboys score at least 24 points on the Jets defense