Dallas Cowboys: Midseason predictions and playoff cautionary tales
By Richard Ball
Week 13 – Cowboys vs. Bills
On a short week, Dallas will welcome home former wide receiver Cole Beasley and his new team, the Buffalo Bills, for a Thanksgiving matinee. The Bills have been a pleasant surprise this season and currently have a 5-2 record which would be good enough for a wildcard spot.
Four years ago against the Bills, current offensive coordinator Kellen Moore had his first-ever start in the NFL in the Week Sixteen loss in Buffalo. That fun fact likely has nothing to do with this game except that Moore may be out for revenge for his spoiled debut. He just might spend a bit more time prepping his game plan so that current Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott finds a way to throw for more than the 186 yards on 31 attempts that earned Moore a 48.6 quarterback rating.
Prescott will need every bit of Moore’s creativity if he wants to have success against the Bills’ third-ranked defense. He might want to consider handing the ball to his running back as the Bills are more easily defeated on the ground than through the air.
This game will be another opportunity for the Dallas defense to shine. The Bills have been opportunistic on offense as the run and pass have been below average so far this season.
The Cowboys defense will be better synchronized after working out the issues that plagued them in the Packers and Jets games. They will need to watch out for Bills quarterback Josh Allen sneaking out of the backfield so expect Jaylon Smith to play a spy role and make a few big hits on Allen who hasn’t learned how to slide yet.
The Cowboys will give thanks for a complete game on offense and defense and notch their eighth win of the season. With any luck, the Seahawks will find a way to win in Philadelphia to give Dallas a bigger cushion in the division.