Browns To Play An Erratic Cowboys Team In Dallas
The Cleveland Browns are 2-1 and heading on the road to take on the Dallas Cowboys, who find themselves 1-2 that are as dangerous as they are erratic.
All three of the Cowboys games have come down to the wire, but they've been unimpressive late in those games. Their one victory was against an Atlanta Falcons, who had another preposterous failure to add to their remarkable history of gagging. The Falcons were not only up 20-0 and gave that up, but they had an opportunity to deal the victory and had no idea what to do on an onside kick.
The Cowboys are still tied for first place in what is easily the worst division in the NFL. The NFC East has an unparalleled collection of teams light on talent and heavy on injuries, combining for a collective 2-9-1 record through three games.
Almost all of the pressure on the Cowboys is coming from their massive echo chamber of fans, media and ownership. They should be better than what they are showing, at least in the standings.
The Cowboys defense is a mess. Losing Gerald McCoy for the season was a big blow and if not for the pressure Aldon Smith is generating, their pass rush wouldn't exist at the moment. Their linebackers look terrible and what's left of their secondary is struggling.
Offensively, they are missing players due to injury, but what they have healthy is still the envy of the league. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Ceedee Lamb. Even their fourth wide receiver Cedrick Wilson is an incredibly difficult matchup for opponents with his combination of size and speed.
When they are clicking, they are virtually unstoppable. The separation these receivers are able to create makes it look incredibly easy for Prescott, who is still fighting to get his massive contract extension. Just in the past two games, Dak has completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 922 yards at 8.8 yards per attempt.
The offense has the capacity to be incredibly explosive, putting up 30 points in the second half against the Falcons, but will occasionally experience some lulls. That can be as a result of pressure on Prescott, dropped passes or teams slowing down Ezekiel Elliott, who has been effective, but just doesn't seem to be 100 percent.
Despite all of that, they are averaging an incredible 7 yards per play and 490 yards per game on offense, both of which are among the highest in the league.
The problem is their defense has been so bad that despite incredible offensive production, it hasn't been enough to win.
A loss to the Browns would mean going 1-3, which could put an incredible amount of scrutiny on Mike McCarthy as head coach, Dak Prescott and this entire Cowboys team. It was always expected that the offense would have to carry this team, but to this point, it hasn't been enough.
Injuries have played a big role and their defensive line that looked good on paper entering the season has major players in various states of repair. If that group can get healthy, or at least as healthy as it's going to be this year, it might improve the situation somewhat.
They are going to be without linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and corner Chidobe Awuzie is unlikely to play this week as well, so relief might not arrive not arrive to help them beat the Browns.
The last thing that stands out about the Cowboys has been head coach Mike McCarthy and some of the decisions he's been making late in the game. Because every game has gone to the wire, he's been in the spotlight and it hasn't been great for him.
After recovering the onside kick against the Falcons, McCarthy curiously sat on the ball to set up 46-yard field goal. The kick was made and they won, but had Greg Zuerlein missed, it would've been easy to second guess the decision not to keep trying to gain yards to set up an easier kick. It wasn't a time issue. McCarthy used up the clock to set up the kick.
Against the Seahawks, some of McCarthy's play calling was criticized as the team fell short when Prescott was intercepted in the end zone, sealing 38-31 Seahawks victory.
However good the Cowboys truly are remains to be seen, but for the Browns, a win and moving to 3-1 would announce their presence on the national stage as well as put them in a great position to make their way into the playoffs. It's a huge opportunity to continue growing and get a big win on the road.
