Cowboys vs. Jets: 5 Keys to Win, Injury & Inactives List
Many are still salivating over the Dallas Cowboys' 40-0 demolition of the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, but the other New York team comes to AT&T Stadium for a Week 2 outing.
Mike McCarthy's Texas Coast Offense kept a lot of its tricks hidden last week, but now, we could be about to see it unveiled.
Both defenses look to be in the upper echelon of units in the league so expect some fireworks.
But how do the Cowboys take down a Jets team brimming with confidence despite losing Aaron Rodgers? By doing a certain five things.
First though, is the list of inactives: Brandin Cooks (knee) is out, as is Tyler Smith (hamstring). Also inactive: Donovan Wilson (calf), Viliami Fehoko Jr., CB Eric Scott Jr., CB Noah Igbinoghene (meaning Jourdan Lewis is playing) and Trey Lance (emergency third QB).
And now the captains: CeeDee Lamb (offense), Osa Odighizuwa (defense) and Juanyeh Thomas (special teams).
Now to the five ...
1. Keep Dak Prescott upright: Everyone knows how ferocious the Jets' defensive front is and against the Bills, it was on display. Jeff Ulbrich's unit sacked Josh Allen five times, intercepted him three times, and had nine quarterback hits along with eight tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Conversely, Prescott was barely touched by the Giants defense in Week 1. That needs to happen again.
We saw what the Jets' defense looked like once they smelt blood in the water. The Cowboys' offensive line - working again without Tyler Smith - has to do its best not to chum the waters.
2. Pass rush has to unsettle Wilson: Prior to his injury - which was just four snaps into his Jets career - Aaron Rodgers was running for his life against the Bills. On three of Rodgers' four plays, he was pressured and hit on plays two and three before being sacked on the fourth.
That is the blueprint for Dan Quinn and his unit. ... with Tank Lawrence saying the new mantra is, "If you line up, you get (bleeped) up!''
Dallas sacked Daniel Jones (Giants QB) seven times and had 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, picked him off twice, and got itself forced three fumbles from the Giants offense as a whole.
We saw Zach Wilson looking dazed a few times in the pocket against Buffalo and Quinn will no doubt be dialing up plays to put the Jets' offense into poor situations to allow Micah Parsons and co. to go to work.
And if he does get the ball out, Dallas' ball-hawking secondary could have easy pickings.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
3. Stop Breece Hall: One of Dallas' Achilles heels over the last few seasons is stopping the run, hence why personnel boss Will McClay and the Cowboys coaching staff drafted Mazi Smith.
In all of Dallas' six losses last season (including playoffs), they gave up an astonishing 951 rushing yards, which averages out to 158.5 yards per game. The Jets can't be allowed to rush for that.
Hall is a north-south runner and he tore the Bills apart, going for 127 yards on just 10 carries. If the Jets are to cause an upset at AT&T Stadium, running the ball and neutralizing the ferocious pass rush will be how they do it.
Stop the run and force Wilson to sit back in the pocket and wait for Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Osa Odighizua, and co. to feast.
4. Limit turnovers: Dak Prescott and the offense did this superbly well in torrential rain at MetLife Stadium, but this Jets defense is a different beast.
With Dak excited to unveil the "Texas Coast Offense'' in the home confines of AT&T Stadium, he must be careful not to put the ball in harm's way. Josh Allen found out what happens when you are loose with the football as Jordan Whitehead intercepted him three times last week.
Many are excited to see the explosive offense as Dak has weapons that can get down the field in a hurry. ... even with Brandin Cooks out. But keep in mind that Whitehead, D.J. Reed, and Sauce Gardner will be occupying the secondary.
Play smart with the football, and take what the defense gives you. Don't give this opportunistic Jets defense a chance to set up a short field for Wilson and Co.
5. Be efficient on third down: The Cowboys, in the driving rain, converted 6/13 third downs, which by most measures, is passable (46.15%, ranked sixth in Week 1). Part of that was Dallas not forcing the ball down the field and being better situationally (which was a big reason McCarthy took over the play-calling duties).
We all know that no matter how good a defense is if they are on the field for extended periods of time, they will eventually wilt under the physical toll.
Picking up third downs and keeping the chains moving will have this Jets defense gasping for air and the Cowboys can then take full advantage. Additionally, not getting into long third-down situations will benefit Dak and the offense and won't allow the pass rush to get after Prescott.
Field goals would've been good enough last week against a Giants team that couldn't get anything going on both sides of the ball.
It won't be enough against the Jets (who ironically have a new kicker themselves with Greg Zeuerlein out.) The Cowboys need touchdowns and third-down conversions. ... and the Fish prediction is that they get 'em, with a 23-13 win.
