Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers: 5 Keys to Win, Injury & Inactives List

The Dallas Cowboys get a chance to redeem themselves against the Los Angeles Chargers after their brutal loss to San Francisco last week.

With so much attention being placed on the Cowboys and with many questioning exactly how good this year's version is, the Chargers game feels like a potential season-defining game for Mike McCarthy's team this early in the year.

But how can the Cowboys escape SoFi Stadium with a win and vanquish some of the demons from last week's debacle? By doing these five things.

But first, the captains and the inactive list. Those captains: Zack Martin (offense), Micah Parsons (defense) and Malik Jefferson (special teams).

And the Inactives: Juanyeh Thomas (hamstring), Noah Igbinoghene, Deuce Vaughn, Asim Richards, Eric Scott Jr., Junior Fehoko Jr. and Trey Lance.

Now to the five keys.

1. Get Dak Prescott in rhythm:

From the opening snap last week, Dak Prescott and the offense couldn't get into any sort of rhythm. Aside from the drive that led to KaVontae Turpin's touchdown, the offense was disjointed and struggled to get anything going.

Against a Chargers defense that gives up the most passing yards per game in the NFL, getting Prescott going early - and doing it with squeaky wheel CeeDee Lamb - could be hugely beneficial and give the Cowboys a good chance to create some scoreboard separation.

By the way, do the Chargers stop receivers? They do not. So far in four games, the wideouts and their lines: Tyreek Hill (11/215/2), Justin Jefferson (7/149/1), Jaylen Waddle (4/78/0), Treylon Burks (3/76/0), Davante Adams (8/75/0), and Jordan Addison (6/52/0). That's called "vulnerability.''

2. Convert third downs:

Against the 49ers, Dallas managed to convert just four of 11 third downs, and the most frustrating part of that was they were all in manageable distances, too.

The Cowboys' strength throughout the first five weeks has been their ability to convert third downs. Before the San Francisco game, Dallas converted 50% of their third downs until they met the stout Niners defense.

Having long, sustained drives by picking up third downs will get this "Texas Coast Offense" rolling, and as we have seen, when that happens, good things usually follow. (Jake Ferguson can be a help here, though safety Derwin James might shadow him.)

3. Defense to clamp Chargers receivers:

The Chargers, led by former Cowboys coordinator Kellen Moore, average the fifth-most passing yards per game (288.8), with Keenan Allen (35 receptions, 434 yards) being the one Dan Quinn's unit has to stop.

Dallas' secondary needs to clamp down on the Chargers' receiving unit, as they can hit you from several directions. A player to watch is tight end Gerald Everett, as he is No. 3 for receiving yards (with No. 2 Mike Williams out) for the Chargers. But ... the other tight end is interesting. Three of Donald Parham’s six catches have resulted in touchdowns - oh, he's 6-8.

Slowing down the Chargers' high-octane passing attack and not allowing Allen and company to get rolling will go a long way toward helping Dallas get its fourth win of the season.

4. Limit turnovers:

Last week's loss aside, the Cowboys had been very good at not turning the football over. But we saw what happens when turnovers creep into Dallas' offense, the game can get away from you quickly, and that happened against the 49ers.

The last thing that McCarthy will want to do is give the Chargers' seventh-ranked offense (27.5 points a game) extra possessions.

It can be a give-and-take as the Chargers defense gives up a lot of passing yards, but they have eight turnovers on the year. Finding the middle ground between being in "attack mode," as McCarthy said, and taking care of the football is crucial.

Dallas had four turnovers last week; how about none against Los Angeles?

5. Limit the laundry:

Dallas ranks 14th for penalties through five games (35). While the penalty issues have been resolved to some extent, they have been a big issue in the Cowboys' two losses.

In Dallas' two losses, they have 19 penalties for 167 yards. The six against the 49ers might not seem like much, but it was the timing that mattered. They extended drives when the defense should have been off the field.

The offense put itself behind the chains with false starts and allowed the Niners' defense to rush Prescott. With Khalil Mack (6.0 sacks) and Joey Bosa (3.0) ready to hunt, Dallas can't afford the self-inflicted wounds to hinder them in consecutive weeks.

And having said all of that? Our Mike Fisher goes Cowboys 27, Chargers 24 with the prediction. Buckle up!