A Closer Look at the Cowboys with 5 Questions and Answers
Here are five questions I asked Timm Hamm, who covers the Dallas Cowboys for SI Cowboys Country.
1. Cooper Rush's emergence has been a surprise here in Philly and nationally as well. Why do you think he has been able to have such great success in place of Dak Prescott?
Timm Hamm: I think Rush has been a great bus driver up to this point. He might be running the offense better right now than Dak could, especially with the recent injuries to Prescott. Rush has kept his mistakes to a minimum (no interceptions) and has taken what defenses have given him. And it helps that the offensive line has played out of its mind lately.
2. Is Tony Pollard the better back than Zeke Elliott now?
Hamm: There's zero chance this is true. Pollard is good for what he's being used for. A substitute back who gets 6-10 carries a game. There's no way he could ever replace what Elliott does, though. Pollard is clueless unless he's being given the ball or catching a pass. He can't block and he can't pick up blitzes. If Pollard were the full-time back, Dak, or anyone else playing quarterback for the Cowboys would simply be killed.
3. Are there enough weapons after CeeDee Lamb at WR?
Hamm: Unfortunately, in my opinion, Lamb isn't much of a weapon himself unless he's got help. The return of Michael Gallup has helped the production of Lamb tremendously, but he still needs to be better. When James Washington returns from injury we'll see if Lamb can be a WR1. I still have my doubts. I think Dallas is still in desperate need of a veteran presence at WR.
4. Who is one under-the-radar player doing well on offense and one on defense?
Hamm: That's a great question.
On defense, there's no question it's defensive end Dorance Armstrong. With the loss of Randy Gregory to Denver in free agency, someone needed to pick up the slack and Armstrong has been that guy. He might be better than Gregory, to be honest.
He's got four sacks in five games with a forced fumble and 12 tackles. And let's not forget that blocked punt and recovery against the Rams last week that led to the Cowboys' first touchdown of the game.
On offense, I think the play of rookie OL Tyler Smith has surprised everyone. With the offseason injury to left tackle Tyron Smith, there were worries about who could step in. Tyler Smith, the Cowboys' first-round pick in this year's draft, has done a more than admirable job on that left side and it's certainly contributed to the success of Rush in Prescott's absence.
5. What is your final score prediction?
This is a tough one, but, being realistic, I think it'll be a little more low-scoring than what people think. Dallas has struggled to score points this season and I think that trend will continue this week against Philly.
And while the Eagles' offense has had no trouble scoring points, it hasn't faced a defense quite like the Cowboys, yet. I see a Philadelphia win on its home field, 21-17.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
