FRISCO, TEXAS — After a lackluster season, the Dallas Cowboys still sit atop the NFC East. The 2-4 club will hit the road to take on the 1-5 Washington Football Team in a critical week seven divisional matchup.
“ On a yearly basis your production of wins, how it leads to a playoff berth, you need to really north of four division wins, “ Mike McCarthy told media on Thursday. “ If you look at the four division wins that gets you a lot higher percentage as far as your probability of making the playoffs. Obviously, you win five or six of your division games, your probability is even higher.”
The record may not show it but Washington has one of the best defensive fronts in football that poses a big challenge for Andy Dalton and co. The unit is currently ranked second in the league in pass defense. With the addition of edge rusher Chase Young, Washington’s defensive line rotation now consists of five first-rounders: Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, Montez Sweat, and Ryan Karrigan. They will aim to exploit Dallas’ banged up offensive line and wreak havoc on Andy Dalton in the pocket.
Under new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, Washington returned to a 4-3 scheme with pressure coming from the front-four. The rotation has accumulated 16 sacks (eighth) in 2020 and will be hunting for more on Sunday.
On the defensive line, Connor Williams told D210SPORTS “ They’re obviously a great defensive line and they hold the back of the defense. I think that’s what they put their hat on, and it’s all about being able to go out and execute our job and execute at a high level, and beat them with energy and beat them with fight.”
Offensively, the Cowboys are not the only team struggling with slow starts. Dallas has fallen behind early in games due to turnovers and has not been able to create the desired balanced attack. In addition, Washington has not been able to score on the opening drive of a game or the second half this season, going 0-12 on those possessions. They have been outscored 108-44 in the first half through six games and the Cowboys have been outscored 137-80 in the first half.
Teams facing off against the Cowboys have been able to impose their will, knocking the ball out and forcing Dallas to become one-dimensional coming from behind. With more passing downs, that also puts more stress on the Cowboys’ injured O-Line on additional pass blocking snaps and that is the optimal opportunity for opponents to dial up pressure. Dalton will need to release the ball quick and the offensive line is going to have to win their one-on-one matchups to provide him with enough time to go through progressions and avoid mistakes.
