marioherreraThe Dallas Cowboys under Head Coach Mike McCarthy have a 2-1 record in games played immediately after the bye week.
His record would be a perfect 3-0 if not for former Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore’s refusal to “run the damn ball” while up 14 in the 4th at Lambeau Field against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
In each of his first three seasons with Dallas, the post bye week game has come against an NFC North opponent.
Twice victors against the Minnesota Vikings, and the aforementioned blown lead at Green Bay last year.
This year brings another challenge, but this time against the Los Angeles Rams of the NFC West division.
Dallas is currently 0-2 this season versus the NFC West after road losses to both the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.
The Cowboys aim to fare better on the turf at AT&T Stadium, where they currently hold a 10 game winning streak.
A familiar face returns to the Dallas metroplex in the form of Rams’ QB Matthew Stafford.
Stafford played high school football at juggernaut Dallas Highland Park, and is making his fourth career start in Arlington.
In front of family and friends at AT&T Stadium, Stafford holds an overall 1-3 record that includes an 0-1 mark in postseason play.
Today we will discuss three bold predictions that will prevent Stafford from improving that record to 2-3.
Cowboys Will Rush For Over 200 Yards
This is bold because the Cowboys’ highest single game rushing total of the season is 185 yards in a loss at Arizona.
It will now be the third game where the “best five” will line up together across the offensive line.
From left to right on Sunday will be LT Tyron Smith, LG Tyler Smith, C Tyler Biadasz, RG Zack Martin, and RT Terence Steele.
McCarthy’s game plan should be to control the clock by running the football, and taking timely play action shots downfield.
RBs Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle will pair with the opportunistic scrambles from QB Dak Prescott to get Dallas over 200 yards rushing for the game for the first time this season.
A good run game serves two purposes. It controls the clock, and it keeps Stafford and the high-powered passing offense from developing a rhythm.
The return of RB’s coach and run game coordinator Jeff Blasko from a short illness will do wonders for the rushing attack also.
The Defense Will Win The RedZone Battle
Head Coach Sean McVay’s offense led by Stafford is scoring touchdowns on 60% of their redzone trips, good enough to rank 10th in the NFL.
Their offense fields two of the most dynamic wide receivers in the league.
Veteran Cooper Kupp missed the first four games of the season with injury, but in three games since his return has caught 17 passes on 28 targets for 295 yards and a touchdown.
His backup, rookie sensation Puka Nacua, has filled in at a level that the Rams likely didn’t even expect.
Nacua stepped right into the number one wide receiver role to the tune of 58 receptions on 82 targets for 752 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s no small task to keep Stafford, Kupp, and Nacua from moving the ball down the field, and I don’t expect Dallas to do that great of a job trying to.
Kupp and Nacua will be effective sitting in zones of the Dallas defense, but the Cowboys will be effective with a bend but don’t break strategy.
For however many times the Rams drive inside the Cowboys’ 20 yard line, they will have no choice to resort to field goals and missed 4th down opportunities.
Brandon Aubrey & Bryan Anger Will Be Perfect
Rookie K Brandon Aubrey has been a pleasant surprise after a not-so-close training camp battle with Tristan Vizcaino.
Aubrey shanked his first ever kick in an NFL regular season game, an extra point attempt at MetLife Stadium versus the Giants.
Since that miss, Aubrey has nailed every one of the subsequent 26 kicks, and is looking to set the NFL record for made field goals to start a career.
Aubrey will not only make all of his attempts, but each one of his kickoffs will be a touchback, forcing the Rams to drive the length of the field.
With Aubrey having a perfect day, P Bryan Anger will also step up his game to limit the Rams.
So far this season, Anger ranks 5th highest in the NFL with 11 of his punts resulting in a fair catch.
This Sunday, every single one of Anger’s punts will result in a fair catch or will be downed inside the Rams’ 20 yard line.
Game Prediction
To sum it up, the Cowboys will use old-school football principles to come out with a victory versus the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
They will use an effective running game, a stingy redzone defense, and immaculate special teams play to improve to 5-2 on the season.
It might not be flashy, and certain fans will complain about the offensive approach, but the Cowboys will win by the score of 24-16 to extend their home winning streak to 11 games.
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