After Thursday’s 20-15 win over the New York Giants, the Cowboys have evened their record to 2-2 and are one game behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders for the NFC East lead.
It was an uninspiring win, though. The Giants controlled the game, running 14 more plays and held the ball for 11 minutes more than the Cowboys. New York could only muster five field goals, however. Daniel Jones went 29-of-40 for 281 yards, with Malik Nabers catching 12-of 15-targets for 115 yards and Wan’Dale Robinson hauling in 11-of-14 passes for 71 yards.
A win is a win is a win. That said, New Orleans smoked them at home by 35 points, then Baltimore came in and won the following week. The Cowboys’ only win up to that point was a 33-17 drubbing of Cleveland, but the Browns are looking like one of the lower-rung teams in the league.
Offensively, the Dallas ranks 19th in passing success rate and 23rd in Pass EPA. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb make up one of the best duos in the league, but the complementary players aren’t great. Teams can bracket Lamb, stifling the passing attack.
On the ground, Dallas is 19th in success rate and 18th in Rush EPA. Rico Dowdle has flashed at times, but Ezekiel Elliot is still getting snaps. That’s all you need to know.
Defensively is where the most problems are, though. The run defense has been atrocious. Alvin Kamara went for 115 yards and three touchdowns on only 20 carries, while Derrick Henry rumbled for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
The once vaunted Cowboys pass defense has been a shell of its former glory. Injuries have played a part for sure, but there are no pity parties in the NFL. Daniel Jones just sliced and diced the unit.
Now, the Commanders have a rookie quarterback and a sieve of a defense. They likely won’t compete for the top spot in the division, and DK Sportsbook currently has them at +700 to win the NFC East, the third-lowest odds.
The current favorite is the Philadelphia Eagles at -175. The Eagles have also had some issues on defense and are experiencing some injuries on the offensive side of the ball, but their greatest strength right now is running the ball with Saquon Barkley, which rams right into the biggest weakness of the Cowboys.
It’s early and there’s a lot of football left to be played. The Eagles will likely win the NFC East, but it’s within the range of outcomes that the Cowboys finish on top at the end. The Cowboys can figure out their run defense. At the end of the day, it’s a quarterback league and the Cowboys have Prescott, with arguably one of the best wide receivers in the game. DK Sportsbook has them at +230 to win the NFC East.
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