With only a few days until facing Broncos, it’s time to start dealing with our next opponent rather with ongoing NFL vs. Zeke battle. It might seem that the season has only begun, but the stakes are high as ever. According to Joe Osborne from OddsShark since 2016, 59 percent of teams that start the season with 2-0 score will reach the playoffs. The game is also important to win because the Denver squad is the best defensive unit in the entire NFL. They are notoriously bad hosts having 19-1 score since 2000 playing on home turf in first two weeks. Another thing not to be underestimated, the altitude in Denver which is not pleasant to any visiting team at the start of the season.
Here are the seven things Dallas Cowboys need to do in order to come out victorious from Sport Authority Field.
1) First things first. Stop Von Miller! Easier said than done. Miller was one of the most dominant defenders in the league during 2016 accumulating 13.5 sacks and forcing three fumbles. On the positive side, the Boys have their weapons at disposal. Fantastic O-Line with probably two best tackles in Tyron Smith and La’el Collins.
2) Like we said in an earlier article Ezekiel Elliott is eligible to play vs. Broncos. The league’s most dominant rusher is the Cowboys key to victory in any game, and so he is on this one. As good as the Broncos secondary is, their biggest weakness is run defense. Playing against best rushing attack definitely won’t be easy. So the formula is simple as the Cowboys fans already know: Feed Zeke!
3) The use of rushing attack on the one side is vital for winning, but stopping Denver rushing game is also important. The Cowboys defense allowed 3.9 yards per carry during 2016 and Broncos might look to take advantage of this. With healthy C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles in RB combo, Broncos might just pose some threat to the Cowboys. Stop them running the ball!
4) Have fewer turnovers than your opponent, and you’ll win. Seems logical and it is, even more than you think. During 2016 season the team that had fewer turnovers in any given game has won the match on 78 percent of the time. Dallas QB Prescott has an outstanding TD to TO ration which was only improved during week one. If Dak stays clean of turnovers on the next game, he could become the record holder in this statistic for players with 500 or more attempts. He currently has 4 INT on 498 attempts. Impressive!
5) Stop Trevor Siemian. Yes, it sounds like we’re giving him too much credit. He’s not an elite QB, but he’s solid one. What he does best is to conquer the field with short passes putting pressure on opponents defense and wearing them out. What Cowboys need to do in order to make him less dangerous is to force him to throw the ball down the field. Long passes haven’t been his strong side with only 14 completed of 48 attempts when throwing to a receiver positioned 20 yards and further than him.
6) Taking advantage of Bronco’s O-Line is another thing the Dallas based team needs to do. For years back Denver’s has struggled to compose even a solid offensive line. The case is the same today. Despite them looking composed during the match vs. Chargers they just fell apart when Ronald Leary left the field suffering a concussion. If he misses the Cowboys game, they could be in trouble. Dallas secondary is young, but they showed against the Giants that they can play. The key to success is to pressure Siemian enough that he can’t establish the flow with his WRs Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Both of which are very talented players.
7) Be sharp on the special team’s plays! There’s no better example of this than the one that happened on Monday night. The Broncos managed to win the tie against the Chargers thanks to their special team blocking LA field goal which would tie the game. This case is not an everyday happening on the NFL games but it proved vital for this duel and it might also be for the Broncos vs. Cowboys game.
