Better team: Romo-less Cowboys or Bridgewater-less Vikings?
Are the Minnesota Vikings or Dallas Cowboys better equipped to survive and compete after injuries to their franchise quarterbacks?
Starting quarterbacks are having a rough go of things in the pre-season this year. Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Tony Romo is out for 6-10 weeks with a broken bone in his back, and now Teddy Bridgewater of the Minnesota Vikings left practice with a left knee injury. Both teams entered the year are favorites to make the playoffs, but with injuries to their starting quarterbacks, can either team achieve success during the 2016-2017 season? And which team is likely to have a better season?
The answer shouldn’t surprise you. Both team are capable of having successful 2016 campaigns without their starting QBs, but only one team is capable of making the playoffs.
The Minnesota Vikings have never been a big passing threat. Even with a healthy Teddy Bridgewater, the Vikings’ plan heading into each and every season is to lean heavily on star running back Adrian Peterson and a great defense.
The Vikings don’t put up 30 points a game like some of the vaunted offenses in the NFL today because they don’t need to. They don’t need a crazy aerial assault in order to win football games. The Vikings scored 22.8 points per game last year behind only 17 total touchdowns from Teddy Bridgewater. Adrian Peterson had a healthy 11 touchdowns during the 2015 season, which could see a slight rise in 2016 with Bridgewater’s absence.
With a healthy Peterson and an incredible defense, the Vikings won’t need much out of a back-up quarterback. They have veteran quarterback Shaun Hill and undrafted free agent Joel Stave as numbers two and three on their depth chart. Although there isn’t much talent there, the only thing Hill needs to do is manage a game, and after 15 seasons in the NFL, he’s learned how to do that. The Vikings will probably seek out other veteran QBs as well, so to say their season is in jeopardy with the loss of Bridgewater is a mistake. They’re going to be just fine without him.
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In contrast, the injury to Tony Romo is a Dallas playoff-dream crusher. Yes, Dak Prescott has been impressive so far this year, completing 78 percent of his passes, and Ezekiel Elliot looks as good as advertised, but that still doesn’t help them reach the playoffs. The Cowboys were second to last in scoring offense last year without Tony Romo, and their defense was outside the top 15 in scoring defense.
Couple those two facts and the 2016 campaign for the Dallas Cowboys looks like a failure before it has even started. Take that with a grain of salt, however, as a failure for the Dallas Cowboys is defined differently than it is for most teams. The Cowboys will have a winning season, but they will not make the playoffs. Prescott looks the part of an efficient quarterback, the Dallas offensive line is one of the best in the NFL, and Elliot is the most hyped back to enter the NFL since, well Todd Gurley, but the Cowboys are too inexperienced to win pivotal games. Prescott and Elliot are not used to the pace and style of NFL football, and it will hurt the Cowboys in the long run.
The Vikings are the better team without their starting quarterback, plain and simple.