Sunday Night Football was a disaster for the Cowboys in Week 1. Here are five bold predictions on how they’ll respond in Week 2.
Week 1 didn’t go according to plan for the Cowboys. Dak Prescott and the offense turned in a listless performance before the star quarterback exited the game due to injury. If Dallas is going to get a win on Sunday, they’ll need a surprisingly efficient performance from backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
Prescott will be on the shelf for 6-8 weeks, which places monumental pressure on head coach Mike McCarthy to manufacture offensive production without the team’s catalyst. The Bengals come into town with a defense that believes it can feast on Rush and Dallas’ uninspiring group of wide receivers.
Read on to discover 5 bold predictions on how the game will go for the Cowboys.
5. Dallas running backs will catch 8+ passes
One surprising footnote from Week 1 is that Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott only combined for three receptions against the Buccaneers. That is a deficiency the Cowboys need to correct in Week 2 if they want to move the ball with any consistency.
Look for McCarthy to try to ease Rush into the game with a lot of screens and swing passes to his backs in the first quarter. The Bengals will be ready for that sort of conservative play, but it doesn’t mean Dallas won’t find some moderate success with routes out of the backfield. The end result should see the tandem of Elliott and Pollard combining for at least eight catches on the afternoon. Whether that will produce enough yards to keep the offense afloat is an entirely different question.