The 2-1 Cleveland Browns pack their bags and head southwest to face the 1-2 Cowboys on Sunday.
To catch up with what’s going on with “America’s Team,” I asked Cowboys Wire managing editor K.D. Drummond a few questions about the matchup. Drummond is a font of information and isn’t your typical Cowboys homer, so it’s very nice to get some good tidbits on the NFC East foe.
What is going on with the once-vaunted offensive line?
Time waits for no man, and certainly not for a group of them. The biggest issue is injury. Travis Frederick retired. Tyron Smith’s neck stingers popped up earlier than usual this season. La’el Collins is dealing with a hip injury that will likely require surgery. Losing both tackles and a center is a death sentence for any line.
Connor Williams, the weak link, now has weak links flanking him. Even though 2019 UDFA Brandon Knight has been really good, 2020 UDFA tackle Terence Steele has been really bad. There’s no continuity, no familiarity, and therefore nobody but Zack Martin holding things down. It’s a whole mess.
Dak Prescott might be the most criticized good QB by his own fan base. How is that relationship playing out, and why can’t Jerry Jones shut up about it?
This week’s comments were taken out of context. He worded it poorly but he was saying that Prescott is the same type of QB as [Patrick] Mahomes and [Tony] Romo that can even give their team a chance to make a play under the circumstances at the end of the Seattle loss. As for Prescott’s status among the fanbase, the smart ones know what they have. The dumb ones are always stuck on draft pedigree and finding ways to justify their early beliefs he isn’t the guy.
In addition, it’s America’s Team, so everyone has an opinion on it. Prescott is ridiculously good, but he’s not perfect. So despite setting a franchise record with 291 straight attempts without an interception — old narratives re-emerge as soon as he does throw one.
The Dallas pass rush has not clicked yet, though it is trending up. Is it personnel, scheme or just more of a need to play together?
Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who doesn’t have the best track record, decided he was going to implement a hybrid 30/40 front with two-gap responsibilities on the interior and edge rushers from a two-point stance. Then COVID-19 happened and wiped out all install sessions and prep work, along with preseason games to work on technique in actual game conditions. Instead of reverting to what the players know, they pressed forward.
If it weren’t for the natural talent of DeMarcus Lawrence drawing attention and Aldon Smith’s supernatural abilities, it’d be a barren wasteland of pressure.
Who are a couple of Cowboys who don’t get enough national attention for their games?
That’s an oxymoron, isn’t it? Cowboys who don’t get enough attention? I mentioned Knight, who will likely have the unfortunate responsibility of stopping Myles Garrett on Sunday. LB Joe Thomas is playing in place of Leighton Vander Esch (though at Will backer) and is outplaying Jaylon Smith each week.
Rookie Trevon Diggs has given up some big plays, but his future stardom is evident in almost every snap. The down-roster WRs, Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown, have each emerged as serious threats to any defense.
What is one thing about the Browns that scares you for Dallas?
Nick Chubb. That’s a whole problem, man. He’s the real deal.
Who wins and why?
I think the Cowboys, at home in front of fans, have the advantage here. Tyron Smith should be back and help calm the line down a bit, improving both left and right tackle. They’ll keep Dalton Schultz in to help protect against Garrett a lot and allow the wideouts to go to work.
Shout out to Terrance Mitchell for y’all — he was my first player interview back when he was drafted by Dallas. Proud of him, but I don’t know how he holds up against this arsenal of receivers. Cowboys 40, Browns 27