NFL Week 6 bold prediction: Why Andy Dalton will seamlessly replace Dak Prescott, for now

At least this week, the Cowboys’ script for a win could look identical to what it looked like under Dak Pescott.

The Dallas Cowboys lost their QB1 Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury, but there’s reason to believe Andy Dalton can seamlessly replace Prescott in Week 6 — even if the situation gets more troubling in weeks to come.

With Dallas’ defense struggling, they are almost certainly going to allow Kyler Murray to move the ball with ease. That’ll force Dalton and the rest of the Cowboys offense to put up big numbers in response. But because the Arizona defense has been quietly lackluster this year, Dalton actually has a good chance to keep pace. The Cardinals have allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards per game this year — but against lesser opponents. Their DVOA as a defense is ranked 20th, and they just lost defensive end Chandler Jones for the year. Their takeaways are also fourth fewest in the NFL.

That creates an opportunity for the Cowboys. I predict Dallas beats Arizona, and Dalton helps the Cowboys offense continue to function at a high level for another week.