Ladies and gentlemen, week 1 of the NFL season is finally upon us, and we are all giddy with anticipation for kickoff on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys will visit the Cleveland Browns in what I believe will be a much more defensive-minded game than people think.
A bold start to the season requires bold predictions, and that’s what I bring to you today. Three bold predictions for this Sunday’s season opener that might seem far-fetched, but are well in the realm of possibility.
I might be alone with this take, but I believe the defenses will have more of an impact on the game than the offenses will.
Micah Parsons Records 3 Sacks
The Cleveland Browns will be without their starting left tackle in this Sunday’s season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Jedrick Wills Jr. started the week on the injury report with a hamstring issue, and has since been downgraded to DNP (Did Not Participate) in practice.
This is huge for the Browns because now they will be forced to start James Hudson in place of Wills. Hudson is a former 4th round pick by Cleveland who has started 14 out of a possible 45 games since being drafted.
Hudson draws the unenviable task of protecting QB Deshaun Watson’s blindside versus the likes of Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, and whoever else Cowboys’ DC Mike Zimmer chooses to blitz from the right side of the defense.
This is a bold prediction because Micah Parsons has never had three sacks in one game. Twice he has recorded 2.5 sacks in a game, but the 3.0 stat line has eluded him up until this point. That changes this Sunday in Cleveland.
Myles Garrett Records 3 Sacks of His Own
The Cleveland Browns have their own pass rusher who is widely considered the best EDGE in the NFL. His name is Myles Garrett, and Parsons is constantly being compared to the 3x All-Pro and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Garrett has to be licking his chops at the prospect of primarily lining up across Cowboys’ rookie LT Tyler Guyton. Guyton was drafted as a raw prospect who played most of his college career on the right side of the offense.
The rookie is a left side player now, and live reps versus one of the best pass rushers in the NFL in his first career NFL game should show us pretty quickly if his sessions with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather have paid off.
Guyton will struggle early on and give up a sack to Garrett, but the other two sacks will not be Guyton’s fault. Much like Zimmer plans to do with Parsons, Browns’ DC Jim Schwartz moves Garrett around the defensive formation to create mismatches.
Garrett will find himself lined up over rookie C Cooper Beebe and will record two more sacks while rushing through the A-gap.
Amari Cooper Hits 100 Yards Receiving
The Dallas Cowboys possess one of the elite secondaries in the NFL, featuring cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland on the boundary. Add in Nickel CB Jourdan Lewis in the slot, plus the back end coverage of Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Markquese Bell, and Juanyeh Thomas, and the Cowboys aren’t easy to throw on.
However, it has yet to be seen if Diggs is fully recovered from a torn ACL suffered last season, and Bland is out for several weeks with a stress fracture in his foot requiring surgery. Rookie Caelen Carson has been promoted in his place, and his first task will be to cover one of the best route runners in the NFL.
Amari Cooper was shipped to the Browns for a 5th round pick a couple of years ago, and many Cowboys fans (including myself) still scoff at the compensation they received. Cooper is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and he will be itching to show that this weekend versus his former team.
Carson calls himself the walking seat belt because he puts the straps on wide receivers, but he has never seen the caliber of player that he will have to cover this Sunday.
Cooper will use his route running ability to show the rookie cornerback a thing or two on his way to 100+ receiving yards for the game.