After starting the season in the worst way possible, to then losing Dak Prescott for what many thought at the time was going to be for around six to eight weeks, the Dallas Cowboys have turned their season around.
With Cooper Rush and the offense complementing the superb work that Dan Quinn's defense is doing, the Cowboys have rattled off wins against Cincinnati and the New York Giants. Now comes another NFC East division battle against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium.
So, what do the Cowboys need to do to secure a third consecutive win?
Continue to be efficient on offense
One thing that was severely lacking in the season opener was cohesion between the running game and the passing game. For whatever reason, that has now corrected itself.
Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are running the ball as well as ever as both are averaging 4.5 yards and 5.6 yards per carry, respectively.
.@RealSkipBayless on Cooper Rush putting pressure on Dak for QB1:
"Trust me, the Dallas Cowboys scale of 1-10 on QB controversy are at a 9 right now. Your eyes are telling you the truth, Cooper Rush has operated this offense at a high level and more efficient than Dak." pic.twitter.com/grTG8EODlz
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) September 27, 2022
Cooper Rush is also doing a superb job of staying ahead of the chains, and his poise in the pocket has allowed him to hit his receivers with precision. Rush had 450 passing yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions in his two starts this season.
If Dallas continues what it is doing and Kellen Moore calls plays as he has in the last fortnight, the Cowboys will win this game.
Cowboys defense needs to show up again
One thing that has been a positive this season is that Dan Quinn's defense looks to have improved after last year's efforts. So far, through three games, Dallas has 13 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 25 quarterback hits, with Micah Parsons the standout.
prior to that last drive where Dallas played prevent…
Daniel Jones was pressured on 21 of his 46 dropbacks (46%)
results:
5 sacks
4 scrambles
12 attempts
5 completions (42%) at 4.2 YPAthis was predictable, the Dallas pass rush v NYG (lack of) pass pro was a huge mismatch https://t.co/A5q0rwk2kI
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 27, 2022
It is worth noting that Dallas is against the second-most sacked quarterback in the league so far in Carson Wentz. Many expect the defense to follow a similar path to what they did to Daniel Jones last week that resulted in them sacking him five times, having 12 quarterback hits and a whopping 22 quarterback pressures.
If Dan Quinn has his unit in the groove early, Sunday could be a long one for Wentz.
Must cut out penalties
The Cowboys Achilles heel this season has been costly penalties. They rank 26th out of 32 teams for penalties and have committed a ridiculous amount. They had 10 against the Buccaneers, five against the Bengals, and eight against the Giants, totaling up to 23 penalties for 178 yards. That is too much.
The Dallas Cowboys have negatively impacted themselves on all three possessions between themselves and the Giants so far in this game by way of penalties.
Penalties are an issue.
Penalties are an issue.
Penalties are an issue.
It is undeniable at this point.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) September 27, 2022
Some penalties stalled great drives against the Giants and made life difficult for the offense. While so far, turnovers have rarely been sighted, that needs to continue on Sunday, but penalties need to be stamped out and quick if Dallas is going to make a playoff run.