The Dallas Cowboys host the Jacksonville Jaguars this week and with them comes their top-ranked defense. This certainly isn’t good news for the Cowboys who are struggling so much on the offensive side of the ball, but there is a slight glimmer of hope. The Jaguars defense may have one weakness the Cowboys can exploit.
We all know it’s not going to be the Dallas Cowboys passing game that’s going to exploit the Jaguars defense Sunday afternoon. Quarterback Dak Prescott and his receivers have yet to develop any kind of bond with one another or find any consistency. I don’t expect that to change this week considering Jacksonville’s secondary might just be the best in the entire NFL.
Jacksonville’s talented defense is only giving up 17.2 points per game through the first five weeks of the 2018 season. It’s one of the reasons why they are currently the top-ranked team in total defense so for this season. That certainly doesn’t bode well for the Dallas Cowboys.
To make matters worse, the Jaguars defense is also currently the best and top ranked in the passing game. They are only allowing 191 passing yards a game and have only surrendered a total of three touchdown passes to opposing teams this year. I definitely don’t think this is where the Cowboys can’t hope to exploit their defense.
So where can the Dallas Cowboys exploit the Jaguars defense?
Well, the best chance the Dallas Cowboys have against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense is on the ground with Ezekiel Elliott and the running game. Jacksonville is currently ranked 14th in rushing defense, two behind the Cowboys. They are giving up 101.2 rushing yards per game and have yet to square off against a running back as talented as Zeke.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ezekiel Elliott is still leading the league’s leading rusher with 480 total rushing yards. Despite seeing extra defenders in the box week after week and the struggles the Cowboys are having in the passing game, Zeke is still is being productive and averaging 5.2 rushing yards per attempt and 96 yards a game. He will definitely have to keep that up this week with the Jaguars coming into town.
The bad news is, anybody that has watched any film on the Cowboys know Ezekiel Elliott is the only threat the offense has so far. The Jaguars can, and probably will, play a lot of man-to-man coverage and devote extra attention to stopping/containing Zeke Sunday afternoon. They have the talent in the secondary to do just that with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, arguably the best cornerback tandem in the league.
Although it’s a slight glimmer of hope, the Dallas Cowboys best chance at defeating the Jaguars is exploiting their middle of the road rushing defense. Sometimes the slightest glimmer of hope is all we as Cowboys fans can hang on to, especially this year.
