The Dallas Cowboys are off to a hot start in 2019. Two weeks into the season, they’re showing off a 2-0 record as they’ve outscored their opponents 66-38. The offense has been on point through two games under Kellen Moore’s coordination. There have been some issues, but these have been largely outnumbered by the positive things.
Truth be told, such a start was expected. Well, maybe not Dak’s seven touchdowns and 674 yards, but having two wins to start off the season certainly was. The Cowboys opening three-game stretch looked like an easy one from miles away. Dallas faces the Miami Dolphins next Sunday and they’re already favorites by 20.5 points in the betting world.
Things weren’t expected to heat up for the Cowboys until week 4 and now it seems like that won’t happen.
New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees suffered a hand injury against the L.A. Rams last Sunday and will require surgery. A torn ligament on his throwing hand thumb will keep him out for at least six weeks. This is a heavy blow for a team expected to be a Super Bowl contender.
With Teddy Bridgewater set to become the Saints’ starting quarterback, odds will likely shift in the Cowboys’ direction when both teams face each other on September 29th, a matchup that will take place under the lights on Sunday Night Football.
For the Cowboys, it means an increased chance of winning on week 4. I’m not going to lie to you, I would 100% rather face a Saints team with Drew Brees under center to enjoy a good football game, but it is what it is. You hate to see a great football player like Brees deal with injuries like this.
The Saints are still a very complete football team and shouldn’t be underestimated, but it’s hard to picture them being as productive offensively without their elite quarterback. Having said that, the Cowboys’ schedule looks very favorable for Dallas.
These are the rivals that the Cowboys will face prior to the bye week:
- VS Miami Dolphins
- @ New Orleans Saints
- VS Green Bay Packers
- @ New York Jets
- vs Philadelphia Eagles
The toughest rivals on that slate are clearly the Packers and Eagles. It won’t be easy, but should the Cowboys stay healthy, beating both definitely seems possible. Before that, I won’t be surprised if the Cowboys reach the bye week with a 7-0 record.
This team has been pretty impressive through two weeks and if they clean up their slow starts, watch out for a long win streak. Looking at the games after the bye week, the biggest challenge definitely are the New England Patriots on week 12.
I don’t want to sound overly optimistic, but I truly believe a long win streak is ahead of the Dallas Cowboys. Such a start to the season wouldn’t be all that new for the Dak Prescott “era.” Although they lost their season opener in 2016, they went on to win 11 straight on route to the #1 seed in the NFC.
We’ll have a better idea of where the Cowboys stand after they face better competition. Right now, we need to handle the hype of a satisfying 2-0 record.