This Sunday will be the Dallas Cowboys 13th game of the season and they will host the Houston Texans. Many fans are willing to bet that the Cowboys will have this game in the bag and won’t struggle at all, however, another obstacle is in the way for Dallas this Sunday.
That obstacle is the spread. The betting companies have determined that the Cowboys should beat the Texans by more than 17.5 points if they want to overcome the spread. This is a difficult challenge for any NFL team to do, even if it’s the best team in the league.
While the Cowboys are for sure at the top of their game and the Texans are the worst team in the NFL (yes I’m sure we can all agree that they are the worst) it still can be hard to win by more than 17 points. I feel like this spread is highly based on last week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts when the Cowboys put up 33 points in the 4th quarter to win with a score of 54-19, covering the spread by 24.5 points.
So the two questions are: Can the Cowboys cover that high point of a spread? If so, how can they achieve that goal?
First off, Dallas has truly come a long way this season in terms of offensive points. After struggling to put up over 20 points in the first 5-6 games, the Cowboys have put up 40+ points in 3 of their last 5 games. Their ability to make big plays happen with Quarterback Dak Prescott and Running back Tony Pollard is incredible.
For the reason being that the Cowboys have changed from having one of the worst offenses in the NFL to having one of the best, I surely think they can cover a 17.5 spread. Now the only question is how can they do it?
I would love to say “Easy, it’s the Texans.” But I remember something that I said a while ago, and that is to treat every game like a playoff game right now. If the Cowboys still believe they can get the #1 seed this year, then they need to focus on one game at a time and make sure all players are ready for anything.
The first thing to success with this game is to be ready. No player should fall asleep or be in the mindset of an “easy game”. This is the NFL, games can be simple, but never easy. Once that is done, you’re already halfway there.
The defense should have a field day (again, if they are ready) and will need to get big stops early on to make sure the Texans lose hope of any chance of winning. For the offense, score, score, and score some more. I wouldn’t try anything tricky or risky that could end in a fumble or pick. Instead, just drive the ball slowly and steadily. This kind of playing style can result in a final score of 27-7, which is enough to cover the spread.
Speaking of a somewhat low-scoring game for the Cowboys, wasting the clock is another good idea. It’ll get the game over with faster which will avoid injuries and comebacks. The Cowboys’ coaching staff should just try to get out of this game as fast as possible so the players can be healthy for the next few games.
I am excited to see this instate battle and how it turns out. The spread on this game is high, but I believe the Cowboys can cover it. Stay alert, waste the clock, and stay steady on offense.
