The marginal difference between winning and losing in the NFL is generally determined by just a few plays a game. The Dallas Cowboys know that better than anyone this season after an onside kick recovery resulted in their first and only victory, which is why they can't afford to take the Cleveland Browns lightly this week.
For the better part of a decade now the Cleveland Browns have been the joke of the league. Sitting at 2-1 the Browns have more wins under their belt right now than the Cowboys, so maybe they're not quite the joke they once were. In fact, this is a team who could give the Cowboys all they could handle in this Week 4 matchup.
Offensively, the Browns are built quite a bit like the Dallas Cowboys. They've got a good one-two punch at RB with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and a couple of Pro Bowl caliber WRs in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. The also upgraded their offensive line by drafting Jedrick Willis and signing Jack Conklin. All in all, this is a unit who could give the Cowboys defense plenty of problems.
Cleveland isn't talent deprived on the defensive side of the ball either. Myles Garrett, one of the best young EDGE players in the league, will definitely try to take advantage of the Cowboys banged up OL. The Browns also have a couple of talented young CBs in Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams, but considering they're both a little banged up themselves this should be a matchup Dallas can take advantage of.
There other players both offensively and defensively the who could give the Dallas Cowboys problems this week, but you get the idea. Even though the Cleveland Browns have been a historically bad team for about a decade it means diddley squat this year. They are definitely good enough to upset the Cowboys at home, which is why I believe they can't be taken lightly.
This Week 4 matchup is one of those “trap” games we all like to identify on the schedule each season. The Dallas Cowboys should be able to win this game fairly easily, however, they can't continue to sabotage themselves like they've done through the first three weeks. If that happens, the Browns are just talented enough to hand them another loss on the year.
Losing to the Browns would let doubt creep into the minds of Dallas Cowboys players. Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff simply can't allow that. They need to do everything within their power to stress the importance of this game and may be treat it as close to a “must win” as possible, despite the 2020 season still being relatively young.
The Dallas Cowboys could definitely use a clear-cut victory this week. They need to build up their confidence moving forward and a win over the Browns could do just that. I personally don't know what the teams psyche is right now after playing so many close games this year, but it could very well be on the breaking point. Putting another “W” on the board could help cure all of their ails though.
