The Dallas Cowboys 35-17 trouncing over the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles 32-27 come from behind win over the Washington Redskins in Week 1 have the two teams currently tied for the lead in the NFC East division. But, all of that could change if the Cowboys can defeat the Redskins this week, Week 2 of the 2019 season.
Despite still being really early in the 2019 season, this Week 2 matchup with the Redskins carries quite a bit of weight. The Dallas Cowboys can claim sole possession of the NFC East with a victory over the Washington Sunday afternoon. They will have to do it in hostile territory, but this could be a huge step in winning the division in back to back years.
This of course will be no easy victory, even after how impressive the Cowboys played against the Giants in the season opener. This rivalry is the real deal and any time these two teams square off against one another it’s pretty much guaranteed to be a slobber knocker. It comes from the familiarity and hatred these two ball clubs truly have for one another.
The Dallas Cowboys may be the more talented team on paper, but that means absolutely diddly squat on game day. Washington is going to be playing to win and the Cowboys will without a doubt be doing the same. In the unlikelihood this game ends in a tie, someone will be the victor when all is said and done.
With that in mind, how worried should the Dallas Cowboys be about the Washington Redskins?
Very, if I’m being completely honest. Make no mistake, the Redskins aren’t a team the Cowboys should take lightly. They may have finished below .500 in 2018 (7-9), but this is a team still talented enough to give Dallas all they can handle. After all, they nearly defeated Philadelphia last week on the Eagles home turf.
Washington got out to a fast start in Week 1 against the Eagles. They were actually leading at halftime 20-7, but Philadelphia’s offense caught fire in the second half, scoring three touchdowns and kicking one field goal to win the contest 32-27. The Redskins may have lost, but they didn’t go down easy and won’t roll over for the Cowboys either.
I think we can all pretty much agree the Washington Redskins are better team than the New York Giants, who the Cowboys handled pretty easily last week. They provide a few matchups who could end up giving Dallas some problems, but that’s only if Da’ Boyz don’t handle business on their end.
Offensively, I think it may be a tossup as to whether or not the Redskins offense is better than the Giants. QB Case Keenum had a pretty good debut for Washington and it looks like they could have a new playmaker on their hands in rookie WR Terry McLaurin. He turned five catches into 125 yards and a touchdown. But still, can they do enough to outscore Dallas?
The Cowboys defense didn’t play terrible last week, but they also didn’t perform up to their or our standards. They may need to raise the level of their game just a bit in order to keep the Redskins at bay, but they are more than capable of shutting down the Redskins.
Defensively, Washington is much better than what the Cowboys saw last week against the Giants. They have enough talent on that side of the ball to give Dallas’ offense all they can handle. If Dak Prescott and his playmakers can execute like they did last week though, they should be able to find the end zone on more than one occasion.
Overall, this is a game Dallas should absolutely win. They just have to do what they did in the season opener and they should not only claim sole possession of the NFC East division, but prove they are a force to be reckoned with this year.
