Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys are the betting favorites for Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants. Beyond just the team being projected to win, who are some of the individual players that we expect will have strong games against our NFC East rivals? On the other hand, who might have a down game against this familiar opponent?
Last week, Washington’s Jacory Croskey-Merritt had 82 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. Even if you take his big 42-yarder off the board, he still averaged 4.44 yards on the other nine. That sounds like a ripe situation for Williams as the Cowboys’ new primary runner. He should get close to the 15 carries he had against the Eagles, and there’s a good chance for more if Dallas establishes control early.
Jaydon Blue could make his NFL debut this week, and the coaches may be more motivated to find him some touches than they were with Miles Sanders. But even if Blue plays, we expect Williams to get the bulk of the work. The veteran also stands to enjoy the short-yardage opportunities again, so adding a couple of more touchdowns to his season total isn’t hard to imagine.
If anybody’s a threat to Williams’ production, it may be his own quarterback. Prescott has dominated the G-Men ever since 2017, winning every start against them. His career numbers against New York are a borderline Pro Bowl season: 3,915 yards, 29 touchdowns, 65% passing, and 102.4 passer rating.
Hopefully, CeeDee Lamb and some of the other receivers have worked on things since last week. Prescott looked ready to lead them to another prolific offensive year. If the rest of the passing game is back in form, they could unload on the Giants.
Russell Wilson has given up a lot of sacks in his career, and the Commanders put two more on him last week. Dallas only got to Jalen Hurts once in the opener, but they were close several times. With extra rest and 10 days for Matt Eberflus to get back in the lab, Dallas should be able to give Wilson a lot of trouble. Wilson isn’t as elusive as Hurts these days and is more easily rattled. It’s hard to say who will actually record the stats, but the team effort should be productive.
Likely thrust into a key role after DaRon Bland’s foot injury, Steward has only been here for two weeks but stands to be the slot corner against New York. He did play for Eberflus in Chicago last season, which helps some, but he will have his hands full with Giants slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. Wilson targeted Robinson eight times last week, connecting six times for 55 yards. New York will likely look to exploit Steward’s inexperience early and often, so hopefully he can rise to the challenge.
This isn’t a knock on Ferguson, who we’d...
