Blogging The Boys
Sunday night’s matchup between Dallas and Minnesota features two teams on the brink of being eliminated from the playoffs. The Cowboys have a better foothold at this point, but the Vikings aren’t sailing away quietly. In this battle of two desperate teams, which individual Cowboys have the best and worst chances of shining?
After his dynamic Cowboys debut against the Raiders, Williams hasn’t been as splashy in the last three games. He’s still made a tremendous impact overall, helping Dallas beat the Eagles and Chiefs, but it’s clear opponents are focusing on stopping Williams from being a big-play terror. Unfortunately for Minnesota, they may not have the tools to neutralize him.
The Vikings have given up 13 sacks in their last three games. Even in last week’s 31-0 shutout win over the Commanders, J.J. McCarthy was sacked four times. Minnesota’s pass protection has been just as leaky inside as on the edges, so it could be Williams’ best opportunity to wreak havoc since the Vegas game. And if Minnesota does focus on stopping him, that should mean good things for Dallas’ other pass rushers.
Additionally, the Vikings rank just 24th in the league for total rushing offense. They tend to fall behind and abandon the run, which is good since they average a solid 4.6 yards per carry. As long as Dallas’ offense doesn’t take too long to get going, it can help Williams and the defense by forcing Minnesota away from the ground game.
Running backs have generally had productive days against the Vikings. Last week, Washington’s backs combined for 84 yards on just 17 carries. Seattle’s had 108 yards on 27 carries. The Packers’ Emanuel Wilson had 107 yards and two touchdowns in Week 12. As long as Dallas feeds Javonte Williams, it sets up to be another strong performance.
A high-volume day for Williams and the other running backs also helps the Cowboys mitigate their own pass protection issues. The Vikings aren’t as equipped to take advantage of them as the Lions were, but Nathan Thomas and Terence Steele are hardly bulwarks at offensive tackle. Leaning on the run allows both of them, especially Steele, to have a much better shot at making positive contributions.
From Weeks 10-12, J.J. McCarthy threw at least two picks in each game. He’s a classic gunslinger, and that’s just the kind of quarterback that DaRon Bland loves to see. While Bland has had some coverage struggles in Matt Eberflus’ scheme, he’s still flashed his trademark ballhawk ability. There have been several near misses on picks this year, and McCarthy seems highly likely to give Bland at least one opportunity. Hopefully, Dallas’ top CB capitalizes.
Because the Vikings’ offense has been so bad most weeks, it’s made it hard to tell where the cracks are on defense. Opponents have been able to stay conservative, hence those high-volume rushing totals we mentioned earlier....
