Arrowhead Pride
We’re expecting good food and good football across the country on Thursday afternoon, as the second game of the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day slate will be an exciting matchup between the (6-5) Kansas City Chiefs and the (5-5-1) Dallas Cowboys. Each team will be using momentum from a comeback victory to overcome fatigue from a short turnaround; both teams played on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters, head coach Andy Reid identified the Cowboys’ defensive line as a clear strength. It played a key role in their 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
“It starts up front with them,” said Reid. “That front brings it. You saw that the other night; that’s real. The Eagles have a good offensive line, [so] it’s a great challenge for our offensive line. They are legit there.”
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy echoed Reid’s focus, which is especially important given right guard Trey Smith is unlikely to play Thursday; the guard suffered an ankle sprain in Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts.
“You can see, from evidence from this last game, how tenacious they are,” observed the coordinator. “That defensive line? They fly around. Their defense is playing with a lot of confidence.”
After trading All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before the regular season, Dallas’ defense was a vulnerable unit — but before the trade deadline, the team made a deal to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets.
He’s played a big role in two wins in which the defense allowed less than 19 points and 45 rushing yards — and collected three total turnovers.
“He’s a great player,” Reid said of Williams. “He has done a nice job there. That front is, again, a good, respectable front — and they bring it. He is a big part of it.”
While the team’s offense will prioritize the trenches, the defense will have its focus on the outside. Dallas wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are proving to be one of the league’s most talented pass-catching duos; together, they have generated 1,686 receiving yards this year.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo admitted he isn’t quite sure how to defend them.
“[They are] two big dudes — and they’ve been doing it really well for a long time,” noted Spagnuolo. “We’re going to have to mix it up a little bit; it’s hard. The reason they’re both so good now is you can’t take both of them away; you can’t double both of them. So we’ll find ways to mix it up.”
Both receivers can do it all. Each can win contested catches and get explosive gains once the ball is in their hands. So when quarterback Dak Prescott is on his game — and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin is threatening with speed as the third receiver — the passing game can be hard to stop.
“They got that big catch radius — [and] length,” Spagnuolo said of Lamb and Pickens. “It’s hard to find defensive backs that...
