Inside The Star
Week 13 of the NFL season is upon us, and football fans are blessed with three competitive games on Thanksgiving Day, and another bonus game on Friday before the full slate on Sunday.
The Dallas Cowboys, being America’s Team, have been featured on the holiday since 1966.
It has always been a tradition in my family. As a child, we’d all gather around the television wherever we happened to be spending Thanksgiving that year, and watch the Cowboys dominate their opponents.
Well, that happened most of the time.
My oldest memory of the Cowboys on Thanksgiving is a 46-36 loss against the Vikings. You probably know it as the Randy Moss game.
I also remember wins, like Tony Romo tossing five touchdown passes in a route of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in just the fifth start of his career.
Today, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs roll into town, and don’t be fooled by their 6-5 record.
The Chiefs are coming off of a huge win over the AFC-leading Indianapolis Colts last week after dropping their previous two to the Broncos and Bills.
It’s going to take some bold performances today from the Cowboys if they want to knock off the best quarterback on the planet, move to 6-5-1, and improve their chances at a playoff berth.
Remember, my bold predictions may be bold, but they are intended to seem farfetched, yet still in the realm of possibility based on stats and trends.
This is bold because the Chiefs have only been held under 75 yards rushing once all season: last week vs the Denver Broncos.
A couple of factors are contributing to this bold prediction becoming true: the Cowboys’ new defensive front seven, and a major injury across the Chiefs offensive line.
Starting LG Trey Smith has been ruled out with an injury, leaving a void in front of Patrick Mahomes that the Cowboys can exploit with the strength of their defense: the interior defensive line.
Starting RB Isiah Pacheco is healthy and ready to return to the lineup for the first time since a victory vs Washington in late October.
He now teams up with Kareem Hunt, who leads the team in rushing since being named the feature back.
Add in Mahomes’ ability to scramble out of the pocket, and it will be a challenge for the Cowboys’ defense, but my bold prediction should stand firm.
This is bold because the most sacks given up in a single game by the Chiefs this season is the four sacks taken last week against the Indianapolis Colts.
However, it is in the realm of possibility because they have four other games where they have given up at least three.
Add in the previously mentioned injury to starting guard Trey Smith, and it is a recipe for disaster for the Chiefs.
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