What are your bold predictions for Sunday night?
For the Dallas Cowboys, Week 4 of the regular season could not come quickly enough. After an embarrassing loss to the Chicago Bears last Sunday, Dallas looks to rebound in a big way this week when it faces off against the Green Bay Packers.
Before the Cowboys and Packers square off, here are three bold predictions for the matchup.
1) Dallas’ pass-rush finally shows up, recording a season-high four sacks
There’s been plenty to be disappointed about regarding the Cowboys’ defense so far this season, but one of the most discouraging things is the complete lack of any real pass rush. Even after dealing Micah Parsons away, there was optimism that Dallas’ pass-rush group could still generate some pressure and possibly be around a league-average group.
So far, that has not been the case. Through three games, Dallas has just three sacks as a team, which puts them in the bottom five in the entire league. Their team pass-rush grade of 63.7 (via Pro Football Focus) is also tied for the seventh-worst in the NFL.
It’s been clearly evident that Dallas’ defense has been unable to put any pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but for the first time this season, that may change. Last week against the Browns, Green Bay’s offensive line struggled to protect Jordan Love. As a unit, the Packers’ offensive line allowed 17 total pressures, 11 QB hurries, and a stunning six sacks. To make matters worse for Green Bay, they may be down multiple starting offensive linemen this week due to injuries.
For the first time this year, Dallas’ defensive line takes advantage of an opposing team’s weakness and generates some consistent pressure. The Cowboys’ pass-rush records a season-high four sacks, making a significant impact on the game.
2) Micah Parsons stars in his return to Dallas, recording a game-high 2.5 sacks
It’s going to be very strange seeing Micah Parsons in a Green Bay Packers uniform on Sunday. After missing all of training camp and the preseason, Parsons has not missed a beat during his first three games as a Packer.
On the year, Parsons has recorded 15 total pressures, four QB hits, and two sacks. Parsons is also in the top six in the NFL in pass-rush grade (91.5) and has an extremely impressive 27% pass rush win rate.
This week, facing off against a Cowboys’ offensive line down two starters, Parsons is going to feast. The lion will be on the prowl Sunday night as Dallas’ former star puts on a show, recording 2.5 sacks.
3) Brevyn Spann-Ford scores the first touchdown of his NFL career
It’s become clear that the Cowboys need to shake things up with their tight end group. While Jake Ferguson leads the team with 27 receptions, his yards-after-catch ability has been nonexistent. To make matters worse, Luke Schoonmaker has once again been unable to make any positive impact on the offense.
This week, the Cowboys need to give third-year tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford some snaps and see what he can do. Spann-Ford has been a very impressive run blocker in his brief playing time this season, and also showed some impressive YAC ability at the end of last week’s game against Chicago.
Spann-Ford takes advantage of the increased playing time and shows up in a big way. The 25-year-old tight end hauls in the first touchdown catch of his NFL career, coming up big when Dallas needed a spark on offense.
Category: General Sports
