By Alex Al-Kazzaz
The Dallas Cowboys are determined to improve to 3-1 and build on their 23-16 win on Monday against the New York Giants. A win against Washington will do them good. Quite frankly, this Sunday will feature the very first game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders! Cooper Rush is looking to improve to 4-0 as a starting quarterback.
Washington is 1-2. They're coming off a 24-8 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Carson Wentz was sacked NINE times by the Eagles' defense. There's the first key to victory key for Dallas; SACK THE QUARTERBACK! In addition, the Cowboys' defense leads the league in sacks with 13 so far. Clearly, if the Cowboys can inflict major pressure on Wentz and the Washington offensive line, the Washington passing game will be ineffective and perhaps ultimately be rendered useless.
Against the Giants, the Cowboys defense did allow Daniel Jones to scramble for 79 yards on nine carries, so that's clearly a weakness. They cannot allow Wentz to do the same. While Dallas needs to contain Washington's passing game, they need to prevent Washington's running game from inflicting damage. Forcing turnovers is the second most vital key to dominance. In addition, force stops and avoid penalties at all costs.
Dallas' offense needs to be as strong and effective as the defense. No doubt, if Dallas can run the ball well and continue to do so, it'll do them good. In Dallas' case, the more they can successfully run the ball the better as it'll wear out Washington's defense. Furthermore, the passing game needs to be functioning.
Dallas needs a well-balanced offense, which requires the running and passing game to be highly productive. It appears that Michael Gallup is set to make his season debut. As far as the offense goes, the most important objective is for the play-calling to be right. If there's anything more important than the play-calling being correct, it's the ability to score points. In the Cowboys' case, they need touchdowns.
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