hennythemoor

The Dallas Cowboys offense has turned into a juggernaut. While they faltered in the absence of Prescott earlier in the season, his return has given them the added boost that they have been missing. In the 5 games since Prescott’s return the Cowboys are 4-1 and have outscored opposing teams by a combined 80 points in that time span.

Also, in the 5 games since Prescott’s return from injury the Cowboys are averaging 32 points per game, putting them as the number one offense in the league. This is an astronomical turn around as the Cowboys’ offense only ranked 23rd in the first portion of the season.

Cowboys have also had a 14 point or higher lead in all 5 games since Dak’s return and currently lead the league in points per drive and 3rd down conversions.

The Cowboys offense has been dominant, and they should be able to continue their dominant streak in the upcoming weeks. The next three Cowboys’ opponents have a combined record of 8-21-2. The Cowboys offense has taken the next step and hopefully they can continue on this upward trend.

The return of star quarterback Kj Jefferson was exactly the spark the Arkansas Razorbacks needed as they led wire to wire against one of the best teams in the country. The Razorbacks’ offense exploded against the Ole Miss Rebels, racking up 42 points in Jefferson’s return; in an outing that saw the lead balloon to as much as 36 points. Jefferson finished the evening 17/22 for 168 yards and three passing touchdowns.

While Jefferson was phenomenal in his return from injury it was Rocket Sanders who stole the show. Sanders turned in a monster game, finishing the night with 24 carries for 232 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. The win helped Arkansas become bowl eligible for the 3rd consecutive season under head coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks will now look to end their season on a high note when the visit the Missouri Tigers next week.

Ezekiel Elliott has been ruled out of the Cowboys’ road game against the Green Bay Packers. Elliot is nursing a hyper extended knee that sidelined him during the Cowboys 49-29 win against the Chicago Bears. While Elliot was trending towards being active today the Cowboys are being cautious as they prepare to play the first of three games in a 12 day period. Tony Pollard will get the nod at starting QB.

Former pro bowl linebacker Anthony Barr suffered a hamstring injury during the Cowboys’ prior win against the Chicago Bears. Despite receiving an extra week of rest due to the Cowboy’s bye week, Barr’s injury still lingers on and will prevent him from taking the field when the Cowboys visit Green Bay to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. This opens the door for Damone Clark to make his first NFL start. Clark came in and played well last week after Barr’s injury, logging 4 total tackles in his career defensive snaps. While a raw rookie, Clark as exceptional size and athletic ability that will give Dan Quinn and extra weapon on defense to utilize. This will be an interesting personnel decision going forward, as good play from Clark may supplant the struggling Barr in the defensive line up. Will update when more information becomes available.

Johnathan Hankins isn’t the player he once was, but his acquisition may just be move the Cowboys needed to get over the hump. The Cowboys are currently the 26th ranked rushing defense in the NFL ,and while they are currently 6-2 this glaring weakness is the one thing that can derail their championship aspirations. Hankins was brought in to help reinforce the defensive line and while we only have a small sample size it appears the move is already paying dividends. While the Cowboys still struggled to stop the run against the Chicago Bears, allowing 240 yards on the ground, the run defense was stellar when Hankins was on the field. When Hankins was on the field the Bears were held to 11 carries for 39 yards.

While Hankins alone won’t make Dallas a top run defense, more playing time will definitely help to elevate them to a competent run defense. With Dallas recent history of succumbing to the run game in their last two post season trips, Hankins presence on the interior line will be a valuable asset going forward.

In a surprising move the Dallas Cowboys have released former 2nd round pick, Trysten Hill minutes after the end of the NFL trade deadline.

Trysten Hill was apparently on the trade block and was released once no team was willing to trade for him. During his tenure in Dallas Hill failed to live up to his draft positioning, being often hurt and losing snaps to prospects such as Osa Odighizuwa and Neville Gallimore. Will update as more information about the matter becomes available.

The Cowboys will have several key contributors inactive as they host the Chicago Bears.

While Ezekiel Elliott was an expected scratch, the loss of Noah Brown can prove to be problematic as the 6th year vet has stepped up as a legitimate threat in the passing game. On defense Malik Hooker is probably the Cowboys best coverage safety and Sam Williams was disruptive last week, causing 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Cowboys will have to adjust if they hope to finish the day with a win.

Ezekiel Elliott suffered a leg injury during the Cowboys’ 24-6 victory over the sputtering Detroit Lions. On an option pitch towards the end of the 2nd quarter, Ezekiel Elliot was hit low by Lions defensive back Deshon Elliot and subsequently had to hobble off of the field. While Elliott did return and finish the game, scoring two rushing touchdowns in the process, the injury appears to be more severe than originally thought. While initially stated to be a bone contusion it appears that Elliot might actually be dealing with a knee sprain and more than likely won’t be able to play Sunday afternoon, when the Chicago Bears visit Dallas.

While Elliot’s absence would be a blow to the Cowboys’ running game, the Cowboys can still rely on Tony Pollard and Malik Davis to carry the load against a Bears defense that has surrendered the most rushing yards in the entire NFL. With the Cowboys’ bye on the horizon this might be the best time to rest the hobbled Elliott to ensure his availability and production later in the season.

The Chicago Bears will enter Dallas Sunday fighting for a playoff spot. After a 33-14 upset win against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, the Bears find themselves only a half game out of the last wild card spot. A win against the Cowboys would help catapult them forward for the rest of the season as their schedule softens. While the Cowboys should still be favored in this matchup, the Bears match up great against America’s team.

The Bears have the best rushing attack in all of football. The Bears currently have rushed for 1267 yards on the year (the most in the league). They are also averaging a league high 181 yards per game and an impressive 5.3 yards per carry (5th highest in the league).

Their rushing attack was on full display Monday night when they ran the Patriots off the field, amassing 243 yards rushing on 45 attempts. The Bears rushing attack is a multifaceted beast that involves the quarterback, the running backs, and even the wide receivers, with Fields 4.4 speed being utilized in sweeps, draws, and scramble situations.

The Bears not only boast a prolific rushing attack but they also have a stingy defense. The Bears are the 7th ranked scoring defense in the NFL, only allowing 18.9 points per game. They also boast the 5th best passing defense in the league only allowing 180 passing yards per game and have only surrendered 5 passing touchdowns all year. The Bears are also 3rd in the NFL in interceptions tallying 8 so far this year. The Bears have a rushing offense that can exploit Dallas’ weakness to the run and a defense that can neutralize the Cowboy’s already anemic passing attack. So why will the Cowboys still win??? While it is true that the Cowboys have issues stopping the run the Bears are MUCH worst against the run. In fact the Bears and Seahawks are tied for most rushing yards surrendered in the league at 1048.

That translates to an average of 149 rushing yards a game! So while they can attack Dallas’ defense with the run, the Cowboys should be able to do the same and do it more efficiently; and while the Cowboys run defense has been an issue it has played better as of late. Over the last three games the Cowboys run defense has only allowed 3.7 yards per attempt, which is the 3rd best in the NFL over that time. They are also only 15th in rushing yards allowed and have only allowed two rushing touchdowns all season. The Cowboys run defense is shaky, but it isn’t as bad as it has been in years past and with the addition of veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins the run defense should see an even bigger improvement.

On the other side of the ball the Bears will also have to contend with Dallas’ ferocious front 7. Dallas leads the league with 29 sacks on the season and Justin Fields has the unfortunate distinction of being the most sacked QB in the league having been sacked 27 times through 7 games.

The Bears have the ability to win this game but the Cowboys can exploit their weaknesses better than they can exploit the weaknesses of the Cowboys. Dallas rushing offense will have little trouble running against the Bears front and the Bears have not shown they can consistently protect their QB in passing situations. So while it is possible that the Bears can pull the upset it’s not very likely.