NFL
The Dallas Cowboys Hope To Tame The Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars will travel to Arlington, TX for a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. While neither team won last week, the Jaguars are still in a tie for first place in the AFC South.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are still just one game back from first place in the NFC East. They’re hoping to tame the Jags as they enter the jungle that is AT&T Stadium. Jacksonville, on the other hand, wants to reassert their mauling defense after giving up 30 points to the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
Week 5 Recap
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville had a tough go at it last week in their matchup with the Chiefs. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes went 22-38 with 313 yards and two interceptions. Running back Kareem Hunt ran for 87 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, and tight end Travis Kelce had 5 catches for 100 yards.
Those numbers look good, but they’re not really why things turned out the way they did. The Jags’ QB Blake Bortles turned the ball over five times with four interceptions and one lost fumble. He was also sacked five times. Bortles did have 430 passing yards with one TD, but he threw the ball 61 times since the team couldn’t get anything going in the running game.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys lost a heartbreaker in overtime against the Houston Texans. Dallas wasn’t able to get anything going on offense. The Texans’ defense suffocated RB Ezekiel Elliott as he was only able to gain 54 yards on 20 carries. QB Dak Prescott continued to struggle with only 208 yards passing, one touchdown, and two interceptions on 18-29 attempts.
The defense did a good job of keeping Houston out of the end zone, but they gave up big numbers to Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins. Watson went 33-44 with 375 yards while Hopkins had nine catches for 151 yards. Some might argue that fatigue played a factor, but there’s just a five-minute difference in the total time-of-possession. Dallas had the ball for 31:32, and Houston had it for 36:38.
The Look Ahead
Jags’ Defense Ready to Pounce
The Jags’ defense will definitely be ready to pounce on the Cowboys’ offense. Their entire team was embarrassed by the Chiefs last week, and they want to get the bad taste out of their mouths. Dak Prescott will be under heavy fire in the pocket.
His decision-making will have to get better in a hurry in order for Dallas to win this game. He’s also going to have to take chances down the field. Jacksonville will undoubtedly force him to make those throws, and he’ll need to take advantage of that.
Can Bortles Evade A Loss At AT&T
Blake Bortles has to be more than a game manager in order for the Jags to make it to the Super Bowl, but he shouldn’t have to put up Brees-type numbers against the Cowboys either. Outscoring Dallas isn’t that hard to do given its offensive struggles.
The Cowboys are averaging only 16.6 points per game while the Jags are averaging 20.4 points.
Final Take
While Dallas is favored to win this game at home, Jacksonville should come out on top. The Cowboys are struggling on offense and just can’t seem to gain an identity. Jacksonville will be motivated by pride and the chance to prove that their run last season wasn’t a fluke.
Fantasy Implications
Dak Prescott hasn’t shown any reason why he should start for anyone’s fantasy team. Even though Ezekiel Elliott is a stud and leads the league in rushing so far this season, Jacksonville’s defense will be determined to keep him under wraps.
If you have their defense, you would be wise to start them this week. Blake Bortles just might be a sleeper pick to start as well. He’s proven that he can put up big numbers, and the Cowboys’ defense loves to give up big plays over the middle of the field.
Photo Credit
Featured Image courtesy of Curt Johnson
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