The Dallas Cowboys hit the road this week to take on the Denver Broncos. Both teams are coming off of victories and will be looking to continuing their win streak. In order to do that, they will need to be at their best and win certain matchups to sway the outcome of the game in their favor. Here are the matchups we will be paying practically close to for the Cowboys.
QB Dak Prescott vs. Broncos pass rush
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens versus Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss is one of those best-against-best matchups that could definitely sway the game one way or the other. While this matchup is worth monitoring, the one between Dak Prescott and Denver’s pass rush could be more important. The Broncos are the best pass rushing unit in the league right now. They lead the NFL in sacks (34), QB hits (65), QB pressures (125), and QB pressure percentage (47.2). Keeping Prescott clean an upright in the pocket could be paramount to success in Week 8.
RB Javonte Williams vs. RB J.K. Dobbins
The past versus the present. Javonte Williams spent the first four years of his career in Denver before signing with the Cowboys this offseason. He now returns to face his former team as the NFL’s second-leading rusher with 592 rushing yards and has scored seven total touchdowns. The RB replacing him, J.K. Dobbins in Denver, is currently seventh in the league in rushing with 523 yards. This may not be a direct head-to-head matchup, but the team with the better rushing attack Sunday afternoon could be the one to walk away with the “W”.
DT Osa Odighizuwa vs. LG Alex Placzewski
If there is a matchup Matt Eberflus should exploit in Week 8, it’s the one between the Osa Odighizuwa and Alex Placzewski. While Odighizuwa is off to somewhat of a slow start this season with just one QB sack on the year, there’s a chance he could be a difference-maker this week against the Broncos. Placzewski will be replacing starting LG Ben Powers this week and he could be the weak link to one of the best pass blocking OLs in the league. If Odighizuwa can get the better of him on a consistent basis it could make for a long day for QB Bo Nix.
