DALLAS — By the time the Dallas Cowboys play their upcoming game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the opening season loss will be a thing of the past. Over a week will have passed since the heartbreaking defeat in Tampa Bay, and the Cowboys will have an opportunity to get their first win of the season.
Though Dallas has been a bit snake bitten by expected absences early in the season once again, they should see the return of some key players and a new game plan for a new opponent.
Here are four keys for the Cowboys to beat the Chargers and even their record at 1-1 heading back to Dallas:
Slow down Joey Bosa
Terence Steele is expected to be counted on to take over for the suspended La’el Collins at RT. Unless he doesn’t and it’s Ty Neskhe, or someone else. Owner Jerry Jones said it would be Steele, but head coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t ready to make that declaration just yet.
Either way, it’ll be a challenge to slow down Bosa, one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL. Without Collins, the game plan should include plenty of help for whoever plays RT. Expect the tight ends and running backs to chip Bosa on his way to the QB for much of the game.
Getting Zack Martin back at RG will also help in the attempt to keep Dak Prescott upright from Bosa’s expected onslaught.
Get Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard more involved
This isn’t to disparage Elliott or Pollard’s usage in the game plan in Week 1, because it was a smart strategy to not bang their heads into a wall against one of the best defensive fronts in the league. However, the Chargers are a different story as a team that can be run on.
Last season the Chargers gave up close to 120 yards on the ground and 17 rushing touchdowns. In Week 1, the Washington Football Team ran for 126 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. One way to slow Bosa from attacking the quarterback is to run the football and control the line scrimmage.
This should be a game where the talented tandem of Elliott and Pollard get more touches, and the Cowboys’ offense should find more running room.
Improved secondary play
The Cowboys were eaten up by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers’ array of receiving weapons and, although the Chargers don’t have the same quantity, they do have high quality receivers to defend. WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are a difficult tandem to slow down as they represent different types of threats.
Allen is a shifty receiver, who is one of the elite route runners in the NFL. The nine-year veteran caught nine balls for 100 yards against the WFT defense last week and has at least 97 catches in each of his last four seasons. Allen is hard to defend and stopping him from having a big game would go a long way to leaving Los Angeles with a win.
Williams is a big-bodied receiver who excels as a deep threat. The Chargers will also utilize him in the red zone and on jump balls down the field.
The Chargers also have speedster Jalen Guyton as an additional weapon. The Cowboys will need to make sure that he doesn’t blow by their secondary. Guyton averaged 18.3 yards per catch last season and is a home run waiting to happen.
It’s another tall order for Dallas’ secondary, who weren’t up to the challenge in Week 1. Nevertheless, slowing down a strong Chargers pass attack with budding star Justin Herbert under center will be an imperative.
Make better decisions
The Cowboys coaches had some questionable decision making against the Buccaneers. While some of that was compounded by bad execution, some of it can be chalked up to poor strategy as well. Decisions in the red zone to miss chances for touchdowns backfired and McCarthy’s confidence to try a 60-yard field goal before halftime was questionable at best.
These aren’t the only examples of the Cowboys not making smart decisions, but they were widely second-guessed at the time for good reason. McCarthy was aggressive last season, almost to a fault, and against Tampa Bay he was clearly more passive.
It remains to be seen if that will become a reactionary trend, but the Cowboys need their leaders to be more precise and decisive if they want to walk away with a win in LA.
What do you think is the one thing that the Cowboys must do to secure a win in Los Angeles on Sunday? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.