The 2019 season has been an emotional roller coaster for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans. For the first time this season, after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday, the boys in blue don’t control their own playoff destiny.
Even if the Cowboys beat Washington on Sunday, Dallas will need a New York Giants win over Philadelphia to punch their ticket to the postseason as the fourth and final division winner in the NFC.
The NFC East champion will lock up the number four seed in the NFC playoffs. If that in fact does happen for Dallas, the Cowboys then would host either the Seattle Seahawks or the San Francisco 49ers next weekend in the Wild Card round.
Protect Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys will need to protect Prescott, should he play with an ailing throwing shoulder, by running the football. Prescott was not a participant on Wednesday or Thursday in practice and was limited on Friday. The Cowboys can lean on a duo of running backs to take the weight off of their franchise quarterback.
In his career, Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for 595 yards in six career games against Washington. He has scored a touchdown in all but one game against them. The one time they held Zeke out of the end zone, the Cowboys lost to Washington 20-17 in 2018. That defeat is the only time either Elliott or Prescott have been on the losing end of the rivalry against Washington in their young careers.
In his only game against Washington back in September, rookie Tony Pollard carried the ball four times for 22 yards. Cowboys need to have both backs going against Washington just like they did when they got 263 yards on the ground against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15.
Contain the rushing attack
Last week, Adrian Peterson passed Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton for fourth all-time in rushing touchdowns during Washington’s loss to the New York Giants. Any time a back passes Payton for anything on the all-time list, it’s a special achievement. The Cowboys will be looking to limit the former Texas product from reaching any further milestones on their watch.
Peterson is questionable for this game with an injured toe. Backup running back Chris Thompson is Washington’s change of pace option that the Cowboys need to be wary of if Peterson isn’t at full strength.
Washington will be looking to get the run game going early with an injury to leading receiver Terry McLaurin keeping him out of the regular season finale. They will need to rely on the run game and rookie wide receiver Steven Sims, who had his best game as a pro against New York with two touchdown receptions.
Finish drives
The Cowboys have to find a way to finish drives against Washington. Dallas has lost too many close games this season and they can’t afford to let Washington stay within striking distance in this one.
An old storyline from 2018 has cropped up again this season as Dallas has had their issues in the red zone again this year. Dallas has scored touchdowns on just 56.9% of their red zone opportunities, which is 17th in the NFL. The team settled for three field goals against the Eagles last week and weren’t able to climb back into a game that would have clinched the division with a victory.
For Dallas, their path to victory in their final regular season game at home this year is to bury Washington early on. If Kai Forbath is making multiple trips onto the field to attempt to get Dallas points via field goals, then their chances of winning goes down. Perhaps the ultimate lesson the Cowboys have learned in 2019 is, when you allow teams to hang around, bad things happen.
Prediction: Predicting the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 has been a fruitless endeavor. All I know is that the Cowboys will play a football game on Sunday for the final time in 2019. If they get some unlikely assistance from the Giants against the Eagles, they might even play one in January of 2020 if they can handle their business at home to close out the regular season.
Do you think the Cowboys will close out 2019 on a high note with a win over Washington? Share your predictions with Patrick Conn on Twitter @DraftCowboys.
