Post by: Matt Meyer | Sports Morning & Sports Animal College Football Gameday Producer | @bluto51 on Twitter
Ouch. That didn’t feel real good.
Bucs 19 Cowboys 3. Prescott out 6-8 weeks. Not a fun Sunday evening for us Cowboys fans. Think it was @ScooterMagruder on Twitter (a must follow for any sports fan) who said it best: I waited all year for them to score 3 points.
This week? Just the defending AFC Champs with one of the best young QB’s in the game and a bunch of terrific players around him coming to town. On the other side, Cowboys with a backup QB in Cooper Rush. Doesn’t look too promising.
Contrary to popular belief, the season isn’t over in Dallas. First of all, like, literally, it’s not over. there’s still 16 games to play. Secondly, you had to look closely, but there were a couple of positives from the other night in an otherwise dismal, depressing performance. Ezekiel Elliott ran hard and was physical at the point of attack behind an average, at best, offensive line. Problem was, the Cowboys would shoot themselves in the foot with a penalty or a trick play gone bad, and before you know it, it’s second or third and long and they couldn’t run it as much as they would’ve liked. Then, you get down a couple of scores, and in comeback mode, the run game goes out the window.
Also, Micah Parsons. Positive. Bengals have had their protection issues and Parsons could have another big day Sunday.
I also thought Trevon Diggs was more consistent in coverage last week instead of always taking risks, often leading to big plays for both teams. Hopefully his development continues. There’s more to being a great CB than just going for a pick on every play. He’s also welcome to hit someone if he’d like to. I think it’s still within the rules, at least for now.
Run defense must be better, but I don’t know if they can be. Leonard Fournette looked like the beast he was at LSU last Sunday.
Look, I’m not going to build Rush into anything he’s not. He’s a backup QB in the NFL. He’s not the best backup, he’s not the worst. He did have a nice game at Minnesota last season, albeit with a much better WR corps. Just the facts. Protection is paramount for any QB, all the more for an immobile backup.
I can see the case for the Cowboys hanging in, but I can’t see them winning. Bengals 24 Cowboys 17.