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The Cowboys face a Washington team beset with injuries.
The Dallas Cowboys will head to the nation’s capital on Sunday to take on division rival Washington. Can the Cowboys defense contain Washington’s offense?
That task should be a little easier for the Cowboys because the Washington offensive line is a MASH unit. Injuries abound and it’s unclear just who will play and who won’t. In their last game, things went from bad to worse.
Starting tackles Trent Williams (knee) and Morgan Moses (ankles), Pro Bowl guard Brandon Scherff (lower back/MCL sprain) and center Spencer Long (knee/quad tendinitis) all missed portions of Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Swing tackle Ty Nsekhe (core muscle) and backup guard Tyler Catalina (concussion) were inactive.
On Wednesday, Washington held a walk-through instead of a normal practice given just how banged up the team is on the line. Here is the participation report for the linemen on Wednesday.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE
C Spencer Long (knee, knee), T Ty Nsekhe (core muscle), G Brandon Scherff (knee, back), T Trent Williams (knee)
LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE
G Tyler Catalina (concussion), T Morgan Moses (ankle, ankle)
There is no doubt this is the single biggest issue for the Washington offense heading into the Cowboys game. And this should be something the Cowboys can take advantage of, given how well they’ve been rushing the passer lately. It could also have a big effect on the run game, something Washington is trying to get better at. Their run game has been in decline.
Since running all over the Los Angeles Rams for 229 yards in Week 2, Washington’s totals have declined from 116 to 111 to 94 to 75 in a 34-24 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Still, you can’t sleep on running back Chris Thompson, who besides Kirk Cousins, is the star of the Washington offense. He is a threat carrying the ball and catching passes. If there is one guy the Dallas defense needs to control on Sunday, it’s Thompson.
With over a third of the Washington Commanders’ offensive touchdowns, third-down back Chris Thompson is a must-start, fantasy football dream.
Thompson is enjoying a breakout season and is a major reason Washington (3-3) and staying competitive amid a lot of injuries. His performance is also masking a host of offensive woes.
Washington is a passing team for the most part, as evidenced by their declining run numbers referenced above. They desperately want to get their run game going again, and may use more heavy and jumbo formations to get that done.
“We intend on changing up to try to get the run game going,” [Jay] Gruden, who calls the offensive plays, said on a conference call Tuesday. “Some of our best offensive stuff comes out of two-tight-end sets and one back. Three-tight-end sets and one back, we’re very successful. (Monday) night we didn’t use it enough because we got behind in the second half.”
The Cowboys have struggled to stop the run, although with Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens back, that should get better.
Washington hasn’t been able to get all of its receivers integrated into the passing game. They have a pair of tight ends in Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis that can be effective, but Terrelle Pryor has not produced as hoped. Josh Doctson is finally getting more playing time and they hope he will spark their wide receivers as the running backs and tight ends are doing much of the damage so far.
Stats Corner Washington Offense:
— Eighth in overall yards per game (369.2), sixth passing yards per game (254.3), 14th rushing (114.8),
— 11th in points per game (23.5)
— 17th on third-down conversions (39.5%)
— Third in yards per attempt passing (8.3), 18th in yards per attempt rushing (4.1)
Conclusion:
The Washington offense is a mixed-bag. They can put up points and have tight ends and running backs that are very effective in the passing game. They are more hit-and-miss when it comes to the wideouts and their running game has started to bog down as the season progresses. Of course Kirk Cousin is a dangerous quarterback, he’s proven he can get the job done, although consistency is an issue and one killer mistake can undo his accomplishments in a game. The big issue, though, is just who they can put out there on the offensive line and how effective they can be.
Dallas does a decent job of creating pressure without blitzing too much. With a weakened offensive line for Washington that should continue. The one thing they need to do is make sure to never leave Chris Thompson alone. Playing their normal defense with a special eye on Thompson should work this week.
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