AsthmaField
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I was thinking about the matchups for this weekends game and really, I think we match up pretty well against the Colts. Of course, the big worry for Dallas is when the Colts are passing the ball. I think every Dallas fan will hold their breath when Manning drops back. However, I feel like that is really the only time when Indy has an advantage.
This football game can be broken down into four different areas. When Dallas runs, when Dallas passes, when Indy runs, and when Indy passes. That covers pretty much the entire game, except for special teams, and if you look at those four areas… I like Dallas’ chances.
Colts Passing game vs. Dallas Pass D:
The edge goes to Indy, like it would with Manning against any team in the NFL. However, I think we can contain them to a degree and keep the score from running up too high. Dallas has the 9th ranked pass D in the NFL but Indy has the 2nd ranked pass game in the NFL. Statistics aren't everything and Indy is ranked so high in part because of some of the pass defenses they've faced (Including teams ranked 32nd, 24th, 22nd, and 19th against the pass). I know you can only play who's on your schedule... and we all know that the Peyton led passing game is good... but they have played some pretty putrid pass defenses. We should provide a little bigger test for Manning and CO. Newman matches up as well as anyone against Harrison. He’s quick and fast, just like Marvin and has the ability to shadow him pretty closely. I like the Henry – Wayne matchup for Dallas. Henry has everything a CB needs except world class speed. That is the one thing that Wayne lacks too. Reggie runs great routes and is more physical than you’d think. That plays right into Henry’s strengths, which are that he’s technically sound and very physical. Manning will throw to those guys even if they’re covered… so Newman and Henry better be ready to play the ball in the air… something they’re not great at.
Like I said… edge to the Colts… but I think we can hang.
Colts Running game vs. Dallas Run D:
The edge here goes to Dallas, I think. The Indy running game is ranked 18th overall in the NFL and considering how much pressure the Colts passing game takes off of their running game... that really isn't very good. The Dallas run defense is ranked 4th in the NFL and even that high number doesn't fully explain how suffocating the Cowboys have been against the run. They pretty much shut everyone down. Dallas is a very physical club and their front seven is adept at clogging the running lanes. They should have success against an Indy offensive line that isn't nearly as physical and is much better pass blocking than run blocking. The Indy run game has been coming on of late, but they’re still not in the league’s top half as far as running the ball, IMO.
Dallas should be able to make them throw, even without stacking the box, which gives the Cowboys the edge.
Cowboys Run game vs. Colts Run D:
Definate edge Dallas. The Colts are ranked 32nd against the run. Dead last in the NFL. They are giving up 159.3 yards per game on the ground... almost a full 10 yards ahead of the 31st ranked run D. They're giving up a whopping
5.1 yards per attempt. Look at it this way... Dallas has given up 769 yards on the ground this year... Indy has given up almost double that or 1434 yards. Conversely, the Dallas running game is ranked 5th in the NFL. They have gained 1221 yards on the ground this year and are averaging a healthy 4.2 yards per carry. The 1-2 punch of Jones and Barber should work well against the Colts. Barber in particular, with his physical running style, could give the smallish Colts defense fits.
If Dallas is successful in controlling the clock and keeping the score close, the Colts could be in trouble late in the game as their small defense will be pounded. Even Carolina’s defense, which is much more physical than Indy’s, wore down late and literally got steamrolled by the O-line and a fresh Barber. He humiliated them and he could do the same thing to Indy. Dungy should be very worried about Barber late in the game.
Cowboys Passing game vs. Colts Pass D:
I think the edge here goes to Dallas as well. The Cowboys are ranked 9th overall in the passing game. They would actually be quite a bit higher than that had Romo been playing all year long instead of only 3.5 games. Who knows how high they'd be ranked... but I'd guess top 5 for sure. Point is... the Dallas pass game is better right now than their 9th overall ranking implies... and 9th isn't bad at all.
The Indy pass D is ranked 2nd overall... but they don't scare me at all, even if they're healthy, which they're not. I think that ranking is a little high because teams have run so well against Indy that there just haven't been that many yards passing against them. Much like the year when Dallas' run defense was so horrid. We allowed 3 runners to total over 200 yards that year. Yet our pass defense was ranked top 10 because nobody had to throw against us.
You can tell there is something up with that ranking because:
*Indy has the fewest pass attempts (237) against them this season of all teams.
*Looking at completion percentage, which is a very good indicator of success in the passing game... Indy is allowing 64.6% to be completed against them. Dallas is allowing 56.0%. Going up in ranking from Dallas at 9 to Chicago at 1st, the completion percentages look like this: 56.0, 58.6, 58.9, 52.3, 53.0, 54.7, 60.9, 64.6, and 55.6. The only two teams up in the 60's are Oakland and Indy. Oakland is ranked that high because of the same reasons that Indy is, I think. So the Colts allowing 64.6% to be completed speaks volumes about how average the Indy pass defense really is. Put it this way: Only Detroit and San Francisco are allowing a higher completion percentage than the Colts.
So... the way I see it, Dallas has an edge when they are running the ball. They have an edge when they are passing the ball. They also have an edge when the Colts are running the ball. And the Colts only have an edge when they are passing the ball.
Dallas wins three out of the four overall matchups. Dallas is ranked 3rd overall in total Defense. Dallas is ranked 6th overall in total Offense. The Cowboys are 4th overall in Rushing defense and 9th overall in passing defense. They are 5th overall in rushing offense and 9th overall in passing offense. In other words... Dallas is top ten (and sometimes top 5) in every major statistical catagory. I haven't seen that in Dallas since the early 90's super bowl teams. They are a well rounded team that does pretty much everything well. They don't really have a weakness. When they have played well, they've blown out teams. The first Washington game, Tenn., Houston, Carolina and Arizona have all been taken to the woodshed by Dallas when they play well. The Dallas losses have been close ones. With Romo in, I think it would’ve been a different story.
So, I think Dallas is better than its record indicates. I also think that Dallas matches up pretty well against an Indy team that has some definate weaknesses. Dallas doesn't really have any weaknesses... they're pretty well rounded. They're physical and really the only negative they have since Romo came in is penalties. Fix those penalties this weekend and I think they can end up winning Sunday against the Colts. If what I think will happen, actually does… then look for Indy to tire in the fourth quarter and Dallas to appear fresh and fired up. If we see that… I think we’ll really like the outcome. It wouldn’t surprise me for it to look like a higher scoring Carolina game, where we just wore them down late in the game.
This football game can be broken down into four different areas. When Dallas runs, when Dallas passes, when Indy runs, and when Indy passes. That covers pretty much the entire game, except for special teams, and if you look at those four areas… I like Dallas’ chances.
Colts Passing game vs. Dallas Pass D:
The edge goes to Indy, like it would with Manning against any team in the NFL. However, I think we can contain them to a degree and keep the score from running up too high. Dallas has the 9th ranked pass D in the NFL but Indy has the 2nd ranked pass game in the NFL. Statistics aren't everything and Indy is ranked so high in part because of some of the pass defenses they've faced (Including teams ranked 32nd, 24th, 22nd, and 19th against the pass). I know you can only play who's on your schedule... and we all know that the Peyton led passing game is good... but they have played some pretty putrid pass defenses. We should provide a little bigger test for Manning and CO. Newman matches up as well as anyone against Harrison. He’s quick and fast, just like Marvin and has the ability to shadow him pretty closely. I like the Henry – Wayne matchup for Dallas. Henry has everything a CB needs except world class speed. That is the one thing that Wayne lacks too. Reggie runs great routes and is more physical than you’d think. That plays right into Henry’s strengths, which are that he’s technically sound and very physical. Manning will throw to those guys even if they’re covered… so Newman and Henry better be ready to play the ball in the air… something they’re not great at.
Like I said… edge to the Colts… but I think we can hang.
Colts Running game vs. Dallas Run D:
The edge here goes to Dallas, I think. The Indy running game is ranked 18th overall in the NFL and considering how much pressure the Colts passing game takes off of their running game... that really isn't very good. The Dallas run defense is ranked 4th in the NFL and even that high number doesn't fully explain how suffocating the Cowboys have been against the run. They pretty much shut everyone down. Dallas is a very physical club and their front seven is adept at clogging the running lanes. They should have success against an Indy offensive line that isn't nearly as physical and is much better pass blocking than run blocking. The Indy run game has been coming on of late, but they’re still not in the league’s top half as far as running the ball, IMO.
Dallas should be able to make them throw, even without stacking the box, which gives the Cowboys the edge.
Cowboys Run game vs. Colts Run D:
Definate edge Dallas. The Colts are ranked 32nd against the run. Dead last in the NFL. They are giving up 159.3 yards per game on the ground... almost a full 10 yards ahead of the 31st ranked run D. They're giving up a whopping
5.1 yards per attempt. Look at it this way... Dallas has given up 769 yards on the ground this year... Indy has given up almost double that or 1434 yards. Conversely, the Dallas running game is ranked 5th in the NFL. They have gained 1221 yards on the ground this year and are averaging a healthy 4.2 yards per carry. The 1-2 punch of Jones and Barber should work well against the Colts. Barber in particular, with his physical running style, could give the smallish Colts defense fits.
If Dallas is successful in controlling the clock and keeping the score close, the Colts could be in trouble late in the game as their small defense will be pounded. Even Carolina’s defense, which is much more physical than Indy’s, wore down late and literally got steamrolled by the O-line and a fresh Barber. He humiliated them and he could do the same thing to Indy. Dungy should be very worried about Barber late in the game.
Cowboys Passing game vs. Colts Pass D:
I think the edge here goes to Dallas as well. The Cowboys are ranked 9th overall in the passing game. They would actually be quite a bit higher than that had Romo been playing all year long instead of only 3.5 games. Who knows how high they'd be ranked... but I'd guess top 5 for sure. Point is... the Dallas pass game is better right now than their 9th overall ranking implies... and 9th isn't bad at all.
The Indy pass D is ranked 2nd overall... but they don't scare me at all, even if they're healthy, which they're not. I think that ranking is a little high because teams have run so well against Indy that there just haven't been that many yards passing against them. Much like the year when Dallas' run defense was so horrid. We allowed 3 runners to total over 200 yards that year. Yet our pass defense was ranked top 10 because nobody had to throw against us.
You can tell there is something up with that ranking because:
*Indy has the fewest pass attempts (237) against them this season of all teams.
*Looking at completion percentage, which is a very good indicator of success in the passing game... Indy is allowing 64.6% to be completed against them. Dallas is allowing 56.0%. Going up in ranking from Dallas at 9 to Chicago at 1st, the completion percentages look like this: 56.0, 58.6, 58.9, 52.3, 53.0, 54.7, 60.9, 64.6, and 55.6. The only two teams up in the 60's are Oakland and Indy. Oakland is ranked that high because of the same reasons that Indy is, I think. So the Colts allowing 64.6% to be completed speaks volumes about how average the Indy pass defense really is. Put it this way: Only Detroit and San Francisco are allowing a higher completion percentage than the Colts.
So... the way I see it, Dallas has an edge when they are running the ball. They have an edge when they are passing the ball. They also have an edge when the Colts are running the ball. And the Colts only have an edge when they are passing the ball.
Dallas wins three out of the four overall matchups. Dallas is ranked 3rd overall in total Defense. Dallas is ranked 6th overall in total Offense. The Cowboys are 4th overall in Rushing defense and 9th overall in passing defense. They are 5th overall in rushing offense and 9th overall in passing offense. In other words... Dallas is top ten (and sometimes top 5) in every major statistical catagory. I haven't seen that in Dallas since the early 90's super bowl teams. They are a well rounded team that does pretty much everything well. They don't really have a weakness. When they have played well, they've blown out teams. The first Washington game, Tenn., Houston, Carolina and Arizona have all been taken to the woodshed by Dallas when they play well. The Dallas losses have been close ones. With Romo in, I think it would’ve been a different story.
So, I think Dallas is better than its record indicates. I also think that Dallas matches up pretty well against an Indy team that has some definate weaknesses. Dallas doesn't really have any weaknesses... they're pretty well rounded. They're physical and really the only negative they have since Romo came in is penalties. Fix those penalties this weekend and I think they can end up winning Sunday against the Colts. If what I think will happen, actually does… then look for Indy to tire in the fourth quarter and Dallas to appear fresh and fired up. If we see that… I think we’ll really like the outcome. It wouldn’t surprise me for it to look like a higher scoring Carolina game, where we just wore them down late in the game.