CINCINNATI -- The
Cincinnati Bengals have heard the accolades about the Cowboys' offensive line more than once.
The Cowboys have the reputation of boasting the best offensive line in the league, and the Bengals aren't denying what they have seen on film. There's a reason rookie running back
Ezekiel Elliott leads the NFL in rushing yards.
"If you go back and look at some of the film, some of the holes are so wide open that my little girl could run through there," said cornerback Adam Jones.
Offensive lines can be hard to rank without the measurable statistics that exist at other positions. To grade the Cowboys, one could look at their three Pro Bowlers last season or simply their second-ranked rushing offense.
Their pass blocking hasn’t been too shabby either -- Cowboys rookie quarterback
Dak Prescott has only been sacked six times compared to
Andy Dalton's 13.
But after the Bengals got their own pass rush going with five sacks against the
Miami Dolphins last Thursday, defensive end
Carlos Dunlap thinks they have the upper hand in that department.
"I think they are known as the best line in football because of their running ability, how well they run the ball, but if we can force the pass I think we have a better advantage with our defensive line," Dunlap said.
How do you stop the 3-1 Cowboys? The Bengals likely have a simple plan: stack the box against Elliott and force Prescott to win the game on his own.
That clearly hasn’t been so simple for other teams. Elliott has run for at least 100 yards the past two games, and Prescott has yet to turn the ball over. He hasn’t passed for more than 300 yards yet, but he hasn’t needed to with the offensive line opening holes for Elliott.
"I think a couple teams they played were very undisciplined when it comes to gaps,"
Jones said. "But I take my hat off to the guy, he's been playing pretty good."
Prescott's two biggest qualities have been his efficiency and lack of mistakes. It doesn’t hurt that he has been able to extend plays with his feet either.
"That's why they are winning football games. He's not throwing any interceptions, and they are running the football really good, so we have to stop the run and force him to make a mistake being a rookie quarterback," Dunlap said.
A mistake will have to come sometime. Why not Sunday?
"You can’t let them get Ezekiel going and then you have to pressure Dak Prescott," defensive tackle
Domata Peko said. "He’s a young quarterback. He’s been doing some great things, but at the end of the day he’s a rookie quarterback. We have to make sure we go out there and get after him ...
"We hear a lot about their offensive line and a lot about this
Dallas Cowboys offense, but we’ll see what happens Sunday. We might be hearing about this Bengals defense after this."
Pacman Jones downplays Ezekiel Elliott, says his daughter could succeed with Dallas line
Thats a hyped up, MEDIA headline if you ask me. Also doesn't show much if any disrespect to EZE. Completely out of context.
