Dallas Cowboys’ Keys to Success Against the Broncos

 

The Dallas Cowboys square off against the Denver Broncos this Sunday. If you have heard anything about the Broncos, its probably about how good their defense is. In particular, their defensive backfield. Yes its quite true, that cornerback combination of Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, and Bradley Roby is a force to be reckoned with. However, there are two areas of the Broncos defense that I believe can be effectively attacked.

  Feed That Young Bull Ezekiel Elliott

Last week against the New York Giants, Dallas had the ball for 34 minutes, over the course of which 71 plays and 22 first downs were made. I don’t think the Cowboys are going to have to hold the ball quite that long this week in order to win. This Broncos defense has areas that can be attacked, which couldn’t be attacked against the Giants.

The Denver Broncos were a poor team against the run last season. Although statistically it looks like the Broncos have improved to open the 2017 season ( allowed 54 yards on 18 carries to Chargers’ running back Melvin Gordon last week), I maintain the belief that Gordon is just a streaky runner. Sometimes the young Chargers’ running back looks like a top-tier back, and other times he looks anything but.  We need a larger sample size to see if the Broncos have truly improved their run defense. My bet is that they haven’t, and that running back Ezekiel Elliot will have success running through the defensive line. Which will ultimately unlock other facets of the Cowboys offense. A steady dose of Zeke against the defensive line will do much to help the Cowboys attack through the sky.

I Think Its Safe to Throw at the Safeties

One thing the Denver Broncos have always taken pride in is their pass defense. They boast arguably the best cornerback trio in the league in the aforementioned Harris, Talib, and Roby. But I don’t want to talk about the corners right now, I want to talk about the safeties. The Broncos released three time pro-bowl safety T.J Ward, toward the end of the offseason. To top it off, starting safety Darien Stewart is questionable with a groin injury.

If the Cowboys can run route combinations that pick on and target the inexperienced safeties that will be protecting the middle of the field, they could have a surprisingly good night in the passing game against a really good defense.

My Prediction

Yes, its unusual to see the Denver defense give up high 20 point- low 30 point games, I think it could happen this Sunday. I think the Cowboys are equipped to attack the vulnerable points in the Bronco defense. On top of that, I believe that the play of Broncos quarterback Trever Siemian limits the offensive potential star receiving tandem Emmanuel Sanders  and Demaryius Thomas. Don’t be surprised if this game ends up looking something like 28-21 Dallas, or even 31-21 Dallas. Sometimes WHEN you play an opponent in the NFL matters almost as much as WHO you play. This week, I think Dallas may be in the right place at the right time.