Cowboys catch a lucky break thanks to NFL schedule
Timing hasn't necessarily been on the Dallas Cowboys' side this season. Let's recap. Dak Prescott's injury came in the first week of the season, Cooper Rush's first disaster start came against the Philadelphia Eagles, and Tyron Smith's injury forced impromptu changes at the offensive line since the preseason. The Cowboys, however, have weathered the storm. […]
Timing hasn't necessarily been on the Dallas Cowboys' side this season. Let's recap. Dak Prescott's injury came in the first week of the season, Cooper Rush's first disaster start came against the Philadelphia Eagles, and Tyron Smith's injury forced impromptu changes at the offensive line since the preseason.
The Cowboys, however, have weathered the storm. They're 4-2, boasting an elite defense, have benefitted from A+ play on special teams, and they've got Dak Prescott coming back this weekend.
And what makes it even better is that this time around, timing is on their side. Why?
Well, the Cowboys couldn't have asked for a better opponent for Dak's first game back than the Detroit Lions. I mean no disrespect to Dan Campbell's squad, of course. That would only feed Campbell's inspiration and produce a game-changing pre-game speech that throws every analysis of this match up by the wayside.
But the reality is this is a favorable match-up for the Cowboys. Mostly because it provides flexibility. The Lions allow 6.5 yards per play, the worst mark in the NFL right now. Whether you look at run defense or pass defense, chances are you'll find bad numbers for this unit.
That means the coaching staff, which faces a big decision on how much more aggressive they want to be on offense with their QB1 back, will be able to pick their poison freely against the Lions.
If they want to manage Prescott's workload, they should be able to run the football quite well against a Lions team that allows 5.5 yards per attempt.
Plus, the Cowboys' quarterback shouldn't face a lot of pressure on his return which will be huge for him to regain his confidence and work without "seeing ghosts" after five weeks away.
The Lions are close to the league's average in pressure rate but they rely heavily on the blitz (3rd highest rate in the NFL per Pro Football Reference). Against a quarterback like Prescott – a proven blitz assassin – the Lions will struggle to find to turn up the heat.
The Cowboys' defense might struggle against the Lions versatile running game but expect the offense to cruise with Dak back in the controls.
For the quarterback's return, the Lions might be the best possible match-up out of the team's next five rivals. While Cowboys Nation wonders if there will be some rust for Dak to shake off, this will be a defense that gives him plenty of opportunities to do so.
That's timing smiling at the Cowboys for the first time in a while. Maybe that becomes a trend as PFF has America's Team as the third-easies remaining schedule heading into Week 7.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
