Three predictions for Cowboys vs. Cardinals
It is Week 3 of the NFL season and Cowboys fans are already feeling mixed emotions. The Cowboys look good and they are currently sitting at 2-0. The offense is playing well, however, there is rarely good without the bad in the NFL. On Friday, tragedy struck the Cowboys' defense when Trevon Diggs went down […]
It is Week 3 of the NFL season and Cowboys fans are already feeling mixed emotions.
The Cowboys look good and they are currently sitting at 2-0. The offense is playing well, however, there is rarely good without the bad in the NFL.
On Friday, tragedy struck the Cowboys' defense when Trevon Diggs went down with a season-ending injury he suffered in practice. Now, Dan Quinn's unit is without one of its best players as the team figures out life without him.
You can't take any game for granted, especially in the NFL, but if you can find a bright spot out of this news it is that the Cowboys play the Cardinals this week. The Cardinals are a team that is considered by many to be in contention for the number one overall pick in the next draft. So it should be a good game for the Diggs-less secondary to hit the ground running.
Last week we went 3-3 in our predictions on what to look for. Let's see if we can do it again.
The first thing I am looking for is this secondary to step up.
Someone in the defensive secondary gets an interception.
This might come off as a lazy guess, but I would be willing to be the result of it goes a long way with Cowboys fans. Diggs has come to be known as a playmaker and a turnover machine. Now with his absence, there is likely some worry among fans. Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland have already recorded interceptions on the year, but grabbing another one would surely look good without Diggs. The Cowboys inadvertently prepared for a Diggs injury with their acquisition of Gilmore this off-season. They got the widely considered more "lock-down" corner to pair with the gambling nature of Diggs.
With Diggs gone, the corner room will have DaRon Bland move to the outside and Jourdan Lewis will step into a starting role. Lewis will likely see a lot of targets today as it his first time starting in some time and it is his first game back from injury, but I have a feeling either Gilmore or Bland will get their second interception on the season.
Offensive line snaps an impressive streak
The Dallas Cowboys' offensive line looks good, so far. Like, really good – they have yet to allow a sack this year.
The worrisome news about this is that there are questions among the offensive line heading into the Week 3 matchup.
To pair with the injury concerns. the Cowboys are facing a Cardinals defense that has sacked the quarterback nine times this year. A number that is only behind the Cowboys and the Commanders. With the Cowboys potentially shuffling their offensive line already and the Cardinals getting production out of a relatively unknown front seven, I'm predicting Dak Prescott will be sacked for the first and second times in the 2023 season.
CeeDee Lamb scores his first touchdown of 2023
It may come as a surprise to you, especially after the near 150-yard performance against the Jets, CeeDee Lamb has yet to score a touchdown in the 2023 season.
Lamb has had a great year so far catching 15 out of 17 yards, going for 220 yards, putting him seventh in the NFL. But the end zone has been elusive for him.
Today that changes. Prescott will connect with Lamb for his first touchdown on the season, and I wouldn't be surprised if they do it more than once.
© Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
