The Commanders need to lean on one key advantage to have a chance of beating the Cowboys on Sunday
One unit holds the keys to victory for the Commanders.
The Washington Commanders are coming into a crucial game against the Dallas Cowboys with a lot of injuries.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels will be very short-handed on Sunday without wide receiver Noah Brown, who is now on IR, and star player Terry McLaurin, who is out for his fourth game. McLaurin was supposed to return this week, but that’s not happening, and Deebo Samuel is also out, and Zach Ertz is listed as questionable now as well.
The Commanders’ offense will need to win this game, with the defense being the biggest liability of the team, and facing a top offense in the league. The best way to keep the ball out of the hands of Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense is by running the ball and winning the time of possession.
Kliff Kingsbury needs to run the ball at will
The Commanders had one of their worst run game performances of the season on Monday night against the Chicago Bears, but they still ran for 124 yards against a really bad run defense, and it should’ve been more. We saw rookie Bill Croskey-Merritt fumble the ball earlier in the game, and we all know how the game ended with the fumbled handoff from Daniels. None of that matters, though; this is a new week, and both Daniels and Croskey-Merritt need to play with a vengeance on Sunday.
We know the running game can create explosive plays, and they will need to lean on a steady dose of runs with the lack of weapons in the passing game. The Commanders are still the second-best rushing team, and they have a healthy offensive line. The Carolina Panthers beat the Cowboys last week by rushing for 216 yards and controlling the ball for over 32 minutes. Run the ball early and often, grind down the clock, and keep Prescott and company off the field.
The Cowboys can’t stop the run
The offense will have plenty of chances to run the ball on the Cowboys’ defense, which allows 142 yards on the ground per game. As I mentioned, the Panthers ran the ball right at them for four quarters, and the Cowboys had no answer for it. The Cowboys’ defense is dead last in the league in points allowed per game, total yards allowed, rushing first downs, and third-down conversion rate, all while having the number one offense.
The Commanders can bully the Cowboys in the trenches, while Daniels and Croskey-Merritt can create explosive plays. I’d also expect some runs by the more physical running backs in Chris Rodriguez Jr, if he plays, and Jeremy McNichols, because the Cowboys’ linebackers are the worst in the league, and they can push through for bigger gains than expected.
Kingsbury knows he will be depleted on offense when it comes to receiving weapons for Daniels, so the Commanders have to run the ball, get creative, and allow the run game to grind away the clock and open up passing plays downfield.
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