It looked like a rough stretch when the 2018 NFL schedule was released, but now the next three games for the Dallas Cowboys look very winnable
Every season there are teams that surprise us by either being better than expected or worse than expected. For the Dallas Cowboys, there are three teams coming up on their schedule that so far have been less impressive than we may have thought.
After games against the Panthers and Giants, Dallas entered a stretch with the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans on the agenda. Both the Lions and Seahawks just missed the postseason with a record of 9-7 and the Texans were supposed to be better than their 4-12 mark with Deshaun Watson returning to health.
When the schedule was first released, this period looked as though it could be the straw that breaks the team’s back. Instead, it looks like Dallas was handed a perfect schedule to get back on track.
The combined record of the next three opponents is an abysmal 0-6 as they all have dropped their first two games. Seattle is first on the docket, and they weren’t impressive on Monday Night.
Russell Wilson wasn’t himself and was sacked six times — for the second week in a row. He’s also thrown three picks in two games and the running game has been non-existent. Against Denver in Week 1 they had 64 yards on 16 carries and 74 yards on 22 rushes when facing Chicago in Week 2.
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With the way the Dallas defense stuffed Saquon Barkley and sacked Eli Manning at will against New York, they have to be thrilled watching the tape of this opponent.
Detroit was better in Week 2 but still dropped a game to the Lions. Like Seattle, they’ve struggled to get the ground game going with a 43-yard performance from Kerryon Johnson being their best output. In Week 1 against the Jets, they were especially bad with five total interceptions and just 39 total rushing yards.
Third in this stretch is the Houston Texans who really have no one on the offensive line who can block the Dallas defense — especially considering David Irving will be back in this game and he was dominant in 2017 when he did play.
Houston seems to have taken a big step back this season as they just dropped a game to the Tennessee Titans with Blaine Gabbert at the helm — and allowed a free safety to throw a 66-yard touchdown pass to a backup strong safety.
Of course, none of these games will be guaranteed wins and the Cowboys can’t afford to take anyone lightly. However, there’s a real chance they could reel off three more wins and have themselves on a four-game winning streak and sitting at 4-1 before a big battle at home with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
They looked ready to be written off in Week 1 — and there’s still a lot of work to do. But, the Cowboys could ride this schedule into a great start to the season.