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Dallas Cowboys: 5 Reasons they can win Super Bowl 53

By Randy Gurzi

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 23: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after throwing a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 23: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after throwing a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 22: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys signals first down in the second half of a game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 22, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins 31-23. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 22: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys signals first down in the second half of a game against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 22, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins 31-23. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

3. Ezekiel Elliott can keep opposing offenses rusty

One thing the Dallas Cowboys understand better than most teams is that you can help your defense immensely by playing good offense. This isn’t just to say that a defense can be aided by an offense scoring 50 points (although that helps) but instead that the effectiveness of a defense can be improved when you play the way Dallas does when they have the ball.

During the game against New Orleans, they didn’t score a lot of points, but they controlled the clock and ended up having the ball for 36:53 seconds compared to just 23:07 for New Orleans. That had a lot to do with Dallas running the ball 31 times, against 19 for the Saints.

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Those numbers didn’t favor the Cowboys by chance, but instead, it’s a part of their plan. They understand that no matter how good an offense is, they can’t score when they’re on the sidelines. That’s why they love to give opposing teams a heavy dose of Ezekiel Elliott, who not only wears down defenses, but he can also force the opposing offense to become rusty from sitting and watching so long.

As proof of this, the Saints weren’t just limited by the time of possession, but their quality of offense was off-kilter as well. MVP candidate Drew Brees managed just 127 yards on 18-of-28 passing and when his team needed him most, he threw an interception to Jourdan Lewis. The defense deserved a ton of credit for the win, but the ground game had a lot to do with it as well. Expect that continue in the playoffs as January football is often won by strong defenses and teams that can run the ball.

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