Dallas Cowboys: 5 X-factor players for Week 2 vs. Falcons

3. Cowboys Interior Line

The Cowboys have been unfortunate at offensive tackle when it comes to health. La’el Collins is on IR for a few weeks at least and Cameron Erving, who was their swing tackle behind undrafted rookie Terence Steele, was injured in Week 1. If that’s not enough reason for concern, Tyron Smith is now injured for Dallas and his availability is up in the air.

So why with all the issues on the edge, is it the interior line that will be the X-factor? Well, for two reasons. One is that they are healthy which means they’re going to need to do all they can to keep Dak Prescott clean in the middle of the pocket. Outside edge rush is hard to deal with but as we saw with Aaron Donald, interior pressure can be even worse. In this game, Dallas can’t afford to have both those issues.

The second reason is the presence of Grady Jarrett on the opposite side of the field. Atlanta doesn’t pose a major threat on the edge but Jarrett is an absolute monster inside and just had 1.5 sacks against Russell Wilson in Week 1.

For the most part, Jarrett should line up across from Zack Martin but it would be wise of the Falcons to move him around and test Connor Williams and Joe Looney. If they can’t hold their own, this could be a tough game for Prescott.