Dallas Cowboys: 3 X-factor players for Week 3 vs. Seahawks

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys takes the field during player introductions before the Dallas Cowboys take on the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys takes the field during player introductions before the Dallas Cowboys take on the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

3. Xavier Woods, Safety

The Seattle Seahawks have an impressive passing attack led by quarterback Russell Wilson. While he’s a cerebral assassin when it comes to distributing the ball, he has some great weapons as well. The top two options for Wilson are clearly D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, who while they are completely different in size offer a similar deadly trait — speed.

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Each of these players excels at getting past their defender and when they do, it’s rare that Wilson misfires. Unfortunately for Dallas, stopping the pass isn’t exactly their specialty. And with Chidobe Awuzie out nursing an injury, that could be an even bigger problem in Week 3.

This means the remaining corners are going to need some help when it comes to keeping the Seattle wideouts from getting deep on them. The man who will be responsible for keeping much of this under control will be Xavier Woods, the Cowboys starting safety.

Woods has been the best safety in Dallas for a few years and while they were hoping Ha Ha Clinton-Dix could challenge him for that title, he never made the opening day roster. That puts the centerfield-type patrol back in the hands of No. 25 and he will be tested on Sunday. If he lives up to the task, it will go a long way in helping Dallas secure a second win in as many weeks.