3 reasons Dallas Cowboys will keep shocking win streak alive vs. Washington
The Dallas Cowboys are on a very unexpected two-game winning streak early on in the 2022 NFL season. Heading into Week 4 action, I don’t think anyone anticipated the Cowboys would be 2-1 after losing starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a thumb injury in the first game of the year. Cooper Rush, who was not even on the 53-man roster at the start of the season, has miraculously led the Cowboys to wins in Week 2 against the reigning AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals and in prime time on Monday night against the previously undefeated New York Giants.
In Week 4, the Dallas Cowboys play a home game against another division rival, this time the Washington Commanders and Carson Wentz. Is it possible, even without Prescott for the time being, that the Cowboys could keep this streak (and their NFC East division hopes) alive? It’s not only possible, I’m starting to regret my pick of the Commanders and thinking it’s actually likely.
Let’s look at a few reasons why the Cowboys will keep this shocking winning streak alive against the Commanders in Week 4.
3 reasons the Dallas Cowboys will beat the Commanders in Week 4
1. Micah Parsons
What can be said about Micah Parsons that hasn’t already? Parsons fell in the 2021 NFL Draft (relatively speaking, of course) thanks to a lot of attention paid to quarterbacks at the top and other stellar offensive skill players in his class. Not to mention, there were a couple of top-flight talents at the quarterback position and an offensive tackle in the mix. The Cowboys actually traded down and still acquired Parsons. Never forget.
After racking up 13.0 sacks and 30 QB hits in his rookie season, Parsons is already off to a stellar start in year two. He’s got four sacks, nine QB hits, and five tackles for loss in the Cowboys’ first two games. Considering the fact that Carson Wentz was sacked nine times against the Eagles last week, you’ve got to think Micah Parsons is licking his chops, smelling blood in the water.
2. Returning playmakers to the lineup
The Cowboys may not be getting Dak Prescott back this week, but a couple of other playmakers could be rejoining the lineup. Tight end Dalton Schultz is practicing on a limited basis due to a knee injury, but signs of progress are there that could have him playing against the Commanders.
In addition to Schultz, the Cowboys might be getting Michael Gallup back in the lineup. Gallup has been working his way back to “full confidence” after a knee injury suffered last season, and you can’t blame him. He would be a huge addition to a Dallas receiver group that has gotten nice performances from both Noah Brown and CeeDee Lamb in the last couple of weeks.
3. Cowboys could dominate on the ground
In the first two weeks of the season, the Commanders had really below-average to bad performances against the run defensively. They held the Philadelphia Eagles to just 72 yards on the ground last week, but against the Lions they nearly gave up 200 rushing yards. What can Dallas’ duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard do in this matchup?
The Commanders are giving up 5.4 yards per carry as a defensive unit, so they’ve shown that’s an area they can be susceptible defensively. The Cowboys, even with a full complement of targets in the passing game, could end up leaning heavily on Elliott and Pollard to grind out another win and keep this streak alive.