By: Anthony Miller
The Dallas Cowboys look to improve to 2-0 on the season as they take on the New York Jets.
Dallas is coming off a dominating performance in week one against the New York Giants recording seven sacks on defense and shutting them out 40-0. The Cowboys are currently 1-0 on the season after their win against the Giants.
As for the New York Jets, they are coming off an emotional 22-16 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday night football. Zach Wilson takes over at quarterback after Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on the fourth offensive play for the Jets.
Game Info
Date/Time: Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 3:30 pm CST
Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX
Betting Line: Dallas -9
How to Watch: CBS/Paramount+
Game Analysis
All the praise and attention was pointed towards the defense for Dallas. Last week, the Cowboys’ defense allowed just 171 yards, created three turnovers, had seven sacks, and allowed zero points. They made life miserable for Giants quarterback Daniel Jones forcing the Giants to bench him in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.
While the skill level of the Jets is among one of the most talented in the league, the Dallas defense faces an inconsistent quarterback in Wilson. New York’s offensive line has been the subject of struggles in pass protection which should have defensive players like Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence foaming at the mouth to get after them.
As for the offense, Tony Pollard ran the ball well, but there wasn’t much to watch with the passing game. Going into the second offensive drive of the game for Dallas, Dak Prescott already had a 16-0 lead so he wasn’t asked to do much. Prescott only threw 24 total passes in the game.
This New York Jets defense is no joke as they created four turnovers in their win against the Bills. Dallas’ challenge will be protecting Prescott and their playmakers at receiver getting open against one of the best secondaries in the league. CeeDee Lamb emerged last week as the only player on the Cowboys with more than 22 yards as he finished with 77 yards. He will need to be the number one receiver Mike McCarthy is expecting him to be.
Prediction
Even with no Aaron Rodgers playing, the Jets are still a good football team with talent on both sides of the football. The thing that will keep Jets fans up a night is not knowing if Zach Wilson will make a big step in his progression as a pro quarterback.
Dallas fans want to see McCarthy’s play calling of the West Coast offense come to life so with the weather going to be better, more should be seen Sunday. It’s a good challenge for the Cowboys as fans try to ease their minds about Prescott at quarterback. So far, Prescott has protected the football so Dallas is hoping for more of that.
There’s no denying this game will be easier without Rodgers slinging the ball around, but Dallas can’t sleep on the Jets. New York is still a playoff-caliber team that needs support at quarterback. The Cowboys’ defense will hope to do more of what they did in week 1 and make life hard for Wilson.
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys 23, New York Jets 17
Featured Image via Smiley N. Pool/Dallas Morning News