Cleveland Browns Preview
?Today the Dallas Cowboys travel up to northeast Ohio for the first since 2008 to take on the winless Cleveland Browns. The Cowboys winners of six in a row have been the surprise of the NFL thru the first half of the season. The road trip follows a dramatic win over division rival Philadelphia last Sunday night in Dallas. The Cowboys today have another tough task on hand, don't be the team that Cleveland gets their win if the season against. The Browns to be 0-8 have been highly competitive in games this year, that's a credit to Hue Jackson as the Browns have battled numerous injuries and a talent deprived roster.
Dak Prescott will once again be under center for the Cowboys as Tony Romo still isn't 100% healthy yet. You can make and argument that the Dak vs. Romo debate has been hotter than Trump vs. Clinton debate for America's next president. While I have my own opinion of who you should start for America's Team I won't dive into that right now. The Cowboys offense has been a thing to marvel at this year, in an era where throwing the football 40 times and spreading the defense out has become the norm, the Cowboys have won by running the football and winning the time of possession battle. The Cowboys lead the Nationals Footballs League in rush yard per game averaging 165 yards on the ground, meanwhile the Browns give up 144 yards rushing per game. The man fueling the Cowboys ground game has been rookie Ezekiel Elliott. The rookie leads the NFL in rushing through the first 8 weeks of the season with 799 yards. The success the Cowboys have had running the football has allowed Dak Prescott have succes on play action passes and be careful with the football and not force many throws down the football field. With that being said I'd like to see more jump balls for Dez Bryant.
As impressive as Dallas has been on offense their defense may be even more impressive. The Cowboys rank in the top 10 in both rush yards allowed per game and points allowed per game. The job that Rod Marinelli has been has been masterful. With all the suspensions in the offseason depriving the Cowboys of a pass rush the Cowboys do just enough to get the job done. The Cowboys though suffered a huge blow in the secondary as both Barry Church and Mo Claiborne sustained injuries that will have the sidelined for the upcoming weeks. The Cowboys though should have a lot of succes today in Cleveland facing a maligned offensive line and a rookie quarterback against the Browns.
In conclusion the Dallas Cowboys are a heavy favorite today in Cleveland but nothing is to be taken for granted in the NFL. If the Cowboys do what they do best which is run the football and control the time of possession there is no excuse for the Cowboys to emerge 7-1 and in complete control of not only the NFC East but the entire NFC.