The Dallas Cowboys have a tough road ahead of them with quarterback, Dak Prescott, expected to miss a large chunk of time.
But, sitting at 0-1, they must find a way to win games without their QB1.
The best chance they have of doing that is on the defense.
Dallas has a talented defense that gave up 19 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but only one touchdown.
That defense might even have to do better than that in Week 2 to find a way to beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals’ offense is loaded with talent including Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Mixon, and quarterback Joe Burrow.
Despite being loaded with players, they can still be had by a good defense.
We saw that last Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers made the Bengals look terrible.
Burrow ended up throwing four interceptions and the Steelers pulled off the upset.
He was even sacked seven times.
The Cowboys will need a similar defensive approach this week.
Micah Parsons will have to play in that T.J. Watt role from last week where he just caused problems the entire game.
The Cowboys like to move Parsons around but he should spend most of his time coming off the edge and getting after Burrow.
Last year's DROY spinning his way to a sack 🌪 @MicahhParsons11
📺: #TBvsDAL on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/xlZm1YHXQD pic.twitter.com/8FPE8p0Nws— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2022
If Dallas can successfully pressure the Bengals’ QB he will more than likely turn the ball over.
That is the key to the Cowboys winning this game.
They have to turn the Bengals over at least two-three times to have any chance.
Trevon Diggs will most likely be tasked with guarding Chase in what could be a great matchup on Sunday.
The reigning NFL interception leader could not pick a better time to get his first interception than this week.
Creating short fields for the Dallas offense is why turnovers will be so important for the defense.
Allowing Cooper Rush to not have to drive the whole field to score gives Dallas a much better chance of scoring touchdowns.
The Week 1 performance by the Cowboys might have been the worst in all of the NFL.
It would be hard to believe that even with a backup QB they can play any worse than they did Sunday Night.
Win The Trenches
The Cowboys’ defensive front has to dominate a poor Bengals offensive line.
The Steelers did it last week and that is why they won.
Now, Dallas must do the same thing.
Limiting Joe Mixon and not getting dominated on the ground will be crucial for Dallas.
They must force the Bengals into third and long situations where everyone on the field knows they have to throw.
That is when Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence play their best.
In Week 1, Dallas allowed 152 yards rushing, which is not going to cut it this week.
One positive from the Cowboys in Week 1 is that the defense did not commit a single penalty.
Cowboys were flagged for 10 penalties in Sunday’s loss to Buccaneers. Eight on offense. Two on special teams. None on defense. Part of the defense’s strong evening when holding Buccaneers to 19 points. pic.twitter.com/rTS6r0Yijh
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) September 12, 2022
That is due to the discipline and coaching of defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, who is one of the best assistant coaches in the league.
Expect Quinn to have his unit ready to perform in a big Week 2 matchup on Sunday.
NEXT: Cowboys Insider Reveals Michael Gallup's Week 2 Status