Minnesota vs. Dallas: Cowboys Preseason Week 3 Preview
The third preseason game is considered the most important of the four preseason games that each NFL team plays before the start of the regular season. Similarly to the other preseason games, the final score matters little, but unlike other preseason games, the team will invest a significant amount of time preparing for its opponent's schemes and personnel, as well as playing the starters on both sides of the ball for most of, if not all of, the first half.
Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen stated, "This is an important part of the regular-season prep for teams to establish their core calls while also experimenting with new schemes."
The Dallas Cowboys' so-called dress rehearsal will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET when they take the field to face off with the Minnesota Vikings.
At this point, it is unclear exactly how much the Cowboys starters will play, considering so many have yet to take the field in a preseason game at all, whether because of nagging injury or pure organizational precaution. But we know this game traditionally features the heaviest workload for the starter-level players.
It will be important for the first-team offense to establish some sort of rhythm, after every unit failed to sustain an attack in the prior game against the San Francisco 49ers.
The defense will look to continue to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks while hoping to improve its performance against the run.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the highest priority of every preseason game—to get through the game without suffering any injuries that might threaten the team's opportunities to accomplish its goals for the season.
News and Notes
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Can Tyler Patmon Replace Orlando Scandrick?
The single biggest story of the week out of training camp was the knee injury suffered by No. 1 cornerback Orlando Scandrick. Cowboy HQ's Mike Fisher provided all the angles to the story, going straight to Scandrick to learn that in addition to the assumed ACL tear, he had suffered an MCL tear as well.
According to Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com, Tyler Patmon has been the first guy up with an opportunity to replace Scandrick in the position where he truly excelled, the slot corner. Patmon, an undrafted free agent from Oklahoma State in 2014 who was signed after coming to rookie minicamp as a tryout player, made an impact in the third preseason game with a big-time interception for a touchdown, as well as another interception.
The Cowboys will be counting on Patmon to be a big-time player as the slot defender with Scandrick out for the year, and Saturday will be his first opportunity to prove he is capable of filling that role.
Latest Injury News
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Because it is the preseason and teams are not required to produce official injury reports, it can be difficult to determine who will be unavailable for each preseason game. As an alternative, here is a list of players who have suffered injuries and could be unavailable for Saturday’s game against Minnesota.
Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
WR | Hamstring | |
Orlando Scandrick | CB | Knee (out for the year) |
Devin Street | WR | Foot/ankle |
Brandon Weeden | QB | Concussion |
David Porter | WR | Groin |
Michael Hill | RB | Head |
Jeff Heath | S | Head |
Zack Martin | OG | Stinger |
Anthony Hitchens | LB | Foot |
Kenneth Boatright | DE | Neck |
Chaz Green | OL | Hip |
Mark Nzeocha | RB | Knee |
Rolando McClain | LB | Knee |
Considering the number of players who appeared on this list last week, this seems to be a manageable list. The most noticeable change is the number of key offensive contributors who have had their names removed from the list. Tyron Smith, Ron Leary, Cole Beasley and Gavin Escobar all showed up on this list in Week 2 and have participated in practice enough to be removed from the list.
This is great news for the Cowboys. Considering their struggles on offense through the first two preseason games and the lack of snaps taken by the front-line offensive players, it will be important for them to get some time in the game Saturday to establish some momentum leading into the regular season.
All injury information courtesy of DallasCowboys.com.
Position Battle to Watch and X-Factor
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Cowboys Front Seven vs. Adrian Peterson
The Cowboys gave up 158 yards rushing against San Francisco and 135 rushing yards in San Diego. The 295 yards through two games puts them on a pace that would have placed them last in the league in rushing defense at 146.5 yards per game. For the Cowboys to succeed in the regular season, they have to be able to contain their opponent's running game to give their new pass-rushing talent the opportunity to attack quarterbacks in passing situations.
While it is true that the majority of the players who will be tasked as primary run-stoppers during the season have yet to take significant snaps in the preseason, this is still something to watch going forward.
The Minnesota Vikings offer the ultimate rushing test for a defensive unit. Widely considered the NFL's best running back, Adrian Peterson presents a challenge to a front seven that is attempting to establish itself being capable of shutting down rushing attacks.
If Tyrone Crawford, Nick Hayden, Sean Lee and the rest of the defensive front are able to limit the Vikings' rushing production in this game, it will be a positive sign for Cowboys fans.
X-Factor: Dez Bryant
The true X-factor for the Cowboys, the man who fills the wide receiver spot identified as the X receiver and the one who reminds everyone of his importance with his "throw up the X" touchdown celebration, Dez Bryant is the man to watch Saturday night.
After sitting out several weeks of training-camp practices and missing each of the first two preseason games, Bryant has been itching to get back on the field with his team—so much so that he attempted to sneak into some one-on-one drills in the combined practices with the St. Louis Rams before being pulled out by offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
No. 88 returned to practice this week and was quickly back to his dominant self, as DallasCowboys.com's David Helman so eloquently described:
"We just filmed a Training Camp Live that featured #DezDoinDezThings for the first time in three weeks. Should be on the site soon.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) August 26, 2015"
It has yet to be seen how much Bryant will play against the Vikings, but one thing is for sure: Whenever he is on the field, he must be considered an X-factor.
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Prediction: Cowboys 22, Vikings 18
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While production in the third preseason game typically falls more in line with what we should expect from these teams with the starters taking significantly more snaps, anything can still happen once the reserves enter the game in the second half.
If Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and the rest of the Cowboys' offensive first unit can put together a couple of scoring drives against a good Vikings defense, the team should be in position to win its first preseason game in the last two years. Greg Hardy, Tyrone Crawford and Sean Lee should be set to be big players for the defense, and Randy Gregory will look to continue his stellar rookie preseason as the team attempts to hold quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings offense in check.
Prediction: Cowboys 22, Vikings 18
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