3 Cowboys Players Who Must Step Up to Make Deep Playoff Run

The Dallas Cowboys sit in a position that normal eight-win teams typically do not reside in going into Week 13.

Dallas has eight wins and is still off the pace of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. The Cowboys are in a vulnerable spot as the first wild-card team in the NFC because they only have a one-game edge over the New York Giants and Washington Commanders.

Mike McCarthy's team has two games left against the NFC East and a full slate versus the AFC South ahead to close the season.

The quartet of out-of-conference games puts Dallas in a weird spot where it can't gain much in the conference record tiebreaker. The Cowboys are 7-3 in the NFC, which is a big help to their playoff hopes, but they only have two more chances to improve on that mark.

Dallas needs its offense to be at its sharpest to keep pressure on the Eagles, and it also needs its run defense to be a major factor in games with a handful of dominant running backs upcoming in the next six weeks.

Michael Gallup

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 20: Michael Gallup #13 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Michael Gallup recorded season highs in targets, receptions and receiving yards on Thanksgiving Day.

Gallup's production increase was a welcome sight to a passing game that needed an extra complement to CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb and Dalton Schultz are Dak Prescott's top targets and Noah Brown is second on the team in receiving yards, but Gallup is the X-Factor that will take Dallas far in the postseason.

Gallup gives the Cowboys a strong No. 2 wide receiver and he forces opposing defenses to not solely focus on Lamb when the ball is in the air.

In 2020, Gallup closed the regular season with five touchdowns and three games over 80 receiving yards.

The Cowboys could use a big game or two out of Gallup to take some pressure off Lamb and Schultz and to show the rest of the NFC that their offense can be as well-rounded as the Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.

Osa Odighizuwa

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 30: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears is sacked by Osa Odighizuwa #97 of the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The Cowboys face Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, Dameon Pierce, Miles Sanders and Brian Robinson before the end of the season.

Dallas' rushing defense will be tested in every game before the postseason and that leads to more importance on the play of Osa Odighizuwa on the defensive interior.

Odighizuwa and his defensive teammates held the New York Giants to 90 rushing yards on Thanksgiving Day. That marked the second game in a row in which the Cowboys held an opponent under 100 rushing yards.

Odighizuwa does not need massive days in the stat columns, but he does need to get pressure on the interior to disrupt the rushing rhythm of the top-tier running backs on the upcoming schedule.

Point-of-attack pressure will be massive in slowing down Taylor and Henry in Weeks 13 and 17 respectively. The Cowboys can't allow the two AFC South stars to earn a ton of yards after first contact.

The same strategy applies to the other running backs in the next six games, but if the Cowboys can slow down Henry and Taylor, like they did Saquon Barkley, their chances of catching the Eagles will grow.

Dante Fowler

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 24: Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants throws a pass under pressure from Dante Fowler #56 of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 24, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Giants 28-20. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Dante Fowler has 10 tackles and two sacks in the last four games.

The 28-year-old pass-rusher earned those totals while playing around 30-to-40 percent of the defensive snaps.

Fowler is tied for fourth on the team in quarterback hits with seven and he is fourth in sacks with five.

Fowler could have more importance inside the Dallas defense in the coming weeks as the attention grows on Micah Parsons.

The Cowboys need a few of their other effective pass-rushers to get into the backfield in case Parsons is double-teamed, or is unable to reach the backfield with plays going opposite his direction.

Dallas flexed plenty of front seven depth throughout the season and it can set an example of how tough a playoff game will be against them if Fowler increases his output in the backfield.

Fowler could be especially important against the Eagles, as the Cowboys need to contain Jalen Hurts from beating them with his legs.

A contained front can help the Cowboys deal with the NFC East leader and any threat that comes in the other five games left on the docket.