Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys: Complete Week 8 Preview for Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys (6-1) will face their second division foe of the year when they take on the Washington Redskins (2-5) Monday night at AT&T Stadium. A win would give the Cowboys great momentum going into their monumental clash with the Arizona Cardinals.
Last week, the Cowboys beat the New York Giants 31-21 in a game that wouldn't have been that close if it wasn't for a couple of mistakes by the Cowboys. If Dallas didn't turn the ball over, it would look like a much more dominant team.
The Redskins are coming off a close 19-17 win over the Tennessee Titans that came down to the end. Colt McCoy replaced Kirk Cousins in the second half and led the Redskins to the victory.
The Cowboys can't be caught looking ahead to the Cardinals game because the Redskins have a plethora of playmakers who can make them pay. Dallas has to take advantage of McCoy's inexperience and force him to turn the ball over on multiple occasions.
Just like any other week, the Cowboys have to control the line of scrimmage on offense and defense. If they can stop the Redskins' rushing attack, then they should be in a great position to win this game.
Read on for some news and notes, injury information and players to watch on Monday.
Week 7 Recap
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The Dallas Cowboys didn't play their best, but they got it done in a 31-21 win over the New York Giants. This win improved the Cowboys' record to 6-1, as the Giants fell to 3-4 on the season.
Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray controlled the latter part of the game. Bryant consistently made extremely important receptions, while Murray ran the ball very efficiently.
The Cowboys ran the ball throughout the game on 35 carries for 156 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line didn't do as great a job as it had in prior weeks, but it got the job done when it mattered most.
The defense did a fantastic job getting off the field on third down, as the Giants went 5-of-13 on third-down conversions. This defense is not the most talented unit, but it can make the necessary plays to get the opposing offense off the field.
The defensive line didn't put much pressure on Eli Manning, but it was very stout against the Giants running game. The Cowboys need some players who can rush off the edge and get constant pressure on the quarterback.
The secondary was competitive throughout the game and for the most part stayed with the Giants receivers and tight ends.
Now, the Cowboys look forward to a game against another division rival, the Washington Redskins.
News and Notes
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Amobi Okoye Returns to Practice
Amobi Okoye had his first practice as a Cowboy Thursday, per ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins: "Okoye has been on the reserve/non-football list because he was recovering from anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a brain condition that causes memory loss and seizures. Okoye, who hasn't played in an NFL game since 2012, was in a coma for three months last year."
The fact that Okoye can come back from this type of health scare is truly one of the feel-good stories of the year. It is incredible that a person who was in a coma for three months can recover well enough to play in the NFL.
Okoye doesn't have just a good story; he is also a solid player. He was a great rotational player under defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli when he was with the Chicago Bears in 2012. If he can return to that form, he could boost the Cowboys defensive line.
Bruce Carter Also Returns to Practice
Bruce Carter has been one of the Cowboys' best playmakers on defense this season, but he had been out the last three games with a thigh injury. However, he returned to practice Thursday, per ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins.
The Cowboys have done well in Carter's absence, but it will be a boost to get him back. His replacement, Kyle Wilber, is an adequate player, but he doesn't make enough splash plays.
Carter will help the Cowboys off the edge as a blitzer and also in covering running backs out of the backfield. The linebackers are finally getting healthy, which should lead to improved play.
Cowboys Need More Sacks
The Cowboys haven't collected many sacks so far this season, and the players are starting to hear about it from Marinelli, per The Dallas Morning News' Jon Machota:
"'It sucks to go back into meetings with Coach Marinelli with zero sacks because it’s a bad day after that,' Cowboys defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford said. 'We know that we upset him. When he has to go in front of the defense and say the defensive line came up with zero sacks, we know that that’s an upsetting thing for him to do. We don’t want to do that to another man.'
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The Cowboys have done an adequate job of getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but they haven't excelled at finishing the job. The Cowboys must do a better job of getting off and around the blocks and to the quarterback much quicker than they have as of late.
Injury Report
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| Dez Bryant (shoulder) | WR | Probable |
| Tony Romo (back) | QB | Probable |
| Bruce Carter (thigh) | LB | Questionable |
| Doug Free (foot) | OT | Out |
| Tyron Smith (ankle) | OT | Probable |
| Henry Melton (hamstring) | DT | Probable |
| Jermey Parnell (chest) | OT | Probable |
| DeMarco Murray (illness) | RB | Probable |
| Rolando McClain (groin) | LB | Probable |
The Cowboys don't have many injuries that should have them worried. Jermey Parnell did an adequate job of replacing Doug Free last week, and there is no reason to believe he won't do a similar type of job this week. He will be facing a tough challenge in Ryan Kerrigan, but he will likely receive some help from tight ends throughout the game.
All injury information comes from the Cowboys' official team website.
X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Jermey Parnell vs. Ryan Kerrigan
With the injury to Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan is the most dangerous player for the Redskins defense. Kerrigan has immense strength and power to set the edge against the run, along with great technique to rush the passer.
The man who will be mostly tasked with stopping Kerrigan is Jermey Parnell. Last week, Parnell did a good job against the Giants pass-rushers.
Kerrigan will be a stiffer test because he is just as effective as a run defender as he is as a pass-rusher. Parnell will have to be on top of his game through the contest, or Kerrigan will destroy him.
Expect the Cowboys to give Parnell a great deal of help when he is matched up against Kerrigan.
Orlando Scandrick vs. DeSean Jackson
Orlando Scandrick may be the best slot cornerback in football. He does an incredible job of blanketing the smaller, speedier receivers who give so many teams troubles. This season, he has shut down players like Percy Harvin and Brandin Cooks, who are both small and extremely fast.
This week, Scandrick will have another test from a small, speedy receiver in DeSean Jackson. These two have locked horns in the past. In the last four games against the Cowboys, Jackson only has 11 catches for 111 yards, which is mostly due to Scandrick's great coverage.
Scandrick thrives in these types of matchups, and there is no reason to believe he won't thrive again.
X-Factor of the Week: Zack Martin
Zack Martin has been arguably the best Cowboys offensive lineman in the last three or four weeks. He does a great job with his back-side blocks in the zone-blocking scheme, to go along with his great ability to get to the second level and block opposing linebackers.
Martin will have his hands full when he matches up with Jason Hatcher, who is the former Cowboys defensive tackle. Martin will have to play with excellent feet and technique if he wants to block Hatcher on a regular basis.
He will also need to continue his stellar job of getting to the second level in order for the Cowboys running game to be effective.
This game is no different than the ones in the past; the Cowboys need to keep a clean pocket and establish the run early and often. Martin will be one of the key factors in how Dallas does in both areas.
Prediction
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The Cowboys have to win the games where they are the much better team. They have too many tough games coming up to just take a game off and lose to an inferior team.
They have the better offense, defense and special teams, and for that reason they should come away with the win in this game. The Cowboys defense should make things uncomfortable for Colt McCoy, which should lead to some turnovers from the inexperienced quarterback.
Dallas should control the line of scrimmage on offense and defense. The Redskins defensive line is above-average, but the Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Also, the Redskins offensive line is very suspect, so the Cowboys defensive line should win its fair share of battles there.
For a team with a 2-5 record, the Redskins have a considerable amount of high-level players like Jason Hatcher, DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Alfred Morris. All these players are capable of taking over a game, so the Cowboys cannot get lazy.
However, Dallas has much better supplemental stars than the Redskins. Players like Justin Durant, Ronald Leary, Terrance Williams and Sterling Moore are the reason the Cowboys will have the advantage. They are just a much deeper team.
Overall, the Cowboys are just too good to lose to a mediocre team like the Redskins at home. However, this is a divisional game, which can be unpredictable. It will be closer than many believe, but the Cowboys should come out on top.
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Redskins 21
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