Biggest Matchups for Cowboys in Week 11 Showdown with Chiefs

The Dallas Cowboys' showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs is the highlight of the NFL's Week 11 slate of games. With both teams coming off dominant wins, there will be no shortage of confidence, and the winner will be taking serious momentum into the home stretch of the regular season. 

The Cowboys bounced back in a big way in Week 10. After a disappointing showing against the Denver Broncos, the offense reappeared with a 43-3 drubbing of the Atlanta Falcons. 

The Chiefs exorcised some demons of their own in Week 10. They followed their own abysmal performance against the Green Bay Packers with a dominant 41-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. 

It all sets up a massive showdown on Sunday afternoon. As is the case with most games, the outcome will likely come down to several one-on-one matchups. 

Here are three that will have a large impact on the Cowboys' success at Arrowhead. 

CeeDee Lamb vs. Rashad Fenton

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

CeeDee Lamb is becoming one of the top receivers in the NFL. He's averaging 9.9 yards per target and is 10th in the league in receiving yards. 

Rashad Fenton has quietly played like an elite corner this season, and the two will meet on the field on Sunday in what should be the most anticipated matchup of the game. 

Fenton is currently Pro Football Focus' second-highest graded cornerback. That mark was boosted by his performance last week in which he played 36 coverage snaps, was targeted only twice and allowed just one catch for five yards, per PFF. 

On the season, the 24-year-old has allowed 5.4 yards per target. 

Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore does a good job of making defenses locate Lamb, so Fenton will likely find himself covering Amari Cooper as well. But either way it's going to be a chess match on the outside. 

Whether Fenton can lock down one of the Cowboys' top receivers will be a key storyline to watch. 

Micah Parsons vs. Andrew Wylie

John McCoy/Associated Press

Without Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence, the Cowboys have a bit of an injury crisis when it comes to their pass-rushers. Fortunately for them, the Chiefs have their own injury crisis brewing right now. 

Starting right tackle Lucas Niang came out early in the Packers game two weeks ago with a rib injury and was unable to go on Sunday. Backup right tackle Mike Remmers was also injured and was forced to go on injured reserve. 

That leaves Andrew Wylie, who has mostly played guard in his career, to fill in at right tackle. He played admirably against the Raiders and held Maxx Crosby to five pressures and no sacks, per PFF. 

The Cowboys' not-so-secret weapon in the pass-rushing department is rookie Micah Parsons. The linebacker has also moonlighted as a defensive end with excellent results. He has racked up 3.5 sacks in the last two games alone, including one in which the right tackle couldn't even get a hand on him against the Falcons. 

Getting pressure on Patrick Mahomes is key to unseating the Chiefs, and Dallas' best path to do that is to utilize Parsons as a pass-rusher against Wylie. 

Jourdan Lewis vs. Tyreek Hill

David Becker/Associated Press

Any team facing the Chiefs offense has to figure out three things: Getting pressure on Mahomes and covering Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. 

The tight end and speedy receiver are the most unique duo of weapons in the NFL, and few teams have answers for them. 

In the case of Kelce, the Cowboys have a former safety at linebacker in Keanu Neal while Jayron Kearse has played pretty well this season. They aren't going to stop him, but they have a fighting chance to do better than some teams. 

It's going to take a collective effort to stop Hill, but Jourdan Lewis is going to have to play well. He plays almost exclusively in the slot, and the Chiefs have lined up Hill in the slot at the 13th-highest rate in the league. 

It's a tall task for Lewis, but he is coming off of an encouraging outing. Per PFF, he didn't allow a single catch on five targets with three forced incompletions against the Falcons. 

The 26-year-old will need to be at his absolute best with the expectation that there will be plenty of Hill in the slot.