5 things to watch when the Cowboys host the Buccaneers on Sunday night
Here is what we will be paying attention to on Sunday night.
The last time the Dallas Cowboys played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers it was fantastic. Dak Prescott threw for four touchdowns and the Cowboys won convincingly sending Dallas into the divisional round of the playoffs and sending Tom Brady into retirement.
Of course, it’s been almost two years since that wonderful game and things are different now. Both the aforementioned quarterbacks will not be playing in this one. The Bucs are trying to remain atop the NFC South while the Cowboys are trying to finish the season strong. It should be a competitive game, but we never know what to expect with this football team. Here are five things to keep an eye on when the Cowboys host the Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football.
1. THE TWO-HEADED BACKFIELD
Stopping the run is always a concern for this Cowboys’ defense, so squaring off against a Bucs team that has gained the fourth-most rushing yards this season doesn’t bring out the warm and fuzzies. Tampa’s backfield features the two-headed monster of Rachaad White and rookie Bucky Irving. There’s a nice balance between the two as White averages 13.7 touches per game, while Irving averages 13.6 per contest. As a team, the Bucs average 5.2 yards per carry, second-best in the NFL this season.
On the year, the Cowboys’ defense has averaged 4.8 yards allowed per carry, which is fourth-worst in the league. They have gotten better recently as they haven’t allowed 75 yards on the ground in either of their last two games, but that might have something to do with the strength of their opponent. The Bucs' rushing attack could be a problem as they should see a heavy dose of the White/Irving duo.
2. REAL DEAL RICO?
The Bucs rushing attack is legit. They have been grounding and pounding all year long. The Cowboys’ rushing success is more of a recent development as Rico Dowdle is coming off the three best games of his career, each game better than the last. This raises the question, has Dowdle and the Cowboys rushing attack turned a corner or is this just the result of playing inferior run defenses?
Going against Tampa should answer that question. The Bucs' run defense was atrocious early, but they have stiffened up as of late. They haven’t allowed 100 yards on the ground in any of their last five games and are coming off a game against the Los Angeles Chargers where they only allowed 32 rushing yards.
3. MAYFIELD ON THE MOVE
You might be surprised that Baker Mayfield is one of this year’s top-performing quarterbacks. He is fourth in passing yards with 3,617, third in touchdown passes with 32, and third with a 70.8 completion percentage. He is one of the reasons that the Bucs offense ranks fourth in the league in points scored this season.
While Mayfield’s arm does most of the damage, he can perform improv at times. Mayfield does a great job of keeping the play alive as he quickly bails out of the pocket when it starts to collapse. He is not afraid to run as this 29-year-old QB channels his Oklahoma days and takes off. The Cowboys have been really good at “almost” sacking the quarterback this year, and if they don’t get him down on first contact, it could result in a big play for Tampa Bay.
4. KEEPING RUSH ON HIS TOES
Cooper Rush is coming off his best game, throwing three touchdown passes for the first time in his NFL career. Against the Carolina Panthers, he hung in the pocket, looked downfield, and made a lot of good decisions with the football. It was the first time this season that fans felt a sense of satisfaction from what he offered as the team’s backup.
There are yards to be had in the air against the Bucs defense. On the season, they’ve allowed 3,468 passing yards, third-most in the NFL. But that doesn’t mean that Todd Bowles’ defense rolls out the red carpet. After a rocky start, the Bucs’ defense hasn’t allowed 200 yards passing in three of their last four games. They will mix up their pressure and like to bring delayed blitzes. Rush is a decisive thrower, but if he doesn’t find what he’s looking for early, it could create problems for him later.
5. DON’T FORGET ABOUT MCMILLAN
Tampa Bay spent a third-round pick on wide receiver Jalen McMillan despite already having one of the best 1-2 WR punches in the game in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Of course, those guys have been around a while so trying to go younger isn’t a bad idea. For most of the year, McMillian has been an afterthought with the veterans consuming all the targets. Unfortunately for the Bucs, both their star receivers went down with injuries midway through the season, and suddenly the rookie was thrown into the lead role where he was pretty much a non-factor.
Evans has returned these last few weeks and picked up right where he left off, but it has also put McMillan in the WR2 role, where he’s starting to heat up. He is coming off back-to-back career-best games, scoring three touchdowns in his last two games. The Cowboys cornerback group has been hit hard with injuries so while all eyes will be on stopping Evans, they’ll want to make sure the rookie McMillan doesn’t get loose in the secondary.
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