The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Chicago Bears and now take on the Los Angeles Rams. With every game of the season there will be things to watch and pay attention to. Here are five things to watch for in week 15.
1. Can the Streak be Broken?
All season long, the Cowboys have not won a game over a team that had at least a .500 record. They have won most of the games that they should win, besides their big loss to the Jets. If the Cowboys want to do anything special this season, that has to change, and fast.
This week, the Cowboys take on the Rams, who were struggling to get their offense going. Then they put up 28 points on Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. The good news for the Cowboys is they have extra time to prepare, as they played on Thursday last week. Hopefully, they can implement a good gameplan with the extra time.
2. Will Scripted Plays Work Again?
Earlier in the season, the Cowboys had awful first drives to each game. The last two weeks, the Cowboys have started the game off hot. This all comes down to scripted plays at the beginning of the game. With extra time to plan for the game against the Rams, the Cowboys should have a great script to go off of.
Soon, the Cowboys will need to put a good opening drive together, but also need to keep on scoring. That is something they have failed to do the last two weeks. Against the Rams, they’ll need to score more consistently to win.
3. Dak’s Chances for Best Passing Season in Cowboys’ History
So far this season, Dak Prescott has led the NFL’s top passing attack. He has carried the team for a lot of games and it shows in the stats. Prescott has thrown for 4,122 yards this season. If he is on, it gives the Cowboys their best chance to win games, but he can also set some personal records along the way.
The most passing yards in a season by a Cowboys’ quarterback is 4,903 by Tony Romo in 2012. Prescott has three games left to get near 800 passing yards to set the record. If he plays well enough, he could even pass for 5,000 yards. If the Cowboys aren’t able to win playoff games this year, which is looking more and more like it will be the case, this will be a nice milestone for Prescott.
4. Ezekiel Elliot vs. Jalen Ramsey
Back in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Cowboys had a big decision to make with the fourth overall selection. They could go with Ezekiel Elliot, who was the top running back in the class, or Jalen Ramsey, who was the top cornerback in the class. The Cowboys decided to draft Elliot, even though cornerback was a clear need. Both Elliot and Ramsey have panned out, even if Ramsey has moved teams, but it is always interesting to think about what could’ve been.
Elliot has rushed for 5,119 yards in his four seasons with the Cowboys. Jalen Ramsey developed into one of the best corners in the NFL and even helped the Jaguars get to the AFC Championship. Elliot got his big contract and the Rams are working on giving Ramsey one now. Both players are extremely talented and the Cowboys would’ve had a good player either way.
5. Kai Forbath
After weeks of struggling, the Cowboys have finally released Brett Maher. He missed 10 kicks this season, which led the NFL. Dallas was losing games and Maher wasn’t helping the problem. Now the team can move forward and hopefully have their kicking issues resolved.
The team has already signed Kai Forbath to replace Maher. He is a veteran who has hit 85.8 percent of his field goals in his career. Forbath hit one field goal this season for the Patriots, but hit just one of two extra points for them in week 13. He’ll need to come up clutch down the stretch for the Cowboys.
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