By Alex Al-Kazzaz
This Sunday, the New York Jets are visiting the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, Aaron Rodgers will not play, which, on paper, is not supposed to be bad for Dak Prescott and company. The Jets are coming off quite a win against the Buffalo Bills. Dallas is coming off a dominant 40-0 road win against the New York Giants. Despite losing Rodgers for the season, the Jets are not to be underestimated. Dallas may very well be on upset alert.
Zach Wilson's starting record with the Jets is 8-14. Clearly, he's made very little to no impact at all since he was drafted second overall in 2021, but he's the one the Jets plan to go with moving forward, according to head coach Robert Saleh. Dallas' defense did well against the Giants, but whether it's the best in the league is too early to be sure. The fate of both teams will become more evident as the season progresses. For now, Dallas looks to be the team with more to prove due to expectations from critics.
Dallas enters this game as a nine-point favorite. For both the Jets and Cowboys, the respective defenses look to be good. New York's Breece Hall rushed for 127 yards on ten carries against Buffalo, and with Dallas' rush defense known for its struggles, Hall may be a difference-maker for the Jets. Wilson finished 14-for-21 with one touchdown and one interception. New York's defense registered five sacks and forced four turnovers. Therefore, it's safe and realistic to say that Dallas should be on upset alert.
Dallas' passing game needs to step up against the Jets. Prescott finishing 13-for-24 can't go unnoticed. Tony Pollard and the running game did fine, which helped Dallas put more points on the board. The defense needs to do exactly what they did against the Giants: force stops, sack the quarterback and force turnovers. If the running game and defense continue to excel, the passing game doesn't necessarily need to show up, but there's no reason for the passing game not to be ready. Dallas needs to be a complete team.
The Jets have won the last three meetings with the Cowboys. Dallas is looking to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2019, while New York is looking to do it for the first time since 2015. The Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010. Both teams have a lot on the line this season, but Dallas is the one with a tremendous amount of pressure.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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