It is time to offer picks for Sunday’s Cowboys/Browns game.
The Dallas Cowboys start the 2024 season on the road, against an AFC opponent that made the playoffs last year. That is never an easy task for a team. Then consider the Cowboys will have a rookie left tackle seeing the first action of his career by going against Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, and the task becomes even more daunting.
But the Cowboys roster is a very talented bunch. Overlooked in all the doom-and-gloom of a strange offseason is the fact that the Cowboys have won 12 games in three straight seasons. You can’t do that in the NFL using smoke and mirrors. You have to have solid talent.
So which direction should we go for the upcoming game when making a prediction. Our friends at FanDuel have the Cowboys as 2.5-point underdogs. Before we make the BTB pick here, let’s see what some others are saying.
Here’s a Week 1 matchup between last year’s leader in scoring offense, and last year’s leader in total defense. Something’s gotta give.
I’m low on the Cowboys this season, and I think their running back room could be very underwhelming. It’s not great for the Cowboys that they have to take on what may be the toughest defense in the league on the road while star wideout CeeDee Lamb spent a good chunk of time away from the team. Then there are the new starters on the offensive line that have to somehow contain Myles Garrett. The Browns went 8-1 at home last year, and allowed just 13.9 points per game. That, of course, ranked No. 1 in the NFL.
I can’t tell you if Deshaun Watson is finally going to show up this year. But I still like the Browns Week 1.
Projected score: Browns 21-17
One for the bad guys. What’s missing from this analysis is that the Browns are going to have injury problems at tackle, likely giving Micah Parsons an advantage just like Garrett has going up against a rookie. And the Browns ground attack will be missing Nick Chubb. Let’s check another opinion.
Lorenzo Reyes: Cowboys 21, Browns 18
I think Cleveland’s defense may ultimately end up as the best in the NFL this season, but I have a difficult time trusting Deshaun Watson at quarterback. The Browns performed far better when Joe Flacco was under center. And on the other side, the Cowboys didn’t have a great offseason, but the pressure is immense on Mike McCarthy. I like Dallas in the upset.
Tyler Dragon: Cowboys 25, Browns 24
Tom Brady’s broadcast debut might be more anticipated than the actual game. But the Cowboys and Browns are entering the season with a lot of pressure and expectations. Deshaun Watson might be under the most pressure of any quarterback this year. He hasn’t lived up to expectations following his record-breaking contract. Cleveland has a talented roster. They need Watson to regain his H-Town form.
A couple for the good guys. And the play of Deshaun Watson could mean so much in this game. No position is more important than quarterback, and Watson has not been very good at it for a while.
So to tack on to these other picks, take the Cowboys to cover, but really take them to cover and win. Everyone keeps talking about the Browns defense, and rightly so, but it’s not like the Cowboys are slouches on defense. And their one Achilles heel there, their run defense, was addressed by the change to Mike Zimmer at coordinator, who then set about getting bigger and stronger at defensive tackle and linebacker. The Cowboys defense should cause problems for Watson, and if the Browns can’t run the ball efficiently, that will be a major issue.
The Cowboys run game isn’t exactly scaring anybody, but Dak Prescott is a much superior QB to Watson, and he does have CeeDee Lamb who will be the best receiver on the field. Both offenses may not be able to run the ball as well as they hoped, and if that’s the case you should take Prescott over Watson to pick up the slack. Even with the Cowboys having to start a rookie at corner, Watson doesn’t exactly strike fear in opponents.
Take the Cowboys 24-17.
