The Dallas Cowboys will head to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday to play the New York Jets. The Jets have yet to win a game this season, and the Cowboys are hoping that streak continues as they look for just their second win of the year, the first one came against that other New York football team.
The Cowboys need this win badly, as a loss to a winless team would send them down the path of what likely turns into a rebuild season. A win, however, keeps their season alive and allows them a chance to still make some amount of noise in 2025. What should we expect in this one? Here are five things to keep an eye on when they play the Jets on Sunday.
1. Ready to run
The Jets don’t have a lot of offensive weapons, but they do have one very powerful one behind center. Quarterback Justin Fields is a huge threat with his legs. He takes off running at a league-high rate of once for every seven of his dropbacks. He is averaging nearly 60 yards rushing per game, the most of any quarterback this season, and it’s not even close.
Fields is going to be a problem for a Cowboys’ defense that has proven vulnerable to containing the quarterback as the pocket collapses. In three of their four games, they have surrendered a quarterback run of at least 15 yards, including last week when Jordan Love scampered for a huge 25-yard gain. The Cowboys have struggled with filling the gaps and taking good angles, which has led to some breakdowns when trying to chase down the quarterback this season. Jalen Hurts had 62 yards against them in the opener. If the defense isn’t able to limit the damage of the mobile Fields, it could lead to a frustrating day for the Cowboys.
2. Don’t let Wilson go wild
The Cowboys’ defense is the absolute worst at stopping the deep ball. They have surrendered 11 receptions, 461 yards, and five touchdowns on deep pass plays, the highest in the league in each category. This week’s recipient is Garrett Wilson. Entering the week, the Jets’ star receiver has 38 targets, third-most for wide receivers. He’s the meat and potatoes of the Jets’ passing attack, as no other receiver on the team has caught five passes for the year.
It would be nice to see some adjustments in the secondary, as the heavy use of zone coverage has not been working for the new defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus. Expect Wilson to have some big chunk plays. The last time these two teams faced each other was a couple of years ago at AT&T Stadium. Even though the Cowboys won by 20, Wilson still had a 68-yard touchdown when he took a pass over the middle to the house.
3. Defense needs to get off the field
One way to limit big plays is just getting off the field by making third-down stops. The Cowboys’ defense has been the absolute worst in this department, giving up a league-high 58% conversion rate on third down. It’s frustrating to watch, especially after the defense strings together some nice plays on early downs. That’s all for naught, though, as the defense continues to show the ability to cave when they need stops the most.
On Sunday, the defense might have a chance to show some improvement in this area as they face a Jets’ offense that is fourth-worst in the league in converting on third down at a rate of just 31%. It would be such a welcoming sight to see the defense show a little more discipline, create some pressure, and not cap things off with a bonehead penalty after making a nice defensive play. How the defense handles itself on the money down could go a long way in determining who comes out on top in this game.
4. Lay off the Sauce
George Pickens had a breakout game last week against the Green Bay Packers. He hauled in eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and every single one of them was needed. It was nice to see as it showed that the Cowboys’ offense was still alive and breathing even without the services of their All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb, who remains out with an ankle injury.
This week, Pickens draws a tough opponent as he should see a lot of Sauce Gardner, who is likely to follow him around. Gardner has done a great job shutting down the opposing team’s WR1, and we might want to temper our expectations for an encore Pickens performance. Hopefully, the Cowboys have some backup options in the queue where they involve Jalen Tolbert and Ryan Flournoy more, especially since Kavontae Turpin is unable to go from a foot injury.
5. A takeaway would be nice
There’s a laundry list of things the Cowboys’ defense is not good at, and taking the ball away is one of them. They have forced only two turnovers so far this season. Only two teams have forced fewer turnovers, and the Jets are one of them as their defense has yet to take the ball away this season. On the other side of the ball, the Jets’ offense loves to give the ball away as they have committed seven turnovers on the year, six of which have come on fumbles, the most in the league.
It would be nice if the Cowboys’ defense could come away with some splash plays and steal a possession or two from a Jets offense that has proven to be sloppy at times. Getting around the edge and stripping Fields would be great, or seeing a corner actually step in front of a route would be so satisfying. The Cowboys need to start righting some wrongs on defense, and it would be a good start if they came away with or turnover or two.
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