This week the Cowboys take on the big bad Broncos. Through four weeks the Broncos have looked invincible. Peyton Manning is looking like the greatest quarterback to every play this game. He has his team lined up perfectly on every play and he is able to find the favorable matchups before the ball is snapped. The Cowboys will really have their hands full this week facing a team that is averaging 40 points per game. Before I go into my 5 keys to victory I would like to talk about what I think it will take to beat a team like the Broncos.
In big games it comes down to coaching and execution. I was watching the Saints game on Monday night and the commentator mentioned how “gutsy” Sean Payton is as a play caller. Payton feels that his players are better than yours and he puts that confidence into his play calling. He trust that his quarterback will make the right read, the right throw, his wide receivers will run the right routes and make the adjustment on the ball. Payton will exploit favorable matchups until the defense show that they will stop it. Sean Payton is the same coach that came out of halftime in the super bowl and tried an onside kick, and it worked.
Coaching is a huge aspect of this game and I would really like to see the Cowboys coaches show confidence in their players. There aren’t too many teams in the league that have a playmaker like a Dez Bryant. I don’t know why his number isn’t called a lot more than it is. Tony Romo is a great asset to have at quarterback. He may not be Manning, Brady, Rodgers, or Brees but he can make some amazing plays with his legs and his arm. The offensive line has shown that it can protect Romo a lot better than it did last season, the line isn’t perfect but how many teams have a perfect line. I want to see the muzzle taken off this offense. The short passing game can be beneficial in some situations but it’s been over utilized thus far. Romo has only thrown 1 interception through four weeks but he has yet to have a 300 yard passing game. No it’s not about the stats but it is about the lackluster offensive performance that I continue to see week in and week out. In the game against the Rams Romo looked extremely sharp. He was throwing guys open, he was making all the right calls but it was when the team had a comfortable lead. There won’t be many games where the Cowboys will be leading by 20 points. Romo has the ability to make the plays he just needs to start making them and the coaching staff has to trust him to make them. This is a huge game against the Broncos and if the Cowboys want any shot at winning this game they better pull out the big guns and go for the gusto!
Now let’s talk about execution. It’s one thing for the coach to show the faith in you as a player and it’s another thing for the coach to trust you. Faith is when the coach gives you the opportunity to earn the trust. When a coach calls a play designed for a certain player, that’s the coach putting faith into his player. If the player then goes out and executes the play the way the coach wanted then that player earns the trust of the coach. Once the trust is earned that player will get more plays called for him. Execution is the very important, because it will allow a coach to be a lot more aggressive when calling plays if he knows his players will execute them to perfection.
The Cowboys players have to understand how big this game is against the Broncos. The Cowboys sit at 2-2 and many would debate that they could be 4-0 or 3-1 (I feel they should have beaten the Chiefs). After going 8-8 the past two years, you should want nothing more than to escape this cycle of winning a game and then losing a game. Aside from the record, many believe the Broncos to be the best team in the league. What better way to so that you plan on making a run this year than beating the best team in the league? Execution will be the utmost important against the Broncos. This team will have to play as a cohesive unit in order to get the job done. With all this said allow me to jump into my 5 keys to victory.
Be Aggressive
The Cowboys are coming off a heartbreaking lost against the Chargers. They had an eight point going into the half and failed to score anymore points for the rest of the game. In the second half there were a ton of dropped passes and poorly executed plays. The plays that were called didn’t necessarily put pressure on the defense either. This week the Cowboys will need to put pressure on the Broncos defense. The Broncos have been playing some good defense but they haven’t been tested. Von Miller is still out this week and they will have to blitz to pressure Romo. The Cowboys must take advantage of the single coverage and attack down the field. They also need to use more play action to freeze the linebackers to give the tight ends a chance to work the middle of the field. I’m not saying don’t use the short passing game, I just want them to test this defense and take some shots down the field.
“Being Aggressive” goes double for the defense. Last week Philip Rivers had is way with the secondary. He wasn’t under any pressure for most of the game and when he was he simply rolled out the pocket and escaped it. I know that the 4-3 defensive scheme relies on the front four linemen to get pressure, but if they’re not getting hitting home you have to dial up some blitz packages. The Cowboys don’t have a very good secondary, so if you allow Peyton Manning time in the pocket he will destroy this secondary. We must get to the quarterback and make he check the ball down to allow our linebackers to make the tackle.
Run the Ball
The Broncos defense ranks 3rdagainst the run. That is a little deceiving seeing as though most of the teams have been so far down that they abandon the run. The Broncos are small up front and they run a 3-4 scheme. The Cowboys have two big guards in Waters and Leary, they have to run the ball inside and get those guards to the next level in the running game. On Sunday against the Charges Demarco Murray was averaging 5 yards per carry and the Cowboys stopped giving him the ball. The Cowboys can’t afford to get one dimensional in this game, if they do it will make it easy on the defense and give Peyton more chances at their defense. The running game is important because if the Cowboys can keep drives going, they will help their defense and keep Peyton on the sideline.
Find Dez Bryant
There isn’t a corner back in the league that can cover Dez Bryant. I know it seems like I say this every week, but it’s true. In the first half of the Chargers game Dez Bryant was a beast. They moved him around; they worked him deep and even gave him a few short passes and allowed him to make the play after the catch. I really like plays like that because they can be used as a substitute to a running game. If the Broncos commit to playing man to man like they have for most of this season Dez will be your best weapon in this game.
Do Not Bench Morris Claiborne
Claiborne is a really good corner back and has an amazing skill set. You are going to need your best guys in coverage against a team will this many weapons. This is not the week to bench Claiborne. The last time Scandrick played against Welker in the slot he played really well. That is a matchup we can’t afford to lose. Scandrick is needed in the slot so that means that Claiborne has to play on the outside. Claiborne plays best up close to the line, when he can get physical with the wide receiver. The Broncos have two big receivers in Decker and Thomas this is the perfect game for Claiborne. Thomas has the speed to beat Claiborne deep but Decker doesn’t. Claiborne will have chances to get physical with both of these receivers and I expect him to have a really good game this week.
Trust in Tony Romo
I have been most impressed with Tony Romo’s decision making. He has shown me that he really wants to make the right throw and that he wants to protect the ball. The Cowboys paid him 100 million dollars this offseason, and now it’s time to reap the benefits of that investment. You pay quarterbacks to win you games like this one. Last week against the Chargers Romo was leading a drive in the fourth quarter that was very impressive. He even scrambled for a first down inside the 15 yard line. Romo is best when he can improvise, so let him. Use the no huddle early and often in this game. Allow Romo to call some of the plays on the field. Let Romo create mismatches and take advantage of them. I want to see the Romo making some plays this week and I would love to see the coaching staff trust him to make them.
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