NFL Game of the Week: Chiefs vs. Cowboys

Story posted November 1, 2017 in CommRadio, Sports by Camden Tofil

Two of the best teams in their respective conferences face off in this week’s game of the week, as the Kansas City Chiefs visit AT&T Stadium to face the Dallas Cowboys.

These teams lack familiarity which should make the game more interesting to watch as the Cowboys and Chiefs haven’t played since 2013 where the Chiefs knocked off Dallas 17-16 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Kansas City enters this matchup with a record of 6-2 and tied for first in the AFC with New England and Pittsburgh. The Chiefs are coming off a 29-19 win over Denver on Monday night. Kansas City now has a 2.5 game lead in the division.

Quarterback Alex Smith led the way for the Chiefs as he threw for 202 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Travis Kelce continued to be dominant as he totaled 133 yards and a touchdown from Smith.

Dallas is coming off a tough 33-19 win over the Redskins in rainy Washington D.C. The Cowboys still trail the Eagles in the NFC East, but are gearing up to make a run for the division crown.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott was electric as he ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Now that his six-game suspension finally seems to be in place, the Cowboys will need to rely on Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris to replace the services of Elliott.

Kansas City and Dallas match up well with each other and Andy Reid and Jason Garrett are both very good coaches, so this should turn out to be a very good game.

Chiefs Offense vs. Cowboys Defense

Kansas City have one of the best offenses in the league and are loaded with star power at every position.

Alex Smith has been arguably the best quarterback in the league this season. Smith currently ranks second in the league in passing yards (2,181) and third in touchdowns (16). Smith is the only quarterback that hasn’t thrown an interception this season.

Smith has plenty of weapons at his disposal. Kelce and Tyreek Hill are the main targets for Smith this season. Kelce has totaled 556 yards and four touchdowns, while Hill has 553 yards and three touchdowns. Both receivers have been big-play weapons all season.

However, the heartbeat of this offense has been Kareem Hunt. The running back is leading the league with 763 rushing yards. Hunt has been dynamic this whole season as he has totaled 6 touchdowns to this point. The rookie from Toledo looks to be in the conversation for MVP and rookie of the year.

The Dallas defense has been about average this season as they rank thirteenth in yards allowed per game. However, the Cowboys defense lacks skill players, so the Cowboy offense makes up for it by controlling the time of possession.

Linebacker Sean Lee, the captain of the defense, has been superb for Dallas so far this season. Lee leads the team in solo tackles with 33, but the star of the defense has been Demarcus Lawrence. Lawrence leads the league in sacks with 10.5 and has been a dominant force all season.

Look for Lawrence to get after Smith on Sunday and maybe force Smith into his first interception of the season.

Cowboys Offense vs. Chiefs Defense

The Dallas offense is led by quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott may not have the best physical abilities to play quarterback, but he knows how to win. He has a record 17-6 so far in his career and has a knack for making big plays in big moments.

Prescott has the second best QBR in the league behind Texans Deshaun Watson. Prescott may not put up the big numbers, but he is the most efficient quarterback in the league.

Prescott’s job just got a lot bigger with the returned suspension of Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott, one of the best running backs in the league, will be out the next six games. Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris will have to pick up the slack in Elliot’s absence.

Morris only has 105 yards on the season, while McFadden doesn’t have a carry, so both players should be well rested.

The Chiefs defense has been one of the worst in the league this season. The offense has been able to make up for the defense in several games, but it will only get tougher for this Chiefs defense now that they face the Cowboys. Kansas City ranks thirtieth in the league allowing 392.2 yards per game.

Kansas City has the talent to have a great defense. Players like Justin Houston and Marcus Peters are All-Pro players, but the loss of Eric Berry has hurt this defense bad. They rank twenty-eighth against the run and the pass.

Positives from this Chiefs defense are that they do a good job in taking the football away. Kansas City ranks ninth in the league with eight interceptions and eleventh with seven forced fumbles. So, while Kansas City may give up a lot of yards to Dallas, look for the Chiefs to come away with a couple of turnovers.

This has the potential to be a great game as the Chiefs and Cowboys match up well with each other. The key will be how the Dallas offense performs with Elliott.

I think Dallas’ offense struggles and the Chiefs offense scores a ton of points on a relatively average Cowboys defense. Alex Smith and company pull out the big win over a tough NFC opponent on the road.

Prediction: Kansas City 31, Dallas 20

 

Camden Tofil is a freshman majoring in advertising/public relations. To contact him, email camdentofil@gmail.com.