Cowboys, DAK, Dallas discussed on Bet The Board
Automatic TRANSCRIPT
Formulas here. The Buccaneers have a plus defense when they're healthy. The cowboys haven't faced many good defenses that were healthy. Man coverage. And in the first matchup, dak was QB 33 out of 33 and EPA plus completion percentage over expectation with that formula of the better version of the buck's defense that plays man coverage. You also have to keep your eye on the cowboys starting center, Tyler, who is dealing with an ankle injury, missed last week that caused the cowboys to move the entire left side of their offensive line around their hopeful he can play. I do expect Dallas to show better offensively than in the first matchup and then last week. But it's not this picture perfect Dallas offense that everybody envisions it because dak is not playing overly well right now. He's feeling the pressure. We saw that last week a little bit and they just have not played a schedule of good defenses at all since dak returned. So this is a step up in class as well. And some of their running metrics have actually fallen off as well. You mentioned the injury at center. Some of the film gurus out there saying it looked like dak wasn't nearly as confident with some of his protections there in terms of getting happy feet in the pocket. The other injury that the cowboys have suffered along the offensive line happen a few weeks ago. And the ground game hasn't been nearly as dynamic since they launched Terence Steele. So we talk about offensive lineman for the most part as being interchangeable pieces, but for those folks that pull in one way, shape, or form like a cohesive unit, you break up any of that chemistry there. It can be a real problem even against the Bucs defense to your point. It should be better here despite underperforming, given some health concerns throughout the course of the regular season. Now, obviously, the headliner in this game and like we said in the NFC is going to be Tom Brady. You look at this box offense. It has been anything but an elite unit that's displayed consistency week in week out. I mean, this is a team 21st and third down conversion percentage 22nd in the red zone where they were fourth and 5th respectively over the previous two years. They've also struggled to run the football, averaging an NFL low 76.4 yards per game. It's the second worst among playoff teams ever since 1970. The one thing that Tom Brady's had to deal with is a jumbled up offensive line that hasn't exactly given him the best protection. Thankfully for him and his veteran savvy still gets the ball away