Jason Garrett and the Cowboys need a big second half. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
The Dallas Cowboys enter Week 9 of the 2018 NFL season with a record of 3-4 and in third place of the NFC East. They are one game behind the Philadelphia Eagles (4-4) and two games behind the first place Washington Redskins (5-2).
The Cowboys three wins have come at home and they have not had a record over .500 all year. Luckily, they are coming off a bye week and they will be taking on the Tennessee Titans (3-4) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
Currently, Dallas is the No. 1 defense in the league in terms of total yards allowed (2196) and points allowed (123). Their bye week has come at a good time which has given their best defensive player Sean Lee an extra week to heal his injured hamstring although he did play against Washington. In his absence rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and second year linebacker Jaylon Smith have really stepped up and combined for 111 tackles and 3 sacks. If they can keep it going along with Lee, the Cowboys defense could become elite before the end of the year.
With the Dallas defense playing well and not allowing opposing teams to score much, the Cowboys offense has been what has held them back from winning a few other games. Head coach Jason Garrett and the front office have made some moves since the Cowboys last played. Garrett made his first ever in season coaching change by firing offensive line coach Paul Alexander. They have named former Cowboy offensive lineman Marc Colombo as the new OL coach; he was an assistant under Alexander.
The biggest change the Cowboys made was the acquisition of two time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper. Dallas traded their 2019 first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Cooper. Many have said that they paid too high a price for him because he hasn’t had a good season since 2016. In reality, it’s not that bad of a trade. The Cowboys are the 30th best passing offense in the league and should instantly improve. Cooper is a big play threat and with him on the field, it helps fill their need for a No. 1 receiver. He is only 24 years old and has already proven he can play in the NFL. He had a 1,000 yard seasons in both 2015 and 2016. There are no superstar receivers entering the draft next year and Dallas would probably be picking somewhere between 15 and 20.
Dallas has nine games left to play this season; five of them are currently against teams with losing records.
Players to Watch
Amari Cooper (wide receiver): Has had a little less than two weeks to get accustomed to the play book and create some chemistry with quarterback Dak Prescott. His 2018 stats of 22 catches for 280 yards and 1 touchdown already make him the second best receiver on the team.
Ezekiel Elliott (running back): It is going to be interesting to see how defenses adjust now that they can’t key on Zeke with Cooper there to stretch the field. He should have more running lanes to hit.
Sean Lee (linebacker): The defensive leader should be able to help keep pressure on the opposing quarterback Marcus Mariota who is very mobile and can run if he has to.
Coming up
Monday Night Nov. 5 at 7:15 p.m. Central time, the Cowboys will be hosting the Tennessee Titans. This is a perfect opportunity for Dallas to get back to .500 at 4-4. Tennessee is second to last in total offense and has no offensive superstars. The Cowboy defense should be able to capitalize on this, which in turn will allow the Dallas offense to control the ball with super star running back Elliott and Prescott’s new weapon Cooper.
If you have any fantasy players, the only must start players are:
Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott (RB), Cowboys (Defense). Only play Cooper if you have to, I am going to wait and see how they use him before starting him.
Titans: Dion Lewis (RB), only if you have no other option.
For you gamblers out there, the Cowboys are -6.5 and the over/under is 41. That seems like a lot of points to give but if I had to play it, I would go with Cowboys -6.5 and the over of 41.
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Jason Heyward hit a two-run homer early and Jon Singleton had three hits, capped by a tiebreaking RBI single in Houston’s four-run eighth inning, and the Astros got a 6-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
SAY HEY!!#Relentless pic.twitter.com/fqAiUHHdNh
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 12, 2024
Brent Rooker homered off Ryan Pressly (2-3) with one out in the eighth to tie it at 2-all.
Yainer Diaz and Kyle Tucker hit consecutive singles with one out in the eighth to chase T.J. McFarland (2-3) and bring on Grant Holman. There were two outs in the inning when Singleton’s single to center field scored Diaz to put the Astros on top.
Jake Meyers followed with a run-scoring double before the Athletics intentionally walked Heyward to load the bases. Mauricio Dubón singled on a ground ball to left field to score two more, pushing the lead to 6-2.
Tyler Nevin hit a solo homer off Josh Hader with one out in the ninth before the closer retired the next two batters to end it.
Houston’s Framber Valdez allowed five hits and a run with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings to help the Astros avoid a three-game sweep and snap a three-game skid with the victory.
La Grasa had himself a day.#Relentless pic.twitter.com/LvGeKBAoqA
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 12, 2024
Oakland starter Mitch Spence permitted seven hits and two runs in seven innings.
Singleton hit a ground-rule double with one out in the second before Heyward smacked a line drive into the second row in right field for his first home run as an Astro to make it 2-0.
It was the third hit in 12 games with Houston for Heyward, who signed with the Astros Aug. 29 after being released by the Dodgers.
Jacob Wilson doubled to open the seventh and moved to third on a ground out by Nevin. The Athletics cut the lead to 1 when Wilson scored on a single by Daz Cameron that chased Valdez.
Bryan Abreu took over and pinch-hitter Seth Brown grounded into a double play on his second pitch to preserve the lead.
Lawrence Butler doubled with one out in the third to extend his career-long hitting streak to 20 games.
Singleton doubled again to start Houston’s fourth before Spence sat down the next 11 Astros. Houston’s next base runner came on a double by Dubón with two outs in the seventh and Alex Bregman grounded out to leave him stranded.
Trainer’s Room
Athletics: 1B Tyler Soderstrom (left wrist injury) is scheduled to come off the injured list Friday for the start of a series against the White Sox.
Astros: 2B Jose Altuve was out of the lineup Thursday, a day after leaving in the fifth inning with discomfort in his right side. Manager Joe Espada said he was feeling better Thursday and that he is listed as day to day.
Up Next
Athletics: LHP Brady Basso (0-0, 1.93 ERA) will start for Oakland against LHP Garrett Crochet (6-11, 3.83) in the opener of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox Friday night.
Astros: Houston LHP Yusei Kikuchi (8-9, 4.31) opposes LHP Samuel Aldegheri (1-1, 2.45) in the first of three games against the Los Angeles Angels Friday night.