The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will step into the primetime spotlight against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football in Week 5.
To get the inside scoop on the Cowboys and identify which matchups could favor Tampa Bay and which could give Dallas an advantage, I went behind enemy lines and spoke to Jerry Trotta, site expert at The Landry Hat, FanSided's dedicated Cowboys blog.
I walked away from our conversation with a better understanding of how Dallas might try to attack the Buccaneers, and ways that Tampa Bay could gain an edge by exploiting the Cowboys' weaknesses.
Dallas Cowboys expert previews Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup: Dak Prescott, Jalon Daniels and more
Q: The Cowboys currently rank No. 30 in total defense (389.5 PPG) and No. 28 in scoring defense (28 PPG). The Buccaneers have conversely been one of the NFL’s worst offenses, ranking No. 28 in yards per game and No. 24 in points per game. Is there any fear that the Buccaneers will get their offense on track against a bad Cowboys defense, or do you find it more likely that this matchup against a rookie quarterback will serve as a get-right game for Dallas defensively?
A: I lean more toward the latter than the former. Having said that, I would be surprised if Daniels does not find success against this defense. The Cowboys have been incapable of containing mobile quarterbacks. They allowed 54 rushing yards to Jaxson Dart, 69 to Jayden Daniels, and 50 to Lamar Jackson. If I'm Zac Robinson, I'd be looking to take advantage of that. Overall, I land somewhere in the middle. Daniels will look better than he did against the Packers, but I would not be surprised if we saw Dallas' defense play its best game of the year.
Q: The Cowboys were already heavily favored, and now they just got another major advantage with Bucs star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. out due to injury. The Bucs will have to cover CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens without Winfield in the defensive backfield. The Cowboys have scored 30-plus points in consecutive games, and Lamb has surpassed 100 yards in three straight games. What is your confidence in each of those trends continuing?
A: I have utmost confidence that these trends will continue. The Cowboys have the fewest drives of any offense in the NFL, and yet they only trail the Buffalo Bills in total points scored this season (127 to 122). Nothing against the Buccaneers, but without Winfield, I am hard-pressed to envision a world in which the offense doesn't keep humming. Ditto for CeeDee Lamb. Teams are shading more coverage to George Pickens to avoid being beaten over the top, and Lamb is winning every rep regardless of the route concept or where he lines up at the line of scrimmage.
Q: Arguably the Buccaneers’ biggest weaknesses defensively is the inability to cover tight ends. The Cowboys seemingly don’t feature tight ends heavily this year with their leading tight end, Jake Ferguson, totaling just 12 catches and 83 yards through four games. However, he does have three touchdowns which indicates Dak Prescott targets his tight ends more in the red zone. Do you think Dallas will adapt to the matchup and rely more on the tight ends against Tampa Bay, or will the offense continue to run through CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens?
A: Dak Prescott's arrogance is one of his best traits as a QB, but he also knows when to take what the defense gives him. The same goes for Brian Schottenheimer as a play-caller. If that means looking to Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford more often, he will do that. It's hard to see the offense not running through CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but it would not surprise me if Dallas' tight ends combine for 10 or more catches.
Q: Do the Buccaneers have a clear weakness that you expect the Cowboys to take advantage of?
A: I think you mentioned it: Linebacker. I expect the Cowboys to attack the middle of the field. Unlike some QBs (cough, cough, Jalen Hurts and Bo Nix), Dak Prescott is not afraid to throw between the numbers. And without Antoine Winfield as the last line of defense, I'll be expecting more downfield shots, whether it's to George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, and maybe even KaVontae Turpin.
Q: Vice versa, do the Cowboys have a clear personnel weakness or a specific matchup that the Buccaneers can exploit on Thursday night?
A: Similar to Tampa Bay, linebacker is a big problem right now. Rookie Jaishawn Barham looks like a future star at MIKE, but he's also a rookie who's juggling a lot of responsibilities. Dee Winters, meanwhile, is terrible in coverage. The Buccaneers should look to hunt Winters in the passing game. He's a lot more comfortable playing downhill and sideline-to-sideline than dropping into coverage. Elsewhere, cornerbacks Reddy Steward and DaRon Bland were picked on by Houston. Easier said than done for an undrafted QB, but I wouldn't even throw at Joey Porter Jr. The Texans did that and found great success through the air.
Q: Is there a roster strength that Dallas has that is currently being overlooked by rival fanbases or the media that could give the Buccaneers trouble?
A: Offensive lines are inherently overlooked, but the Cowboys' OL has been really good without All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith, who started the year on IR after thumb surgery. And yet, all the praise has gone to Prescott, the WRs, and Javonte Williams. Tyler Guyton has been lights-out in a make-or-break year, while Terence Steele has weathered a lot of noise at RT. Second-year man Tyler Booker is a bully at right guard, and Cooper Beebe is just a rock-solid center. I expect another strong outing on Thursday, making life difficult for Tampa's pass rush.
Add us as a preferred source on Google