Colts at Cowboys
Mike Tanier / FootballOutsiders.com
Colts at Cowboys: Rundown is obligated to provide in-depth coverage of this matchup between two of the league's marquee teams. At the same time, we realize that you are bored to death of the Colts and Cowboys. You are sick of Peyton Manning, his commercials, and his pregame warmups with Marvin Harrison that now start seven-and-a-half hours before kickoff. If you read one more word about the Colts run defense, you'll retch. The Mike Vanderjagt revenge angle? Boring. Terrell Owens? Puh-lease. Heck, you're even tired of Tony Romo, and the guy has only been playing for about a month.
So we'll skip the window dressing and go straight to the meat of the discussion. The Cowboys will beat the Colts. Here's why:
1. The Cowboys will run the ball at will. Go ahead and heave if you want. But the Colts won't be able to stop Julius Jones and Marion Barber III.
2. The Cowboys will pass the ball at will. Last week, the Cowboys adjusted to life without Terry Glenn, and they discovered that Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd deserve a place in the game plan. Glenn should be back this week, making the 'Boys that much more dangerous. And while we're always talking about the Colts run defense, we sometimes forget that their pass defense is also below average.
3. The Colts offense isn't firing on all cylinders. Manning is an expert at checking down and taking what the offense gives him, but Ben Utecht and Joseph Addai shouldn't combine for 14 catches like they did last week. That works when facing the Bills, but it won't work against a good team.
4. The Cowboys have a 3-4 defense. Manning played well against the Patriots' 3-4 a few weeks ago, but his line still struggles against defenses that use a variety of fronts. The Cowboys may use more fronts than any team in the NFL.
So take the Cowboys, be wary of the over (it opened at 48), and be thankful that you won't have to listen to any "who can stop the Colts" arguments after this week.
Colts at Cowboys: Rundown is obligated to provide in-depth coverage of this matchup between two of the league's marquee teams. At the same time, we realize that you are bored to death of the Colts and Cowboys. You are sick of Peyton Manning, his commercials, and his pregame warmups with Marvin Harrison that now start seven-and-a-half hours before kickoff. If you read one more word about the Colts run defense, you'll retch. The Mike Vanderjagt revenge angle? Boring. Terrell Owens? Puh-lease. Heck, you're even tired of Tony Romo, and the guy has only been playing for about a month.
So we'll skip the window dressing and go straight to the meat of the discussion. The Cowboys will beat the Colts. Here's why:
1. The Cowboys will run the ball at will. Go ahead and heave if you want. But the Colts won't be able to stop Julius Jones and Marion Barber III.
2. The Cowboys will pass the ball at will. Last week, the Cowboys adjusted to life without Terry Glenn, and they discovered that Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd deserve a place in the game plan. Glenn should be back this week, making the 'Boys that much more dangerous. And while we're always talking about the Colts run defense, we sometimes forget that their pass defense is also below average.
3. The Colts offense isn't firing on all cylinders. Manning is an expert at checking down and taking what the offense gives him, but Ben Utecht and Joseph Addai shouldn't combine for 14 catches like they did last week. That works when facing the Bills, but it won't work against a good team.
4. The Cowboys have a 3-4 defense. Manning played well against the Patriots' 3-4 a few weeks ago, but his line still struggles against defenses that use a variety of fronts. The Cowboys may use more fronts than any team in the NFL.
So take the Cowboys, be wary of the over (it opened at 48), and be thankful that you won't have to listen to any "who can stop the Colts" arguments after this week.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:30 PM
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