Cowboys at Vikings Depth Chart Preview 2021
Oct 30, 2021 14:13:49 GMT -6
Funkytown, Purple Pain, and 2 more like this
Post by Danchat on Oct 30, 2021 14:13:49 GMT -6
The Vikings have reached a difficult stretch on the schedule, first facing off against the hot Cowboys on SNF. Can they finally begin to win these primetime games consistently?
Line as of 3:00PM Saturday: Vikings -3 (67% of money on Dallas)
Injury Report
Vikings
DT Pierce - Out
WR Westbrook - Questionable
DE Jones II - Doubtful
Cowboys
QB Prescott - Questionable
DE Armstrong - Questionable
LT Smith - Questionable
* My Thoughts *
QB - Prescott is a game-time decision to play Sunday night, making my analysis incredibly difficult. Cooper Rush, who's a career backup who's never started a game, is the favorite to start. My notes on him from my Backup QBs article:
The Vikings should have a much easier time if Rush is playing QB.
HB - The Elliott/Pollard combo has been a force to be reckoned with this year, which makes this offense hard to stop even if Prescott is out. Elliott is playing much better than his 2020 self, as he's averaging over 5 yards a carry and 87 yards a game. Tony Pollard, who is clearly the best backup HB in football, has been averaging 13 times a game and has been even better than Elliott. Dallas has done well to mix in the two very effectively, and behind a great OL, they will likely run circles around the Vikings' below-average run defense.
WR/TE - The Cooper/Lamb duo has been a strong one, though Cooper has been slowed down by injury so far. Lamb just had a dominant game against the Patriots, and the Vikings don't have the CBs to be able to handle them. Michael Gallup is unsure to play, as he may potentially come off the IR. Cedrick Wilson Jr. has been a capable 3rd WR in his stead. At TE, the Boys have Schultz emerging into one of the better receiving TEs in the league, while Jarwin is a decent option who can block well.
OL - After being ravaged by injuries last year, the Dallas OL has recovered. Smith and Martin have returned to being cornerstones, both ranking in the Top 2 at their positions by PFF's metrics. Connor Williams has improved after a bad first two years in the league. Collins is returning from a suspension and could be rusty, but he's one of the better RTs in the league. The weak link on the line is Biadasz, who is basically their version of Garrett Bradbury - awful pass protector, but holds his own on run plays.
DL - On paper, this unit looks flimsy. With Demarcus Lawrence, Brent Urban, and Neville Gallimore on the IR, career backups like Basham and Watkins have been forced into the lineup. Gregory, mostly known for his lengthy battles with suspensions, has been a pass rushing force, but usually only plays about 30 snaps a game. Basham has moved from a 3-4 OLB to 4-3 DE with minimal results, and backup Armstrong has made little impact in the NFL. On the interior, Watkins has been one of the league's worst run stuffing NTs for a few years now. Odigihizuwa, a 2021 3rd rounder, has been a very good pass rusher, but he gets destroyed in the run game.
LB - I was intrigued by the Cowboys' selection of Micah Parsons in the 1st round of the 2021 Draft, but they seem to have made the right pick. He is a stud as a sideline to sideline speedster and tackler, and is also a dangerous weapon as a pass rusher, notching 3.5 sacks and a crazy 22 pressures. They were willing to cast off Jaylon Smith and his $50M contract and demote Vander Esch to a part-time role. LVE has not looked the same since his neck injury and is not grading well. Dallas has gotten creative and put Keanu Neal in at linebacker after spending 5 years as a free safety, and they've mixed in Jayron Kearse in at LB as well.
CB - I thought the Cowboys would be non-competitive because of their awful defense, especially with an empty CB room, but their DBs coach deserves a promotion as this unit has turned around. Trevon Diggs, Stefon's little brother has been a menace, with 7 interceptions in 6 games. That's unbelievable, but PFF dings him for a terrible rookie year and being below average in coverage when he's not picking off passes. He's given up 419 yards in coverage so far, which is bad, but it's nothing compared to generating 7 picks. Anthony Brown, who's been a mediocre CB for years, is having a big year so far as the starter next to Diggs. Lewis has still been one of the worst slot CBs in the NFL, but somehow got a $13.5M deal from Dallas.
S - This is a weird position, as their two backups have had quality seasons before, but are on the bench. Kazee was a fine FS for Atlanta, but hasn't been the same since an Achilles rupture. Jayron Kearse, meanwhile, is having a great year as one of the best run stopping S/LBs in football. He's mediocre in coverage, but he has turned his career around after a bad year in Detroit. Malik Hooker has been mixing in when Kearse plays LB. Wilson lost his job to Kearse, which is disappointing since he had a really good 2020 season (and had an elite game against the Vikings last year).
Prediction: If Rush starts at QB: Vikings 28, Cowboys 25
If Prescott starts at QB: Cowboys 30, Vikings 24
This is a very hard game to predict. Prescott has been fantastic this year, but he is not 100%. Even then, Rush is a Mannion-level backup who wasn't even good enough to be the Giants' backup QB, and he could shipwreck the game. Still, the Cowboys have the running game to pound the ball... but their defense is probably worse than it has played this year (a la Carolina two weeks ago).
Who do you think has the advantage here?
Line as of 3:00PM Saturday: Vikings -3 (67% of money on Dallas)
Injury Report
Vikings
DT Pierce - Out
WR Westbrook - Questionable
DE Jones II - Doubtful
Cowboys
QB Prescott - Questionable
DE Armstrong - Questionable
LT Smith - Questionable
* My Thoughts *
QB - Prescott is a game-time decision to play Sunday night, making my analysis incredibly difficult. Cooper Rush, who's a career backup who's never started a game, is the favorite to start. My notes on him from my Backup QBs article:
After a season where the Boys fielded Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert at QB once Prescott went down, this is your solution? Rush flunked out of the backup job in 2020 after being their backup since 2017 and ended up as the Giants’ 3rd string QB. Rush then failed to make NYG’s roster this year and the Boys immediately scooped him up. He’s never started a game and only has a couple strong preseasons to his name, but I have no doubt he’d implode just like DiNucci did if given the chance.
The Vikings should have a much easier time if Rush is playing QB.
HB - The Elliott/Pollard combo has been a force to be reckoned with this year, which makes this offense hard to stop even if Prescott is out. Elliott is playing much better than his 2020 self, as he's averaging over 5 yards a carry and 87 yards a game. Tony Pollard, who is clearly the best backup HB in football, has been averaging 13 times a game and has been even better than Elliott. Dallas has done well to mix in the two very effectively, and behind a great OL, they will likely run circles around the Vikings' below-average run defense.
WR/TE - The Cooper/Lamb duo has been a strong one, though Cooper has been slowed down by injury so far. Lamb just had a dominant game against the Patriots, and the Vikings don't have the CBs to be able to handle them. Michael Gallup is unsure to play, as he may potentially come off the IR. Cedrick Wilson Jr. has been a capable 3rd WR in his stead. At TE, the Boys have Schultz emerging into one of the better receiving TEs in the league, while Jarwin is a decent option who can block well.
OL - After being ravaged by injuries last year, the Dallas OL has recovered. Smith and Martin have returned to being cornerstones, both ranking in the Top 2 at their positions by PFF's metrics. Connor Williams has improved after a bad first two years in the league. Collins is returning from a suspension and could be rusty, but he's one of the better RTs in the league. The weak link on the line is Biadasz, who is basically their version of Garrett Bradbury - awful pass protector, but holds his own on run plays.
DL - On paper, this unit looks flimsy. With Demarcus Lawrence, Brent Urban, and Neville Gallimore on the IR, career backups like Basham and Watkins have been forced into the lineup. Gregory, mostly known for his lengthy battles with suspensions, has been a pass rushing force, but usually only plays about 30 snaps a game. Basham has moved from a 3-4 OLB to 4-3 DE with minimal results, and backup Armstrong has made little impact in the NFL. On the interior, Watkins has been one of the league's worst run stuffing NTs for a few years now. Odigihizuwa, a 2021 3rd rounder, has been a very good pass rusher, but he gets destroyed in the run game.
LB - I was intrigued by the Cowboys' selection of Micah Parsons in the 1st round of the 2021 Draft, but they seem to have made the right pick. He is a stud as a sideline to sideline speedster and tackler, and is also a dangerous weapon as a pass rusher, notching 3.5 sacks and a crazy 22 pressures. They were willing to cast off Jaylon Smith and his $50M contract and demote Vander Esch to a part-time role. LVE has not looked the same since his neck injury and is not grading well. Dallas has gotten creative and put Keanu Neal in at linebacker after spending 5 years as a free safety, and they've mixed in Jayron Kearse in at LB as well.
CB - I thought the Cowboys would be non-competitive because of their awful defense, especially with an empty CB room, but their DBs coach deserves a promotion as this unit has turned around. Trevon Diggs, Stefon's little brother has been a menace, with 7 interceptions in 6 games. That's unbelievable, but PFF dings him for a terrible rookie year and being below average in coverage when he's not picking off passes. He's given up 419 yards in coverage so far, which is bad, but it's nothing compared to generating 7 picks. Anthony Brown, who's been a mediocre CB for years, is having a big year so far as the starter next to Diggs. Lewis has still been one of the worst slot CBs in the NFL, but somehow got a $13.5M deal from Dallas.
S - This is a weird position, as their two backups have had quality seasons before, but are on the bench. Kazee was a fine FS for Atlanta, but hasn't been the same since an Achilles rupture. Jayron Kearse, meanwhile, is having a great year as one of the best run stopping S/LBs in football. He's mediocre in coverage, but he has turned his career around after a bad year in Detroit. Malik Hooker has been mixing in when Kearse plays LB. Wilson lost his job to Kearse, which is disappointing since he had a really good 2020 season (and had an elite game against the Vikings last year).
Prediction: If Rush starts at QB: Vikings 28, Cowboys 25
If Prescott starts at QB: Cowboys 30, Vikings 24
This is a very hard game to predict. Prescott has been fantastic this year, but he is not 100%. Even then, Rush is a Mannion-level backup who wasn't even good enough to be the Giants' backup QB, and he could shipwreck the game. Still, the Cowboys have the running game to pound the ball... but their defense is probably worse than it has played this year (a la Carolina two weeks ago).
Who do you think has the advantage here?
... and neither is this Chris guy.