Gallup to return soon
For the first time in over six weeks, fans won’t be able to watch the Dallas Cowboys, as they enter their bye week. Dallas comes into the week in a better position than they could have expected and will look to continue their winning ways once they return.
The first six weeks of the season have been great for Dallas, as they enter their bye week tied for the second-best record in the NFC. They are currently tied with Tampa Bay, who their one loss this season came to, Green Bay and the Los Angeles Rams.
The Cowboys came into this season with expectations pretty high, needing to make the playoffs for the first time in over two seasons. So far they have not only met those expectations but surpassed them, looking like one of the best teams in the entire league and getting contributions from areas they couldn’t have even asked for.
One concern entering this season is how would quarterback Dak Prescott return from missing most of last season with an injury. Prescott was able to silence those doubts immediately and has been having a terrific season.
At this point, Prescott has the fifth most passing yards in the league, averaging just over 300 yards per game. With a touchdown to interception ration of 16-4, only one quarterback in the league (Matthew Stafford) has both more yards and a higher passer rating than Prescott’s 115.
With receiver Michael Gallup having missed most of the season so far, other Cowboys receivers have gotten more targets, nobody more than CeeDee Lamb. Lamb has the ninth most yards in the league so far with 497, and only four players in the league have both more receiving yards and touchdowns than his four.
With so much production coming from the passing game you would think that would take away from the running game, but it hasn’t at all. Running back Ezekiel Elliott has the third most rushing yards in the league this year with 521, just under 87 yards per game. He also has five rushing touchdowns with only Tennessee’s Derrick Henry having both more rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, and he is on pace for a historical season.
The Cowboys offense has been nothing short of amazing this year, as they enter the bye week with the most points scored in the entire league. It hasn’t just been their offense that has led to their success this season, however, as their defense has greatly exceeded expectations this year.
Cornerback Trevon Diggs is making a strong case for the most improved player of the year. Entering the season as a +15,000 to win this year Defensive Player of the Year, through the first seven games that number has gone all the way down to just +450, making him one of the early favorites to win the award.
The Cowboys aggressive corner already has seven interceptions and is on pace to break records for Dallas. Only one other player in the entire league has as many as four interceptions and only four others have as many as three. While his interception rate is hardly sustainable, he has created a number of opportunities for the Cowboys offense and will hope to continue to do so for the remainder of the year.
Dallas will not only have the opportunity to rest and regroup for the remainder of the year, but will also hopefully be getting Gallup back. Gallup has had 800 or more receiving yards in each of the last two seasons, including an 1,107-yard year in 2019, and getting him back to go along with what is already one of the best passing attacks in the league will only make them that much more dangerous.
The Cowboys, who currently have a three-game lead in the NFC East division, will also benefit from a fairly favorable schedule once they return from their bye. Their first game back is on the road at Minnesota for the Sunday Night Football game on Halloween night. The Vikings are 3-3 so far this year but are currently riding a twogame winning streak after opening their season 1-3.
After that the Cowboys return to Dallas for a pair of home games against the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons. Denver is also 3-3 but are on a threegame losing streak after winning their first three games of the season.
Atlanta, on the other hand, is just 2-3 and have been outscored by 43 points this season. Only three teams in the NFC have a worse point differential through their first six games this year.
Dallas will likely be favored in all three of those matches and will have a chance to improve their record all the way to 8-1 before they face the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders in back-to-back weeks.
While fans will surely find themselves missing the Cowboys come Sunday, the bye week comes at a solid time. Their Week 8 game against Minnesota is set for Sunday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. and will air on NBC.