Tony Romo could only stand and watch as his Dallas Cowboys were outplayed by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The Cowboys now travel to London for their Week 10 showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Which team will use their trip across the pond to end their two-game losing streak?
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has two minor fractures in his back, which prompted him to sit out the Cowboys’ 28-17 Week 9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. With the loss, the Cowboys are now 0-2 SU/ATS in their last two games.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Despite his back injury, Romo will be traveling with the team to London for their Week 10 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Cowboys may decide to keep Romo on the bench in this game as they are going against one of the league’s best pass rush units in the Jaguars (27 sacks, third-most in the NFL). Dallas cannot afford their star quarterback’s injury to worsen.
Meanwhile, backup Brandon Weeden may remain as uncomfortable and ineffective as he was against the Cardinals due to the pressure of Jacksonville’s pass rush. Against Arizona, Weeden went 18 for 33 for 183 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Especially if Weeden does start, Dallas will rely heavily on their run game in this one. Running back DeMarco Murray’s streak of eight 100-yard rushing performances ended after he ran for 79 yards on 19 carries against the Cardinals. However, expect Murray to be back to his usual self when he takes on Jacksonville’s porous defensive line, which allowed 191 rushing yards against Cincinnati on Sunday.
On the other side of the ball, defensive tackle Henry Melton has recorded 3.5 sacks in the past two games. He should be a good matchup against the Jaguars’ offensive line, which has allowed 19 sacks on their rookie quarterback Blake Bortles.
As Melton goes to work up front, free safety Barry Church and cornerback Orlando Scandrick should look for errant passes from a flustered Bortles. The rookie quarterback has thrown at least one interception in his seven games as a pro. Church and Scandrick each have an interception for the Cowboys this season.
The Cowboys are 3-0 ATS as a road team this season.
Despite another defeat, this time a 33-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ young players look as if they’re finally coming around. It was their second-straight defeat after getting their first victory of the season against Cleveland in Week 7.
Rookie quarterback Blake Bortles threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati. However, he did throw an interception, his league-leading 13th pick of the season. Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Allen Hurns caught seven passes for 112 yards and two scores.
Bortles and Hurns may struggle to connect against Dallas’ pass defense, which allows 237.3 yards per game (15th in the league). The Jaguars may once again rely on second year running back Denard Robinson to get them out of tight situations. Robinson ran for 94 yards and a score on 17 carries against Cincinnati, six yards short of his third straight 100-yard game. Expect Robinson to challenge Dallas’ front seven, which allows 4.6 yards per rush against opposing running backs.
Defensively, the Jaguars own one of the best pass rush units in the NFL, spearheaded by defensive ends Ryan Lewis and Chris Clemons. The two defensive ends lead the team with four sacks each. Lewis and Clemons should be able to pressure Dallas backup quarterback Brandon Weeden or the injured Tony Romo into making some mistakes.
If the Jaguars can shut down Dallas’ aerial attack, they may be able to focus their attention on stopping DeMarco Murray. The Jaguars already have a model on how to defeat this version of the Dallas Cowboys as designed by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The Cowboys only managed 266 total yards against Arizona.
The total has gone under in four of Jacksonville’s last five games.
Writer’s Prediction
Without a fully healthy Tony Romo, Dallas’ offense will struggle. Take the Jaguars to hand the Cowboys their third-straight loss.
