PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

October 04, 2018 at 1:09 am.

PLAYER NOTES

–RB Ezekiel Elliott is listed with a knee injury, but went through a full practice on Wednesday.

–WR Tavon Austin left the Lions game with a shoulder injury in the first half. He returned to the game in the second half. He went through a full practice on Wednesday.

—CB Chidobe Awuzie was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. He had five solo and eight total tackles against Detroit on Sunday.

–LB Sean Lee reinjured his hamstring and had to come out of the game against the Seahawks. Early indications this week were that Lee could be out for several weeks. Lee didn’t practice last week and was out on Wednesday.

–WR Cole Beasley was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. He had four catches for 53 yards against the Lions.

–DE DeMarcus Lawrence is listed with a shoulder injury, but hasn’t appeared to be affected by the injury. He had three sacks against the Lions. He was limited in practice on Wednesday.

–DT Maliek Collins (knee) was limited in practice on Wednesday. Collins didn’t play against Detroit.

–S Jeff Heath left the game against Detroit with a stinger. He went through a full practice on Wednesday.

–WR Terrance Williams missed practice on Friday for personal reasons and didn’t play against the Lions on Sunday. He didn’t practice on Wednesday.

–DT Antwaun Woods has a calf injury and was limited in practice on Wednesday. He had one tackle against Detroit.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Cole Beasley has emerged as the Cowboys’ leading receiver with a team-high 16 catches for 185 yards through four games. Beasley has long been a valued possession receiver for the Cowboys. He’s yet to score his first touchdown of the season and hasn’t found the end zone since he scored twice against the Chiefs on the first weekend of November in 2017.

GAME PLAN: The Cowboys have the makings of an efficient offense, especially when Ezekiel Elliott is finding running room. But in order for it to function properly, Dallas has to stay ahead of the chains and create third-and-short situations on a regular basis. Any departure from that, whether it’s because Texans defensive ends J.J. Watt or Jadeveon Clowney upset the plan or because of penalties, and the Cowboys will struggle to score. So gaining yards on first down and playing a clean game are non-negotiables for Dallas on offense.

Defensively, Dallas has to step up its game against a dual-threat quarterback. Carolina’s Cam Newton made plays against Dallas in the running game and Seattle’s Russell Wilson burned the Cowboys with a couple of well-timed touchdown passes. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson could do either or both, so the Cowboys have to find a way to frustrate him.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH

–Cowboys LBs vs. Texans QB Deshaun Watson. For the third time in five games, the Cowboys face a dual-threat quarterback. Watson passed for 375 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 41 yards and a score in leading the Texans to a 37-34 overtime victory in Indianapolis on Sunday. He’s now passed for more than 300 yards in three straight games. With Sean Lee likely still out with a hamstring injury, rookie LB Leighton Vander Esch and the upstart Jaylon Smith will need to help make Watson one-dimensional. Playing dual-threat QBs hasn’t gone well for the Cowboys, though, as Carolina’s Cam Newton and Seattle’s Russell Wilson each made key plays in their teams’ wins. Dallas kept Wilson from getting out as a runner, but he burned the Cowboys defense with TD passes of 16 and 52 yards that made the difference in the game.

–Cowboys OL vs. Texans DL J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. A trend has emerged through four games that clearly indicates the Cowboys offense is efficient enough when things go according to script in the down-and-distance category. But when opponents get Dallas behind the chains, the Cowboys can’t dig out of those holes and their production drops to zero. Enter Houston pass rushers J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, two of the best in the business in terms of disrupting offenses’ down-and-distance situations. The Cowboys have to play a clean game, minimizing sacks, penalties and turnovers, and that means it will be vital for Dallas’s front line on offense to keep Watt, Clowney and Co.from making plays in the backfield.

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