The Dallas Cowboys will host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday at 7:15 p.m. in a game that could further distance either team from the playoff hunt.
The Cowboys currently sit in third place in the NFC East division with an overall record of 5-7, yet making the playoffs is still a goal that the team is looking to accomplish to finish the season.
Dallas would likely have to win every game on the schedule for the rest of the season to make a run to the playoffs, which would be a tall task for a team that faces a difficult schedule to finish the year.
The first step in this goal is to take down the Bengals in Week 14. Two aspects of the game stand out as the most important keys to success for the Cowboys.
Shut Down The Bengals’ Passing Offense
Cincinnati’s explosive offense, led by quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, will pose a tough task for the Cowboys’ secondary on Monday night.
Slowing down the Bengals’ passing game will be difficult. Cincinnati currently averages the most passing yards in the league at 264.3 yards per game, which is significantly more than the second-place Atlanta Falcons’ 250.2 yards per game.
However, slowing down the Bengals’ passing game could force Cincinnati to focus on running the ball, a portion of the offense they have struggled with throughout the entire season.
Cincinnati currently averages the third-lowest rushing yards of any team this season, collecting just 91.7 rushing yards per game to sit ahead of only the Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders.
Dallas is already near the top of the league in passing yards per game allowed at just 212.1 yards this season, but there may be additional help coming in the secondary with the return of cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Diggs has missed the last two games against the Washington Commanders and New York Giants due to a knee injury, but multiple limited practices this week suggest that he could return to the field tonight.
Control The Game Clock
The second most important aspect of the Cowboys’ Week 14 matchup is controlling the game clock, which could be accomplished through an improved run game.
In a similar manner to the Bengals, Dallas sits near the top of the league in passing yards per game with an average of 236.8 yards, but many of these yards have come during blowouts from which Dallas is looking to make a comeback.
As previously mentioned, the Cowboys currently rank as the second-worst rushing team in the league with an average of just 85.8 rushing yards per game, but Dallas has experienced the most success in games where the rushing attack is at its best.
The Cowboys have rushed for more than 100 yards in only five regular season games this season but have managed to put together a record of 4-1 in those matchups.
Controlling the rushing attack on offense allows a team to manage the clock more efficiently throughout the game, particularly in the second half when the game flow begins to play an even larger role.
While Cincinnati does not allow a large number of rushing yards per game, the team still ranks near the middle of the league and allows opposing teams to gain an average of 128.2 yards per game on the ground.
Dallas’s ability to control the game through a competent rushing attack will be incredibly important in determining whether this team can defeat the Bengals tonight and keep its playoff hopes alive for another week.