The Cowboys gave up 271 yards and 18 points to the Giants in Week 9 and will play the Vikings on Sunday.

Analysis: Dallas was certainly living on the edge Sunday as New York moved into the red zone five times, but it managed to score only one touchdown. CB Jourdan Lewis provided the cherry on top with a 63-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the closing seconds of the game. The Vikings present a bigger challenge in Week 10, though they are coming off an uneven performance against the Chiefs. WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined, which would allow the Cowboys to focus on containing RB…read more

The Cowboys come out of their bye week allowing 324.4 YPG and 17.7 PPG and will play the Giants on Monday.

Analysis: Dallas shut down Philadelphia in Week 7, giving up only 10 points and 283 yards while forcing four turnovers. The Cowboys have quietly been one of the better defense in the league, though their struggles with takeaways (nine) and sack (17) likely have something to do with the. Regardless, the Giants have the most giveaways (19) in the NFL as rookie QB Daniel Jones continues to have growing pains, making the Cowboys D/ST a valuable commodity in Week 9.

The Cowboys surrendered 382 yards and 24 points to the Jets in Week 6 and will play the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.

Analysis: QB Sam Darnold averaged 10.6 yards per pass in his first game since the season opener as the Cowboys had two sacks and one takeaway. The team overall has been in free fall with three straight losses, and while the defense hasn't played poorly overall they've had a penchant for giving up big plays. Dallas ranks near the bottom of the league in takeaways (five) and is middle of the pack in sacks (14). The Eagles excel in pass protection (10 sacks allowed) and have a top-ten scoring offense (26.8…read more

The Cowboys gave up 34 points and 335 yards to the Packers on Sunday and will play the Jets in Week 6.

Analysis: QB Dak Prescott certainly didn't provide much help with three interceptions, but Dallas still allowed three scoring drives of 79-plus yards as Green Bay possessed the ball for nearly 37 minutes. The Cowboys still rank in the top seven in total defense (321.8 YPG) and scoring (18.0 PPG), but they are near the bottom of the league with four takeaways. The Jets should provide a much better matchup this week, but the return of QB Sam Darnold (illness) completely changes the complexion of the…read more

The Cowboys allowed 12 points and 266 yards in Sunday's loss to the Saints and will play the Packers in Week 5.

Analysis: The defense surely wasn't at fault for Sunday's defeat, as it had one takeaway and generated four sacks. Dallas has been stifling defensively to start the season (14 PPG and 318.5 YPG), but a schedule consisting of the Giants, Redskins, Dolphins and a Drew Brees-less Saints is hardly a gauntlet of high-powered offenses. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers should provide a tougher test in Week 5, though the potential absence of Davante Adams (toe) looms large for the matchup. Rodgers remains one of…read more

The Cowboys rank 10th in the league with 90 rushing yards allowed per game.

Analysis: To be fair, the Cowboys are always leading -- they've played the Giants, Redskins and Dolphins -- so opponents have averaged less than 20 rushing attempts per game. In fact, they've allowed 4.7 YPC to opponents, which ranks 21st in the league. That spells trouble with Saints RB Alvin Kamara on deck. Kamara looked like a man playing against boys in Week 3, as the Seahawks couldn't take him down and he rumbled for 161 yards and two scores on 25 touches. Teddy Bridgewater doesn't throw downfield…read more

Xavier Woods is expected to miss anywhere from four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain as the Cowboys prepare for their Week 3 matchup with Miami.

Analysis: Woods' absence will certainly be noticeable in the Cowboys' secondary, as he was able to rack up 17 total tackles and a forced fumble in a starting role at free safety over the season's first two games. Woods sitting on the sideline may not make a huge difference in the Cowboys' next matchup, however, as the team takes on a Dolphins offense that was held scoreless by New England in Week 2 and has yet to eclipse the 400-yard mark through two games this season. To top it off, Miami's offense has…read more

The Cowboys allowed 470 yards in Week 1 and will face the Redskins on the road Sunday.

Analysis: The Cowboys allowed only 17 points to the Giants and forced a pair of turnovers, but the yardage total remains somewhat surprising. The Redskins started strong in the season opener with 20 points and 278 yards in the first half, but things fell apart in the second half, partially due to a complete inability to run the ball (13 carries for 28 yards). The rushing attack also loses its top weapon as RB Derrius Guice (knee) is unlikely to play. Washington's general lack of offensive playmakers…read more

CB Byron Jones (hip) resumed practicing last week after spending training camp on the PUP list and could play in Sunday's season opener against the Giants.

Analysis: The Cowboys finished with a top-five rush defense (94.6 YPG and 3.8 YPC) in 2018, and they'll start the season with an immediate test against RB Saquon Barkley. The young RB will be the major focal point as the only true playmaker for veteran QB Eli Manning after the team sent WR Odell Beckham to Cleveland. Dallas was a mid-table in sacks (39) and takeaways (20), but they finished sixth in scoring defense (20.2 PPG) and have more than enough talent to be a quality fantasy option this season,…read more

The Cowboys ranked fifth in the league in rushing yards per game allowed (94.6) and fourth overall in yards per carry allowed (3.8) in the 2018 campaign.

Analysis: Dallas slightly improved on those marks as compared to the 2017 season, where its defense allowed 104.0 rushing yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry. A large factor of that small improvement - and the biggest story of the 2018 Cowboys defense - was rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, whom Dallas drafted in the first round out of Boise State. Vander Esch started in 11 of Dallas' regular-season games and racked up 140 total tackles, which was third in the league behind Green Bay's Blake…read more

The Cowboys have allowed the fifth-fewest passing touchdowns (20) this season. They play the Giants in Week 17.

Analysis: The Cowboys have their No. 4 playoff seed locked up and could give defensive starters a rest at some point during Sunday's game. They last played the Giants in Week 2 and held them to just 13 points. Odell Beckham (quadriceps) may sit out this game for New York, leaving few quality options at wideout beyond Sterling Shepard. That could leave a lot of pressure on RB Saquon Barkley and QB Eli Manning, but the team has still exhibited decent form on offense with 27 points in three of the last four…read more

The Cowboys have held their last three opponents under 222 passing yards. They play the Buccaneers in Week 16.

Analysis: The early magic of the Buccaneers offense has worn off and they've returned to reality, accruing under 180 passing yards and 14 points in two consecutive weeks. The Cowboys defense is trending in the other direction, holding six straight opponents to 23 points or less and forcing eight turnovers in the process. The Buccaneers have been smart with the ball lately, coughing up just three turnovers in the past four weeks, but the Cowboys strong pass rush could make QB Jameis Winston uncomfortable…read more

The Cowboys have held their last five opponents to 23 or less points. They play the Colts in Week 15.

Analysis: The Cowboys have shut down all rushing attacks lately, holding their last five opponents below 80 rushing yards. This won't affect the Colts much, as they rank second in the league with both 41.1 passing attempts per game and 34 passing touchdowns. A strong passing attack won't smother the Cowboys but they'll need to be on top of their game against a unique playbook that features WR T.Y. Hilton, who is on a tear, as a deep threat and TE Eric Ebron as a heavily used red-zone option. This could…read more

The Cowboys have held their last four opponents below 80 rushing yards. They play the Eagles in Week 14.

Analysis: The Cowboys are riding the joy of holding the Saints to just 10 points in Week 13's Thursday Night Football. They held Drew Brees to just 127 passing yards -- his lowest total of the season -- and were the only team to keep the Saints below 24 points this year. This production likely isn't repeatable, but they now have 10 sacks and six forced turnovers in the last four games and are putting up a brick wall against the run. The Eagles have dysfunction in their backfield but can break off the…read more

The Cowboys have notched eight sacks in the last three games. They play the Saints in Week 13.

Analysis: The Cowboys have a strong front seven that can get to the quarterback, but that may not matter against a brick-wall offensive line that's allowed QB Drew Brees to be dropped just 10 times in 11 games. This wasn't a forgiving matchup to begin with, as the Saints have failed to eclipse 30 points just twice this year and have reached 45 three times in the last four games. The Saints have capitalized on supreme talent and added a versatile playbook that has left defenses flat-footed while…read more

The Cowboys rank 28th in the league with four interceptions. They play the Redskins in Week 12.

Analysis: As a result of Alex Smith's gruesome season-ending leg injury, QB Colt McCoy will be under center for Washington. Prior to Washington's Week 11 game, McCoy hadn't thrown a regular-season pass since 2015, so there's no telling what's in store for the Redskins offense. Even with Smith directing the offense, Washington had failed to surpass 23 points in its last seven games. RB Adrian Peterson has been a hit-or-miss performer this season and has averaged just 3.1 YPC over the last three games,…read more

The Cowboys have allowed two 300-yard passers this season. They play the Falcons in Week 11.

Analysis: The Falcons afford opponents little margin for error despite producing a 14-point dud against the Browns last week. Even with that lowly showing, Atlanta still owns the eighth-best scoring offense with 27.1 points per game. The Cowboys haven't faced a wideout group as deep as Atlanta's triumvirate of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu since Week 5 against the Texans, when Deshaun Watson tore them up for 374 passing yards. The fantasy upside isn't there against a club that has turned…read more