The Cowboys are looking to become 3-0 for the first time since Jason Garrett took over as head coach. To do that, they'll have to beat the 0-2 Dolphins, who have been outscored 102-10 so far this year.
The experts have the Cowboys winning by more than three touchdowns, but is that how the staff writers see it?
The DallasCowboys.com staff gives their 'gut feeling' for this Week 3 game with the Dolphins.
Mickey Spagnola: On the surface, this one sure looks like a piece of cake. But just remember, while the Dolphins were beat by the Patriots this past Sunday, 43-0, with two minutes to go in the first half the score was 7-0. But looks like the Cowboys should be able to grind out this one by handing the ball to Ezekiel Elliott. The Dolphins have given up 391 yards rushing in two games, getting hit for 4.8 yards a carry. Seems only way for the Dolphins to win this game is outscore a Cowboys team averaging 33 points a game. But if the Cowboys can run right over them, then they'll have little time with the ball. Cowboys 34, Dolphins 9.
Bryan Broaddus: My biggest fear going into this game was Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing the ball 45 to 50 times with the Cowboys having no pass rush. I don't see Josh Rosen going that route at all nor do I see him playing with the necessary toughness in order to pull off an upset. Fitzpatrick can be a hard guy to rattle because he doesn't care about his stats. He will throw three or four interceptions and not bat an eye. Rosen will try to be perfect and that will be his downfall. Don't see this game as a blowout as the home team gets away with the victory 28 – 13.
David Helman: Once again, let's not overthink this thing. I'm sure there will be some moments of adversity in this game, and it's worth noting that several Cowboys starters will be out injured. That's fine. The Cowboys are still much better, and they should win comfortably. This feels like a week for Dallas to get back to the old ground-and-pound method. The Dolphins are allowing 196 rushing yards per game, so Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys' offensive line should be able to have their way in this matchup. On the flip side, you'd like to think the Dallas pass rush will be able to get home a few times against Josh Rosen, especially with Robert Quinn coming back to the lineup. It might take a little while to pull away, but I ultimately expect the Cowboys to rush for 300 yards as a team and force a couple takeaways in a convincing win – something like 38-10.
Rob Phillips: The Dolphins' ability or inability to pressure Dak Prescott – whether Taco Charlton is part of Miami's rotation or not – is the biggest factor for me. Prescott has been sacked only once in two games, and he blamed himself for allowing Ryan Kerrigan to bring him down. The Cowboys' offensive line has been outstanding. They've allowed the second fewest quarterback hits (4) so far. Losing Michael Gallup for 2-4 weeks hurts the passing game, but as long as Prescott can remain fairly comfortable in the pocket, the Cowboys still have enough talent at the skill positions to put points on the board. I've got the Cowboys getting to 3-0 with another balanced display on offense.
Nick Eatman: The Cowboys usually take care of business in games like this and I don't see it being any different. While you can worry about injuries to the Cowboys possibly tightening the talent-gap between teams, it just seems like there's enough talented backups to keep Dallas far ahead in both talent and the score. Crawford is hurt by Quinn steps in. Antwaun Woods is out but Trysten Hill will play. Even if Xavier Woods is out, former third-round pick Darian Thompson steps up. The Cowboys are far better in every way and I see this being the blowout that we all expect. I've got four sacks by the defense, including one from Joe Jackson in the second half. Tony Pollard out-rushes Ezekiel Elliott and scores not one, but two touchdowns. And Devin Smith continues his success, with another big day. I've got the Cowboys winning 37-7.
