5 Keys to the Game: Cowboys vs Chiefs – Week 11

Another moment of truth arrives.

With the ups and downs that the last two weeks have been for Mike McCarthy and company, it was time to get this ship oil checked again.

Since the game card for the 2021 season was published, this particular game, on matchday eleven, garnered a lot of attention.

On the one hand Patrick Mahomes, champion of the Super Bowl and runner-up in consecutive seasons with an Andy Reed at the controls, while on the other corner the return to the field of Dak Prescott after his catastrophic injury at the height of the season regular where you start to see who will actually be the protagonists on the way to the big party

Both Chiefs and Cowboys are division leaders and are coming off strong victories after unconvincing starts where the quality of their quarterbacks was in question. The loss to the Titans was for Mahomes a moment of decision regarding his own hegemony while Prescott suffered Cain’s against Denver, only to regain flight with victories against the Raiders and Black Hawks respectively.

The hosts are the total offense number four total, 18 carrying the ball and three through the air, while on the defense they are the 26th total, 18 before the carry and 23 before the pass. The Cowboys are the number one total offense, four per carry and fourth per pass, being the 15th total defense, nine against the carry and 21 against the pass.

Once again it is a rare rival game, faced only eleven times over the years, with the Cowboys taking the lead at 7-4, with a 2-3 record playing at the city’s legendary Arrowhead Stadium. of Kansas City, being this enclosure one of the arenas with greater intensity of all the league.

Large sparks are expected around 3:25 p.m. CST.

With this in mind, I pass on my five keys to this game.

Key 1. Fight of the Titans.For Patrick Mahomes, his career in the NFL has been a Guajiro dream. After a collegiate career zipping through the air at the Texas Tech airshow, his arrival in the professional ranks has been marked with great success, as he is already a Super Bowl ring bearer. For his part, Dak Prescott continues in search of that rarefied air, but what there is no doubt is that two of the best quarterbacks of the present game face each other and both fans of both teams and the fans in general know the importance of this game toward the final stretch of the regular season. Just look at how each one is the unconditional leader of their respective teams to rub their hands together for this banquet.

Key 2. You have to run the ball. The highly feasible return of Tyron Smith is welcome news for the Cowboys’ scrimmage control aspirations with carry. In a hostile environment where the fans know the importance of putting pressure on their opponents on offense, Arrowhead Stadium distinguishes itself as a true house of horrors for visiting teams. Zeke Elliott is sure to be a focus early in the game and in the hopes of the Cowboys seeing both he and Tony Pollard continue to be used towards the end of the game will be a good sign. The resounding victory against the Falcons was largely thanks to a healthy balance on offense, with 31 passes and 37 carries in order to mount a consistent front and against the 76,000-headed monster it will be necessary to continue with the same dose.

Key 3. Danger men. For Dan Quinn, the target rivals are tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. These two combine for 137 receptions for 1,602 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air. The western defense continues to be affected by lateral play where coverage can be problematic and these two are the masters and lords of this type of game, with Mahomes’ ability to extend the plays being the elixir where those soft sides are found in defense. contrary. For Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis, keeping Hill in front is going to be a great challenge, but in Kelce’s case it will be interesting to put a spy on him in an attempt to know where he is on each offensive play, because otherwise doing so will make them pay dearly.

Key 4. Special equipment. So far John “Bones” Fassel’s squads have captured the attention of locals and strangers with three punts blocks, two in the last two games. It all started with Luke Gifford’s blocking against the Patriots, to give way to Malik Turner against the Broncos, where Nahshon Wright touched her in a way to deliver possession, to then see a reappeared Dorance Armstrong reaching in to see Wright get out the thorn with a score against Atlanta. According to Fassel himself, it is a matter of execution, the search for these opportunities to change the course of the game with these special teams, and the flight that can give his team, and in particular in a foreign scenario where this type of plays can determine the final result. The only thing that remains is to see some return of punts to the diagonals to make Fassel’s work a round game.

Key 5. Enjoy the moment.The loss to Denver is in the past, but that bitter experience is still a true lesson in terms of the spirit of a team. Perhaps the arrival of the Broncos to AT&T Stadium was no reason to worry, but the result was a real laugh-out for every member of Jerry Jones’ team, and this mental and physical preparation is emblematic of the leading teams. Coming into matchday 11 to a game that garners so much attention is cause for celebration, and it’s time for McCarthy to respond that his team is indeed ready for what December has in store for this 17-game regular-season season. Odds favor the Chiefs for the 2.5 points given to the home team, and what a celebration for the Cowboys would be the flight back after a victory, knowing that they could beat one of the best teams on their own. den.