Cowboys play for their sixth win

In March, when the Dallas Cowboys offered Dak Prescott a four-year, $160 million contract, including $66 million at signing, the team was questioned for doing business with its heart and not its head.

The doubts were justifiable, considering Prescott was coming off a horrific ankle injury and the Cowboys had questions to answer that extended far beyond the quarterback position.

Now, the doubts have been cleared up and Dallas’ investment not only seems safe, but smart. After all, no team has been more productive on offense than the Cowboys, who will be looking for their sixth straight win on Sunday when they visit the Minnesota Vikings.(3-3).

The Cowboys come into the game with the NFL’s best offense, a unit that averages 34.1 points per game, an incredibly similar production (32.8) to what the team had through the first five games of 2020, up until the time of Prescott’s injury.

That production had Dallas with a 2-3 record. Ultimately, the Cowboys were out of the playoffs for the second straight year. This year, their 5-1 record puts them in control of their division, with a favorable schedule on the horizon.

The difference in the win column is not exclusively attributable to Prescott’s production or an offense loaded with talent at all positions, but also to a defense that went from being the 28th worst in the NFL in 2020 to a unit capable of containing its opponents.

This Sunday that defense would be put to the test. Not only does he have a balanced Minnesota Vikings team in front of him, but Prescott could be physically limited with a calf discomfort.

But it’s hard to take confidence away from a defense that comes in with the second-most steals (14) in the entire NFL, including seven interceptions by corner Trevon Diggs. That can’t be good news for Kirk Cousins and a Vikings in search of its third straight win.

Cousins has 13 touchdown passes to just two interceptions on the season, but has lost in five of his last six starts against Dallas. Fortunately for him, he doesn’t have to do it alone. He’s counting on explosive running back Dalvin Cook to test Dallas’ revamped defense, which ranks fifth in the entire NFL against the run.

A Dallas win on Sunday could catapult the team to new heights, especially considering none of its next three opponents boast winning records. But it’s impossible to overlook a Minnesota team whose three losses this season have come by a combined 11 points.

The last time Tom Brady ran into the Saints in the regular season, he left the stadium with the worst loss of his glittering career in tow.

A couple of months later, it was Brady and the Bucs who had the last laugh by eliminating New Orleans on the road in the divisional round of the playoffs in what would eventually be the final game of Drew Brees’ career.

With Brady still in his prime at age 44, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit New Orleans armed with a potent offense and riding a wave of 14 wins in their last 15 games, including the Super Bowl. That could be too much for the Saints, who are still searching for their identity in the post-Brees era.

The Saints have won the last five meetings against the Bucs on the regular schedule, but that was when Brees was around and Brady wasn’t. Now, the roles have switched. The only good news for New Orleans is that its defense looks up to any challenge.

The Saints defense hasn’t allowed more than 27 points in any game this season and have held the opposition to 13 or fewer on three occasions, including to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on the first Sunday of the season. But facing Daniel Jones, Mac Jones, Taylor Heinecke or Geno Smith is not the same as running into the reigning champs.

Tampa Bay averages 33.7 points per game and Brady leads the entire NFL in yards per pass (2,275) and touchdown passes (21) and with a four touchdown game on Sunday, he would grab another pair of records he currently shares with Brees, the most games with three (97) and four (37) touchdown passes in league history.

Week 8 began on Thursday with the Green Bay Packers’ 24-21 win at the Arizona Cardinals, who lost their undefeated status for the season.

Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes to Randall Cobb for Green Bay (7-1), while Kyler Murray suffered a painful interception late for the Cardinals (7-1).