Can the Cowboys beat the Bengals without Dak Prescott?
The Dallas Cowboys were the only team in the NFL that failed to score a touchdown in Week 1 of the 2022 season.
The team's pace was slower than a tortoise and nearly ground to a halt when Dak Prescott headed to the locker room with a thumb injury late in the opening game.
Tests revealed that the star quarterback needed surgery and will miss at least 6-8 weeks, but the show must go on, and Dallas hopes to gain ground on its NFC East competitors Sunday against Cincinnati.
Yes, the reigning AFC Champions. "Tall task" would be an understatement.
Despite the challenge, "Undisputed" host Shannon Sharpe believes there's a viable formula for getting past the Bengals.
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Shannon Sharpe predicts the winner and score of the Bengals-Cowboys Week 2 matchup.
"Here's the recipe: Micah Parsons should come out of this game Defensive Player of the Week," Sharpe attested Friday. "He should have 3.5 sacks, probably about four hits, two tackles for losses, and Cooper Rush, turn around and hand the ball to [Ezekiel Elliott] 20 times. Zeke goes and gets them 90-to-105 yards, and you'll go out and win this game. Any other way, Joe Burrow's gonna beat [them]."
Sharpe pointed out that Cincy's offensive line is not comparable to Tampa's from a talent perspective.
"They changed their entire offensive line except their left tackle, and they actually looked worse than they did last year," he said. "You're at home [vs. Pittsburgh] where you can hear the snap count, and you still got sacked seven times, and how many other times did [Burrow] get hit? Now you're on the road, so your reaction time is a little slower. … T.J. Watt lived in the backfield! So what do you think [Micah's] going to do? He lived in the backfield against Tristan Wirfs and Donovan Smith. [The Bengals] don't have anyone comparable to those guys."
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Skip Bayless decides whether his Cowboys can upset the Bengals.
Skip Bayless couldn't bring himself to pick his Cowboys in the affair.
"I believe in Joe Burrow more than Cooper Rush, but I don't think Cooper will embarrass me," he projected. "I think he'll play about as well as he can play, and that's not Dak well, but it's pretty well. …
"I love Joe Burrow, I think he's the next Tom Brady … That guy thinks he can get away with just about anything, and it bit him early against Pittsburgh, but he was coming off appendicitis, so he'd played nothing in camp. … I'm not going to pick Dallas, I picked the Bengals to once again represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. How am I going to pick Cooper Rush over a team I think is going to the Super Bowl?"
Dallas squares off against Cincinnati Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.