Football is back! The Dallas Cowboys will hit the road and kick off the 2020 season against the Los Angeles Rams. The Cowboys have a chance to spoil the official opening of SoFi Stadium with a victory, but in order to accomplish such a feat they will need all hands on deck.
Prior to this Week 1 matchup I thought it would be fun to predict who could be the Dallas Cowboys X-factor against the Los Angeles Rams. I probably look at an X-factor type a little differently than most people do. I don’t think it’s necessarily the player who has the best game or is the most productive. I think the X-factor is the player who makes a game changing play or two. The one who turns the tides so to speak.
With that in mind, I’m predicting Dallas Cowboys Running Back Tony Pollard will be the X-factor in this Week 1 matchup. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore has something sneaky up his sleeve involving No. 20 and I think it will end up being a play that helps lead the Cowboys to victory.
I know what you’re probably thinking though. How in the world is Tony Pollard going to be the Cowboys X-factor with all of the other fire power the offense has at its disposal? Well, I think the second-year RB ends up somewhat being forgotten in the Rams defensive game plan and as such catches them off guard.
The LA Rams defensive game plan has to figure out a way to shut down or the very least neutralize the Dallas Cowboys talented wide receiver trio in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb and arguably the best RB in the league Ezekiel Elliott. That’s no easy task in itself, but they also have to worry about Dak Prescott’s dual threat ability and Blake Jarwin as a potential upgrade in the passing game.
I could be completely wrong, but I have a feeling Tony Pollard gets overlooked a bit because of all of that. Despite being just as dangerous as any of the other Cowboys offensive weapons, Pollard likely won’t receive as much attention considering he’s not a full-time starter and plays behind Zeke, who is one of the rare three-down RBs in the league.
Now, I fully understand Tony Pollard is probably a long shot to be the Dallas Cowboys X-factor in Week 1, but I still stand by this prediction nonetheless. I really believe he’s going to be a difference maker this season and I think it starts this week against the Los Angeles Rams. If this indeed turns out to be factual, just remember you heard it here first.
