Andy Dalton is now the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and that will lead to changes in the way the team runs its offense in the weeks to come.
It will also change the way defenses approach stopping them. Dak Prescott was on a pace for record-setting passing numbers before breaking his ankle, but teams are likely to shift their attention to other areas now that Dalton’s running the offense.
Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson shared some of what his team is thinking as they move toward a Week Six matchup with the Cowboys. During the podcast he hosts with former NFL cornerback Bryant McFadden, Peterson noted Dalton’s history as a starter in the league but said they’d prefer the ball in his hands to having Ezekiel Elliott as the focal point of the offense.
“Stop the run,” Peterson said. “Definitely gotta stop the run and force -- not saying he can’t do it -- but we have to force Andy Dalton to beat us. We feel if you take the ball out of Ezekiel Elliott’s hands, there’s more opportunities for bad things to happen if the ball is in the air.”
The offense can help out the defense on Sunday by putting points on the board and playing from in front. That would make it hard for Dallas to stick with the run game and make it likelier that winning or losing will rest heavily on Dalton’s shoulders.