Seeing as how the Bengals have one of the best wide receiver combos in the NFL, how would you try to stop them? Should the Cowboys have their No. 1 cornerback (Trevon Diggs) cover the Bengals No. 2 wide receiver (Tee Higgins) and then double-team their No. 1 (Ja'Marr Chase)? Or do you put your best against their best and try to shut down everyone else? – Ronald Franklin/Shreveport, LA
Nick: Great question. I think if you really want to mix it up and give the Bengals something difficult to plan for ... you do all of it. Everything you just said, and then some. I don't think anyone in the NFL can just cover Chase 1-on-1 for every play. For that matter, covering Higgins is a challenge, too. But I think if the Cowboys can change it up on Burrow and the offense, it will go a long way. Travel Trevon Diggs with Chase for a series. Maybe move Bland over there as well. Double-team Chase at times, and then maybe shade a safety over to Higgins now and then. It's just like facing a great pass-rusher. Sometimes you double him, and triple him but there are times when they get 1-on-1. You just can't do the same thing over and over. I think Mike Zimmer will have a good plan for it. But if there's ever a time to have both Diggs and Bland out there together, it would be for this game.
Tommy: The first step to having success against Chase and Higgins is not giving the guy who's throwing the ball enough time to throw it to them. Dallas' pash rush needs to bring down Joe Burrow in this game if they want to have success as a whole on defense. Now from a coverage perspective, clouding Chase makes the most sense to me considering his threat downfield. However, Dallas has to be disciplined in the middle of the field because Joe Burrow is one of the best in the league at hitting in-breaking routes, something that CJ Stroud and the Texans did a good job of as well. If you have both Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland in this game, I feel like either one of them could line up against Chase and Higgins with some shaded help from a safety, but look for Jourdan Lewis to potentially be in place to make a play from his nickel spot if the Bengals continue to try and work the middle of the field.
