Reek of desperation one of three things Cowboys should hate about playing the Jets in Week 5 – Ben Grimaldi, Cowboys Wire
What the Cowboys should hate about this matchup with New York.
The Dallas Cowboys head back out on the road for their Week 5 matchup with the New York Jets , which hasn’t been a good place for the team
this season. The Cowboys are 0-2 away from AT&T Stadium, which includes a debacle in Chicago.
Playing at MetLife Stadium is something most Cowboys are familiar with since the team does play the division rival New York Giants there each year, but it wasn’t a fun venue the last time these two teams tangled. In 2019, the Cowboys lost to a previously winless Jets team in an early October matchup in an eerily similar situation. That coincidence is one of the reasons to hate playing the Jets in Week 5.
Playing against a desperate team
Winning on the road in the NFL is hard; it’s even more difficult when the opposition is desperately trying to get their first win of the season, and the first for their new head coach. It didn’t work out for the Cowboys in the same situation a few weeks ago when the Chicago Bears smoked Brian Schottenheimer’s team, a lesson hopefully everyone learned from.
To make things even more coincidental, the Jets also hired a coach from the Detroit Lions, only it’s a defensive guy this time in former Cowboy Aaron Glenn. The Jets don’t have the same offensive pieces as the Bears, but they’ll still be frantically trying to get their first win, which is a dangerous proposition for the Cowboys. The Jets also played a poor game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, something they’ll hope to turn around.
Desperate teams do things out of the ordinary and can play with more energy to earn the win. Trick plays and being more aggressive are factors the Cowboys need to be aware of heading into the Week 5 matchup. If Schottenheimer’s team isn’t prepared, or isn’t ready to play, it could be a long, embarrassing game.
It’s only October but the Cowboys already have a dream draft target – Marcus Mosher, The Landry Hat
After all, it’s not too soon to think about the draft.
Is it too early to be looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft? Probably. Are we going to anyway? Definitely. With the Dallas Cowboys holding two first-round picks, it’s going to be a very important draft if they want to re-enter a championship window. The expectation is that the Cowboys will use both first-round picks on defense, but which defenders could they target?
One of the most commonly mocked players to Dallas is none other than Keldric Faulk, a defensive end from Auburn. 36 percent of user mock drafts on Pro Football Focus have the Cowboys landing Faulk in Round 1. And now, two more well-respected voices in the draft community believe Faulk could wind up being the selection for the Cowboys in Round 1. Keldric Faulk would be the ideal Round 1 pick for the Cowboys
The Cowboys aren’t going to replace Micah Parsons in the 2026 NFL Draft. Let’s just be clear about that. But that doesn’t mean Dallas can’t get a whole lot better on defense. And one player who would fit their current scheme well is Faulk. In a recent mock draft done by Nate Tice and Charles McDonald at Yahoo Sports, they had the Cowboys selecting Faulk with the No. 11 pick. Here is a snippet of why they believe Faulk could be a real difference-maker in Dallas next year:
While the Cowboys’ offense has been very fun to watch so far this season (come back soon, CeeDee Lamb), their defense has been horrid to watch in just about every way. You could even say there’s a Micah Parsons-sized hole in it. Faulk is big (listed 6-6, 285 pounds) and can align as a true 4-3 DE, and would be a steal at pick No. 11. He has length and is a smooth mover who has really improved his hand usage this season. And most importantly, he can defend against the run, too.”
Faulk is not the bendy, 4.50 40-yard dash type of edge rusher. Instead, he’s long, powerful, and built to stop the run. The Cowboys need players who can generate pass rush too, and he has generated nine sacks in his last 17 games. He is currently No. 5 on Dane Brugler’s big board and compared him to Mykel Williams, who the Cowboys were rumored to like in the 2025 NFL Draft.
5 Dallas Cowboys with the most to gain against the Jets – Mark Heaney, Inside the Star
These players could greatly boost themselves with a strong game Sunday.
One second stopped the Dallas Cowboys from pulling off a season-changing upset against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. Instead, they tied, bringing their record to 1-2-1, and setting the stage for a critical game in Week 5. America’s Team is headed north to play the Jets, and the severity of their injury report has completely changed what should have been an easy game.
For the Jets, they are desperate for a win at 0-4, at home, and they get to reap the benefits of the Cowboys’ wounded roster. It doesn’t take a football genius to see how this could quickly turn into trouble for Dallas. Preventing that outcome will fall on the shoulders of the obvious suspects, but considering those injury troubles, we’ll also see some fresh faces with a lot on their plates. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at the five Dallas Cowboys players with the most to gain as they take on new roles against the Jets.
1. Nate Thomas: Impressive Young Tackle’s Chance To Shine
If you’ve been paying close attention, you know that former seventh-round pick Nate Thomas has been thoroughly impressive at tackle. Even dating back to his rookie campaign in 2024, Thomas was receiving high praise from the coaching staff. Now, there’s talk of him becoming a starter if he uses Tyler Guyton’s absence to his advantage. Thomas will be protecting Dak Prescott’s blindside tomorrow for four quarters; all eyes will be on him, for better or for worse. He has so much to gain, and also to lose with this opportunity. If Thomas continues the strong play we have seen in limited doses, get ready for his hype train to leave the station.
2. Juanyeh Thomas: Second Career Start For High-Energy Safety
First arriving in Dallas in 2022 as an undrafted free agent, safety Juanyeh Thomas has been a fan favorite since his debut in 2023. Now, he’s set to make just his second career start with Malik Hooker going on IR. Thomas, 25, has been a high-energy player for Dallas for his entire tenure. These next few games are his chance to show he is more than that. If he can continue making his impact felt, but in larger doses, we may see him become the Cowboys’ long-term answer at free safety. At 29, Hooker is not getting any younger. It will be fun to watch Thomas take the field with the starting crew tomorrow, and it’ll be even more fun if he balls out.
5 things to watch when the Cowboys play the Jets-Dan Rogers, Blogging the Boys
Keep an eye out for this during the game.
The Dallas Cowboys will head to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday to play the New York Jets. The Jets have yet to win a game this season, and the Cowboys are hoping that streak continues as they look for just their second win of the year, the first one came against that other New York football team.
The Cowboys need this win badly, as a loss to a winless team would send them down the path of what likely turns into a rebuild season. A win, however, keeps their season alive and allows them a chance to still make some amount of noise in 2025. What should we expect in this one? Here are five things to keep an eye on when they play the Jets on Sunday.
1. Ready to run
The Jets don’t have a lot of offensive weapons, but they do have one very powerful one behind center. Quarterback Justin Fields is a huge threat with his legs. He takes off running at a league-high rate of once for every seven of his dropbacks. He is averaging nearly 60 yards rushing per game, the most of any quarterback this season, and it’s not even close.
Fields is going to be a problem for a Cowboys’ defense that has proven vulnerable to containing the quarterback as the pocket collapses. In three of their four games, they have surrendered a quarterback run of at least 15 yards, including last week when Jordan Love scampered for a huge 25-yard gain. The Cowboys have struggled with filling the gaps and taking good angles, which has led to some breakdowns when trying to chase down the quarterback this season. Jalen Hurts had 62 yards against them in the opener. If the defense isn’t able to limit the damage of the mobile Fields, it could lead to a frustrating day for the Cowboys.
2. Don’t let Wilson go wild
The Cowboys’ defense is the absolute worst at stopping the deep ball. They have surrendered 11 receptions, 461 yards, and five touchdowns on deep pass plays, the highest in the league in each category. This week’s recipient is Garrett Wilson. Entering the week, the Jets’ star receiver has 38 targets, third-most for wide receivers. He’s the meat and potatoes of the Jets’ passing attack, as no other receiver on the team has caught five passes for the year.
It would be nice to see some adjustments in the secondary, as the heavy use of zone coverage has not been working for the new defensive coordinator, Matt Eberflus. Expect Wilson to have some big chunk plays. The last time these two teams faced each other was a couple of years ago at AT&T Stadium. Even though the Cowboys won by 20, Wilson still had a 68-yard touchdown when he took a pass over the middle to the house.
