Football is back as both the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers play in their first preseason game on Thursday evening. The Cowboys made the playoffs last season after finishing 12-4. They were narrowly defeated by the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round.
The San Diego Chargers finished 9-7 last season and just missed the playoffs. The Chiefs defeated the Chargers on the final week of the season to eliminate San Diego from making the playoffs.
Both teams return the majority of core players from last season with the addition of some new faces. Cowboys fans want to know who will fill the void Demarco Murrary left at running back after he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Chargers fans are eager to see if Melvin Gordon can be the feature back they have been missing since LaDainian Tomlinson was with the team. While Thursday’s contest is just an exhibition it does offer fans a brief glimpse into the 2015 teams for the Cowboys and Chargers. Here is what you need to know about the preseason game:
The Basics
Who:
Dallas Cowboys vs. San Diego Chargers
When:
7 PM PT
Channel:
NFL Network (to join the game in progress at 7:30 PM PT)
Where:
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Line:
(Line is according to OddsShark and subject to change)
Dallas Cowboys +3
San Diego Chargers -3
Last Meeting:
The teams last met during the 2013 season. The Chargers won at home 30-21. Philip Rivers threw for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Dallas Cowboys Preview
The Cowboys are coming off their best season in over a decade. They were able to re-sign Dez Bryant to a long-term contract extension but lost DeMarco Murray in the process. The team brought in veteran running back Darren McFadden but McFadden is already on the injured list. Joseph Randle has also missed practice this week with an oblique injury.
This will be a good game to see whether Lance Dunbar, Lache Seastrunk or Gus Johnson will emerge as a significant contributor at the running back position. Do not expect to see players such as Tony Romo or Dez Bryant play more than a couple series if at all.
San Diego Chargers Preview
Between the contract negotiations of Philip Rivers and the suspension of Antonio Gates, the off-season has been a bit worrisome for Chargers fans. The NFL Draft was one of the bright spots for San Diego as the team drafted Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon with their first round selection. Gordon averaged 7.5 yards per carry his final season at Wisconsin.
Thursday night will be the first time fans will see Gordon in a Chargers uniform. It will be interesting to see how many carries Gordon gets against the Cowboys.
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