Preview, prediction, what to watch for in Week 5

An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Cowboys NFL Week 5 matchup at MetLife Stadium:

Marquee matchup

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott vs. Jets DC Steve Wilks

Prescott is off to a great start after returning from the torn hamstring that sidelined him last season.

He has completed at least 30 passes with a 70 percent completion percentage in each of his past three games.

The only other players to do that in the Super Bowl era are Drew Brees (2011), Kirk Cousins (2018) and Patrick Mahomes (2023).

Prescott leads the NFL with 1,119 passing yards and 121 completions.

The Jets defense has been terrible this season, allowing 30 points per game.

They have given up seven passing touchdowns and have no interceptions.

“Our job is to go out there and make him look bad, and our guys understand that, and hopefully, you guys will write that about him in that sense,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said of Prescott “But he’s a damn good player. He’s been a good quarterback since he’s been in this league and he’s like a one-man show that can lift that whole team. That’s just who he is.”

Four downs

Take it away: The Jets have zero takeaways this season.

They are the only team in the NFL without one. Could this be the week they break through? The Cowboys have committed six turnovers — four interceptions and two lost fumbles.

“I don’t want to say it’s frustrating, [but] it’s definitely a little disappointing that … we haven’t had one yet,” defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. “The guys are doing a great job in regard to trying to go for the ball in certain situations. The ball has been on the ground several times. We’ve just got to be able to be there and come up with the opportunities.”

On offense, the Jets have lost a league-high six fumbles and the team is minus-7 in turnover differential, the worst mark in the NFL. Coach Aaron Glenn wore a boxing glove and tried to punch the ball out in practice this week to emphasize ball security.

Ground and pound: The Jets did not have a lot of positives in the loss to the Dolphins, but they did show a strong running game.

They rushed for 197 yards in Miami and are third in the NFL in rushing yards per game (144.5).

Their first drive last week was a clinic in running the football but ended in a fumble by Braelon Allen, who is now out with a knee injury.

The Jets will be leaning on Breece Hall, and Isaiah Davis will get an increased role with Allen out. The Cowboys allowed 164 rushing yards to the Packers last week.

Flag day: The Jets had a rough day with penalties last week, picking up 13 flags. Some of the players felt like they are being unfairly targeted by the officials, but Glenn made it clear this week that the team is going to have to earn the benefit of the doubt by winning more. The Jets rank 10th overall in penalties this season.

“We have to work to be able to get those calls, and we will, we will,” Glenn said. “At some point, as we continue to progress through this year, we will get those calls, because I can see us getting to the other side of that.”

Dismal D-efense: Big D does not stand for “defense” this season. The Cowboys are one of the few teams in the NFL who have played worse than the Jets defensively.

They are dead last in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed.

They have given up 300 yards in every game this season and more than 450 twice. The Cowboys are adjusting to new coordinator Matt Eberflus and learning to live without star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who they traded this summer.

Costello’s call

These are two teams desperate for a win and two teams struggling to find a defensive identity.

The difference in this game will be Dak Prescott, who is playing at an extremely high level, and I don’t see the Jets slowing him down. This one could be ugly.

Cowboys 35, Jets 23