The Cowboys finished this game two yards short of the endzone after a 4th and goal run by Tony Romo on the second to last play of the game.  Romo played a great game as he completed 23 of 32 passes for 321 yards with 2 TDs and an INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 16 yards (4.0 ypc).  Julius Jones had a rough game with 10 carries for 27 yards (2.7 ypc).  Marion Barber also had a rough time finding running room as he carried the ball 7 times for 15 yards (2.1 ypc) and a TD.  He also caught 5 passes for 23 yards.  Terrell Owens had a great game with 6 catches for 117 yards and a TD.  Terry Glenn also had a solid game with 6 grabs for 109 yards.  Jason Witten had a decent game with 4 catches for 62 yards.  Patrick Crayton only caught 2 passes for 10 yards, but one of those catches was a TD.

Bradie James led the way for the Cowboys defense with 10 tackles.  DeMarcus Ware was unstoppable with 5 tackles and 3 sacks.  The Cowboys did a good job on run defense as the Lions carried the ball 25 times for 85 yards (3.4 ypc).  The Lions completed 28 of 42 passes for 277 net yards passing.

The Cowboys also scored a TD on special teams as Terrance Newman returned a punt 56 yards for a TD.

The Detroit Lions have lost 7 games in a row and probably can’t wait until their game is over Sunday so they can go home.  The Cowboys have lost 2 of their last 3 games and are jockeying for playoff position after losing the division lead last week against Philly.

The Lions have no running game at all, so it will likely be bombs away for the Lions.  Jon Kitna (3,902 yards passing) is attempting to be only the second Lions QB to ever throw for over 4,000 yards (Scott Mitchell is the other).  Kitna should have success throwing against the Cowboys secondary that is allowing 215.3 net yards passing per game.  The only problem for Kitna will be moving around in the pocket to buy time as the Lions have allowed him to be sacked 58 times this season.  Mike Furrey (87 rec, 984 yards) and Roy Williams (76 rec, 1,206 yards) should have good games against the Cowboys.

The Cowboys will probably just go with the same gameplan that got them to the playoffs.  They will run and throw the ball.  Julius Jones (1,057 yards rushing) and Marion Barber (639 yards rushing) should both have good games against a Lions defense that is allowing 130.1 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  The Lions pass defense isn’t much better (214.2 net yards passing) so Tony Romo should be able to spread the ball around to Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn and Jason Witten.

The Cowboys should win this football game by a wide margin.

 

The Dallas Cowboys have already clinched a playoff berth.  They can clinch a division title with:  1) a win and a Philadelphia loss or tie  2) a tie and a Philadelphia loss.

The Cowboys could have clinched the division last week against the Eagles, but the Eagles ripped them in Texas Stadium last Monday Night.  Now the Cowboys will need a little luck on Sunday to win the division.

The Cowboys got beat up in every facet of this football game.  Tony Romo had an awful game as he completed 14 of 29 passes for 142 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs.  Romo also carried the ball 3 times for 42 yards (14.0 ypc).  Julius Jones led the running backs with 10 carries for 38 yards (3.8 ypc).  Marion Barber got stuffed as he carried the ball 6 times for 3 yards (0.5 ypc).  Jason Witten led the receivers with 6 grabs for 50 yards.  Terrell Owens had an off game against his old team with 2 catches for 23 yards and a TD.

The defense played their worst game of the season as the Eagles ran the ball 42 times for 204 yards (4.9 ypc).  The Eagles also completed 15 of 23 passes for 222 net yards passing.

The Cowboys fell to 9-6 on the season with this loss.