The Redskins and the Cowboys have one of the most storied rivalries in the NFL and this game is for first place in the NFC East.  Look for the Redskins to let it all out against the Cowboys this week.  The Cowboys’ defense is only giving up 292.0 yards of offense per game but that’s because they control possession of the football a lot.  With that in mind the Redskins will likely try to run the ball to play keepaway from the Cowboys.  Clinton Portis should be able to find running room against a Cowboys’ defense that is allowing 4.1 yards per carry this season.  Look for TE Chris Cooley to be the focal point of the passing game for the Redskins as the Cowboys safeties are the weak link of the secondary.  The Cowboys do have 10 sacks this season so throwing the ball short will benefit Jason Campbell.  If the Cowboys’ defense creeps up, WRs Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El will start running deep.  Also, expect Randle El to throw deep at least once in this game on a trick play.

The Cowboys will try to run a balanced offensive attack as always as they have thrown the ball 93 times and run it 90 times.  The Redskins’ linebackers will have their hands full in trying to deal with Marion Barber and rookie Felix Jones in the running game.  The Redskins must get a good pass rush on Tony Romo or Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton and Jason Witten will all have big games.

PREDICTION:  DALLAS COWBOYS 31, WASHINGTON REDSKINS 21

The Cowboys dominated on offense against the Packers on Sunday Night.  Tony Romo led a balanced attack as he completed 17 of 30 passes for 260 yards passing with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Marion Barber was unstoppable as he carried the ball 28 times for 142 yards (5.1 ypc) with a TD run.  He also added 3 receptions for 15 yards (5.0 avg).  Rookie RB Felix Jones also had a eye popping game as he rushed for 76 yards on 6 carries (12.7 ypc) with a 60-yard TD run.  WR Miles Austin led the Cowboys with 115 yards receiving on only 2 catches (57.5 avg) including a 52-yarder for a TD.  TE Jason Witten pitched in with 7 grabs for 67 yards (9.6 avg) last Sunday Night.  The Cowboys finished up with 217 yards rushing on 35 carries (6.2 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 31 passes for 236 yards.

The defense of the Cowboys was in bend but don’t break mode against the Packers.  Pacman Jones led the way for the Cowboys on defense with 8 tackles and a fumble recovery.  Fellow CB Anthony Henry also had a very solid game with 6 tackles and two sacks.  The Packers finished up with 84 yards on 21 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 39 passes for 250 yards.  The Cowboys improved to 3-0 on the season with this win.

The Cowboys will attempt to win there first game ever tonight at Lambeau Field (0-5) but the Packers are rolling right now.  This should be a great football game filled with offensive fireworks.  The Cowboys will likely come out running the football with Marion Barber (143 yards rushing) and rookie Felix Jones (72 yards rushing) against a Packers’ defense that is allowing 118.0 yards rushing and 5.2 yards per carry this season.  But, don’t expect the Cowboys to forget about throwing the football as Tony Romo (113.1 QB Rating) has not even been sacked once this season.  If he gets time to throw the ball Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton and Jason Witten could have big games.  But the Packers do have 6 sacks and 4 interceptions this season so Romo will have to be careful with the football.

The Packers’ gameplan should involve more running than usual as the Cowboys are giving up 4.1 yards per carry.  With that in mind look for Ryan Grant (112 yards rushing) and Brandon Jackson (73 yards rushing) to get a lot of work in this game.  The Packers have done a great job of protecting Aaron Rodgers in the pocket as he has only been sacked one time this season.  That won’t stop the Cowboys from blitzing as they already have 5 sacks this season.  If Rodgers (117.8 QB Rating) has time to throw the football tonight he should have a great game throwing to Donald Driver and Greg Jennings.

PREDICTION:  GREEN BAY PACKERS 37, DALLAS COWBOYS 34

The Cowboys will be without starting safety Roy Williams for the next 3-4 weeks due to a fractured right forearm.  Williams played in both games (1 start) for the Cowboys this season and he has made 6 tackles.  Last season Williams played in 15 games (13 starts) and he finished up with 92 tackles, he defensed 5 passes and he intercepted two passes.  Pat Watkins will replace Williams in the starting lineup for the Cowboys and he has 8 tackles already this season.  He has played in 28 games (9 starts) in his NFL career to date and he has 72 tackles, has defensed 7 passes and he has 4 interceptions.  This will likely hurt the run defense of the Cowboys but help the pass defense.

The Cowboys have lost starting fullback Deon Anderson for the next few weeks with a knee injury.  Anderson played in both games (1 start) for the Cowboys this season but he didn’t touch the football.  The Cowboys will likely play without a fullback and have more two TE sets with Jason Witten on one side and either Tony Curtis (3 rec, 15 yards) and rookie Martellus Bennett (1 rec, 20 yards) on the other side.  This will likely hurt the running game some but help the passing game so it’s likely a wash for the Cowboys’ offense.

The Cowboys prevailed last night because of the offense and special teams.  Tony Romo had a solid game completing 21 of 30 passes for 312 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 interception.  He also lost a fumble in the endzone that was recovered by linebacker Chris Gocong for a Eagles’ TD.  Marion Barber had a solid game as he carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards (3.5 ypc) with a 1-yard TD run.  He also caught 4 passes for 51 yards (12.8 avg) including a 17-yard TD grab.  Felix Jones only had 10 yards rushing on 3 carries (3.3 ypc) last night but he was awesome returning kickoffs.  Jones returned 6 kickoffs for 247 yards (41.2 avg) last night including one kickoff that he returned 98 yards for a TD!  TE Jason Witten led the Cowboys’ in receiving last night with 110 yards on 7 grabs (15.7 avg).  Terrell Owens dominated his old team last night as he caught 3 passes for 89 yards (29.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Cowboys finished up with 68 yards rushing on 24 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 30 passes for 312 yards.

The Cowboys’ Defense played well against the running game but not the passing game.  Safeties Pat Watkins and Ken Hamlin each had 7 tackles apiece in this game.  Linebacker Zach Thomas also pitched in with 7 tackles last night.  The Eagles finished up with 78 yards on 23 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 37 passes for 259 yards.  The Cowboys are now 2-0 on the season with this win.

These two teams split the series last year with the Cowboys outscoring the Eagles 44-27.  Both teams are coming off of impressive wins with the Eagles winning 38-3 over the Rams and the Cowboys pounding the Browns 28-10 in Cleveland.  The Eagles rolled up 522 yards last week but they weren’t playing a defense near the caliber of the Cowboys’ unit.  The Eagles will keep Brian Westbrook busy as the Cowboys appeared vulnerable against the run allowing 5.1 yards per carry.  Zach Thomas will likely have the job of chasing Westbrook all over the place and if that’s the case the Eagles have an edge there.  The Eagles will likely use a lot of 3-WR sets with Hank Baskett, DeSean Jackson and Greg Lewis who all went over 100 yards receiving against the Rams last week which will put a lot of pressure on the Cowboys’ corners.  Roy Williams better also come to play because L.J. Smith will likely get his fair share of passes.  If Donovan McNabb has time to throw the Cowboys’ defense could be in big trouble.

The Cowboys will likely run the football to open up the passing game.  Marion Barber and Felix Jones could get a lot of action against the Eagles this week despite the fact that they only allowed 36 yards rushing (2.4 ypc) last week against the Rams.  WR Terrell Owens always has his old team circled on the calendar but the Eagles have three really good corners and they don’t want to get beat by T.O.  With that in mind TE Jason Witten and WR Patrick Crayton could have big games just like they did last week against the Browns.

PREDICTION:  DALLAS COWBOYS 30, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 27

The Cowboys have signed 28-year old QB Brooks Bollinger to a 1-year contract to serve as the #3 QB behind Tony Romo and Brad Johnson.  Bollinger played in 5 games (1 start) for the Vikings last season and he completed 33 of 50 passes (66%) for 391 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception (88.0 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 5 times for 18 yards (3.6 ypc) last season.  This was a good move for the Cowboys who signed him on Monday before other teams found out how badly their QBs were hurt.  Bollinger has now played in 19 games (10 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 201 of 343 passes (58.6%) for 2,155 yards with 8 TD passes and 8 interceptions (75.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 41 times for 155 yards (3.8 ypc) in his career.

The Cowboys dominated the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon.  Tony Romo completed 24 of 32 passes for 320 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception as the Cowboys’ O-Line was giving him all day to throw the ball.  Marion Barber was having an outstanding game before he left with injured ribs.  Barber carried the ball 16 times for 80 yards (5.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs in this game.  He also added 3 catches for 21 yards.  First round pick Felix Jones relieved Barber and he scored on his first NFL carry (11-yard TD).  Fellow rookie RB Tashard Choice finished up the game for the Cowboys’ carrying the ball 5 times for 26 yards (5.2 ypc).  Jason Witten (6 rec, 96 yards), Patrick Crayton (6 rec, 82 yards) and Terrell Owens (5 rec, 87 yards, TD) all had outstanding games for the Cowboys against the Browns.  The Cowboys had possession of the football for an amazing 37:29 of this football game.  They finished up with 167 yards rushing on 31 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 32 passes for 320 yards.

DeMarcus Ware (5 tackles, sack), Ken Hamlin (5 tackles) and Zach Thomas (5 tackles) led the way for the Cowboys on defense against the Browns.  The Browns finished up with 91 yards rushing on 18 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 11 of 24 passes for 114 yards.  This was a great all around effort for the Cowboys who will challenge the equally impressive Eagles on Monday Night Football this week.

The Dallas Cowboys better be careful in this football game as the Cleveland Browns have a 7-game home winning streak.  The Cowboys would probably prefer to run the football to set up the passing game but that may be hard against a vastly improved front 7 of the Browns’ defense.  Still, Marion Barber and Felix Jones will get their carries and they will have to deal with DE Corey Williams and NT Shaun Rogers.  Inside linebackers Andra Davis and D’Qwell Jackson are also enforcers in the middle of the Browns’ defense.  The Browns’ secondary could have issues at CB as Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald will have to deal with WRs Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton all day long.  Both of the Browns’ CBs have talent but they are both inexperienced as they are each in their sophomore year in the NFL.  The best matchup of this football game with be All-World TE Jason Witten against rising safeties Brodney Pool and Sean Jones.

The Browns would also like to run the ball first but that might be hard to do with Jamal Lewis a little gimpy.  If he can go he will be challenged by inside linebackers Zach Thomas and Bradie James.  The Browns’ have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and they should be able to give Derek Anderson enough time to get the ball downfield to Braylon Edwards, Donte’ Stallworth and Kellen Winslow.  Adam Jones will get his first start in two years and the Browns might be looking to pick on him. 

PREDICTION:  CLEVELAND BROWNS 37, DALLAS COWBOYS 34