The Dallas Cowboys (6-3) are coming off their worst offensive performance of the year and need to be ready to play against the Washington Redskins (3-6).  Their rivals have won five of the last eight matchups and are coming off their best game of the year where they beat the Denver Broncos.  Tony Romo and the offense need to be a lot more productive or they will find themselves on the losing end once again.  The Cowboys only scored 7 points last week against the Packers, but I think they will have more success against the Redskins.  Romo and Roy Williams have been having a lot of success the past two games, with Williams catching 10 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown.  There is always the dangerous Miles Austin for Romo to find as well, and the Redskins give up 126 rushing yards per game so Marion Barber and Felix Jones should be able to get something going in the running game.

The Cowboys defense needs to be ready for Ladell Betts, who ran for 114 yards and a touchdown last week.  Betts is Clinton Portis’ backup, who is sitting out again due to a concussion.  Betts doesn’t play like a backup though, and he is going to be the main part of the Redskins’ offense.  Redskins’ quarterback Jason Campbell has been throwing a lot of interceptions this year, so he has been going to a lot of short passes to try and limit those.  If he tries to go downfield, the Cowboys front line can get some pressure on him as he often holds on to the ball too long.  This is a very intense rivalry, so the records don’t matter in this one.  The Redskins are coming in playing well, so the Cowboys better be on top of their game.  I think this will be a pretty close game, but if the Cowboys play like they are capable they could blow them out.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Dallas Cowboys 28, Washington Redskins 20

It’s amazing to see how some players repsond to pressure when another player at his position starts to excel.  Roy Williams has played his best football since coming to Dallas the last two weeks as he has caught 10 passes for 180 yards (18.0 avg) with a TD.  His recent performance shouldn’t surprise anyone because he’s a talented football player plus Miles Austin has been pushing him for targets due to his fine play.  The Cowboys need Williams to keep playing at a high level because it makes them very hard to defend because you can’t really double anyone.  Williams has now played in 8 games this season for the Cowboys and he has 24 catches for 429 yards (17.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Williams to finish the season strongly as long as he can stay healthy.

With December just around the corner the Cowboys need Tony Romo to step up.  He has been awful in games in December and January since becoming the starting QB of the Cowboys and they can’t afford to have that continue.  Romo has completed 183 of 303 passes (60.4%) for 2,466 yards with 14 TD passes and 6 INTs (93.5 QB Rating) so far this year.  Romo has also carried the ball 23 times for 86 yards (3.7 ypc) so far this year.  If Romo can finish the year with his current QB Rating the Cowboys will be happy because they will be in the playoffs.  With all of the weapons that Romo has at his disposal this season it’s hard to believe that he will fail as usual late this year.

The Cowboys will be without starting free safety Ken Hamlin for the next 2-4 weeks with a high ankle sprain.  Hamlin has played in 9 games for the Cowboys this season and he has 39 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Pat Watkins will replace Hamlin in the starting lineup.  He has played in 9 games making 25 tackles this year.  This will hurt the Cowboys a little bit as Hamlin is pretty good at not letting WRs get behind him.

UPDATE:  The Cowboys will be starting Alan Ball at free safety instead of Pat Watkins.  The 24-year old Ball has played in 9 games for the Cowboys this season and he has 13 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Ball has now played in 21 games (in 3 years) for the Cowboys and he has 25 tackles and 2 passes defensed.  We’ll see if this is a smart move or a mistake starting this Sunday.

Starting right tackle Marc Colombo has a fractured fibula and he underwent surgery yesterday to repair torn ligaments in his ankle.  The Cowboys will be without Colombo for at least the next six weeks.  Doug Free will likely get the first chance to replace Colombo.  Free has played in 9 games (0 starts) this season for the Cowboys.  In three years with the Cowboys, Free has played in 10 games (0 starts).  This is a huge dropoff for the Cowboys as Free has very little experience in the NFL.