Desperate times call for desperate measures and both of the head coaches in this game (Wade Phillips and Jack Del Rio) are both sitting on a hot seat that keeps getting warmer by the week.  The Cowboys have lost three games in a row and they are 0-3 in the new palace they call home.  The Cowboys have been outscored 102-82 at home this year.  The Jaguars have lost two games in a row by a combined score of 72-23!  The Jaguars are 1-2 on the road where they have been outscored 106-69!  Something has to give this Sunday in Dallas and here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  This is the perfect team for Jon Kitna to make his starting debut at QB against.  The Jaguars are allowing 253.1 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 109.7 Rating against them.  The Jags will probably be blitzing a lot against the Cowboys because if Kitna has time to throw the ball they are in big, big trouble.  The Cowboys shouldn’t forget about running the ball either as the Jaguars are allowing 129.0 yards rushing and 4.6 yards per carry.  Maybe the Cowboys will play smart and give the ball to Felix Jones & Marion Barber a bit more than usual this weekend.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  If the Jaguars were smart this week they would try to mix up the offense like the Giants did last week.  With David Garrard back at QB it makes sense for the Jaguars to throw the ball more than usual this week.  The Cowboys only have 5 interceptions this year as opposing QBs have a 95.7 QB Rating against them this year.  The Cowboys know that Maurice Jones-Drew is going to still be the focal point of the Jaguars offense this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 27, JAGUARS 20

21-year old rookie WR Dez Bryant is really starting to look like he’s going to be a big impact player for the Cowboys.  He has played in all six games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has caught 22 passes for 265 yards (12.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Bryant has also returned 11 punts for 186 yards (16.9 avg) with 2 TD returns and 2 kickoffs for 25 yards (12.5 avg) so far this year.  So Bryant has already touched the football 35 times for 476 yards (13.6 avg per touch) so far this year.  The sky is the limit for Bryant as I see him being the #1 WR on this team by the time the 2011 season starts.

Due to the injury to Tony Romo, 38-year old QB Jon Kitna will be the starter for at least the next 6-8 weeks.  Kitna relieved Romo last night and he completed 16 of 33 passes for 187 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  At least Kitna has a lot of experience so I expect the Cowboys’ offense to be o.k. while Romo is out of action.  Kitna has played in 129 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,478 of 4,147 (59.8%) for 27,480 yards with 154 TD passes and 151 INTs (76.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 279 times for 811 yards (2.9 ypc) with 10 TD carries in his career.  The Cowboys’ season is now in the hands of Jon Kitna as they are 1-5 and desperate to start winning some ballgames.

The Cowboys have lost 30-year old, starting QB Tony Romo for the next 6-8 weeks due to a broken left clavicle suffered in last night’s game against the Giants.  Romo has played in 5 games for the Cowboys this year and he has completed 148 of 213 passes (69.5%) for 1,605 yards with 11 TD passes and 7 INTs (94.9 QB Rating).  Romo has also carried the ball 6 times for 38 yards (6.3 ypc) this year.  Without Romo the Cowboys should turn to the running game a tad more as Jon Kitna is nowhere near his level as a QB.  It will also be interesting to see how fast the Cowboys push Romo to return, especially if things are going badly.  There will be no reason to rush Romo back if the Cowboys continue to get beat down every week.  Romo has now played in 83 games in his career with the Cowboys and he has completed 1,326 of 2,070 passes (64.1%) for 16,650 yards with 118 TD passes and 62 INTs (95.5 QB Rating).  Romo has also carried the ball 136 times for 413 yards (3.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career so far. 

The Cowboys got really beat up in this game physically by the Giants.  Tony Romo completed 5 of 7 passes for 39 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs before he left this game with a broken left clavicle.  Jon Kitna replaced him and he completed 16 of 33 passes for 187 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Felix Jones led the way on the ground for the Cowboys last night with 9 carries for 35 yards (3.9 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg).  Marion Barber pitched in with a paltry 6 yards rushing on 4 carries (1.5 ypc) last night.  Jason Witten led the way through the air for the Cowboys with 9 grabs for 95 yards (10.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Dez Bryant had a monster breakout game with 4 grabs for 54 yards (13.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also returned a punt 93 yards for a TD.  The Cowboys finished up with 41 yards rushing on 13 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 40 passes for 213 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 22:29.

The Cowboys were pretty awful on defense after the Giants’ first two possessions of the game.  LB Keith Brooking & CB Terence Newman each picked off a pass on the Giants’ first two possessions and it set up 10 points for the Cowboys.  LB Bradie James led the way for the Cowboys’ D with 9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery.  LB Keith Brooking (6 tackles, 1 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception (he returned it 41 yards)) and CB Terence Newman (6 tackles, 2 passes defensed and a interception that he returned 30 yards) also made some good plays last night.  Gerald Sensabaugh (INT) and DeMarcus Ware (FR) also made big plays in this game for the Cowboys’ D.  The Giants finished up with 200 yards rushing on 37 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 35 passes for 297 yards.  The Cowboys are now 1-5 on the year.

This is a must win game for the Cowboys if they still want to make the playoffs this year.  The bad thing for them is that they are facing a hot Giants team that’s on a 3-game winning streak.  The Giants have outscored opponents by a combined score of 79-33 in the last three games so they aren’t just winning games…they are destroying teams!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys will need to mix in the run on Monday Night a lot more than they have been.  Because if the Giants know they are going to pass on every down they will release the dogs after Tony Romo and they already have 21 sacks so far this year.  Felix Jones & Marion Barber need to get some yards against a Giants’ D that is allowing 92.8 yards rushing per game but only 3.5 yards per carry.  If the Cowboys give Romo time to throw the ball they could have some success against the Giants as Roy Williams, Miles Austin, Jason Witten and Dez Bryant are a load to handle in the passing game.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants are likely going to come out running the ball in an effort to bully the Cowboys’ front seven.  The Cowboys better tighten up the chinstraps because Ahmad Bradshaw & Brandon Jacobs are very physical runners.  The Cowboys only have two interceptions this season so they need DeMarcus Ware & Co. to get to Eli Manning.  If Manning has time to throw the ball, the Cowboys could be in for a long night.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 24, COWBOYS 21

28-year old OLB DeMarcus Ware is one of the most feared players in the league to opposing QBs.  Ware has played in 5 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has 24 tackles, 7 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 85 games in his first six years with the Cowboys and he has 380 tackles, 20 passes defensed, 71.5 sacks, 23 forced fumbles and 1 interception which he returned 41 yards for a TD.  Ware is one of the best defensive players in the NFL and he’s still in his prime!

The Cowboys will be without 31-year old offensive guard Kyle Kosier for the next 2-3 weeks due to a strained Achilles tendon.  He has started 4 games for the Cowboys so far this year.  30-year old Montrae Holland will replace Kosier in the starting lineup once again.  He has played in 5 games (1 start) for the Cowboys so far this season so they are confident that he’ll be able to do a good job.

The Cowboys got 126 more yards on offense then the Vikings did today but big mistakes killed them once again.  Percy Harvin of the Vikings scored on a 95 yard kickoff return today and that really hurt the Cowboys in the end.  Tony Romo for some reason this year just can’t make the big play.  Romo completed 24 of 32 passes for 220 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs today.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 31 yards (10.3 ypc) in this game.  Felix Jones carried the ball 14 times for 32 yards (2.3 ypc) but he also caught 10 passes for 61 yards (6.1 avg) today.  Marion Barber rushed for 31 yards on 10 carries (3.1 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 15 yards (5.0 avg).  Jason Witten (3 rec, 52 yards), Dez Bryant (1 rec, 31 yards, TD) and Roy Williams (3 rec, 28 yards, 2 TD grabs) made some big plays today for the Cowboys in the passing game.  The Cowboys finished up with 94 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 32 passes for 200 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:10.

The defense played well once again for the Cowboys.  LB Bradie James (10 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss) and safety Gerald Sensabaugh (7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Cowboys’ D today.  The Vikings finished up with 95 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 19 passes for 93 yards.  The Cowboys are now a stunning 1-4 on the year.

This is likely going to be a great football game between two of the most disappointing teams in the NFL.  Scan the rosters of these two teams and you see a ton of players on each unit that have been Pro Bowlers in the very recent past.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  If the Cowboys were watching last Monday Night’s Football Game between the Jets and the Vikings they know that you can run the ball against the Vikings.  That means that the Cowboys should get the ball in the hands of Felix Jones & Marion Barber a combined 25-30 times in the running game.  If the Cowboys mix up the play calling a bit more they will have a better chance of keeping DE Jared Allen out of Tony Romo’s face.  Allen only has 1 sack this season but he’s going to get a couple in a game pretty soon.  Look for the Cowboys to still chuck the ball at lot against a Vikings’ D that only has 2 pickoffs so far this year.  WRs Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Roy Williams along with TE Jason Witten will likely keep the CBs and safeties of the Vikings very busy tomorrow.

When the Vikings have the ball:  The Vikings will likely try to run a balanced offense this weekend.  Adrian Peterson must touch the ball at least 25 times in this game or the Vikings are probably going to lose.  Brett Favre will likely run a lot of play action early in the game if Peterson is running well, taking long shots down the field to Percy Harvin and Randy Moss.  The Cowboys only have 2 interceptions this season so Brett Favre could be in for a breakout game.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 27, COWBOYS 24