The Cowboys have won two games in a row, but they are going to have to deal with the Lions this Sunday, who have won 7 games in a row.  The Cowboys are going to have to get a quick lead and keep the pedal to the metal this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are going to need to try to run the ball a little more this weekend.  The Lions are giving up 113.0 yards rushing per game so far this year and 5.0 yards per carry.  Felix Jones will likely have a heavier workload this weekend as long as his shoulder holds up.  The Cowboys are going to need to block well for Tony Romo, because the Lions bring a lot of heat in the passing game and they hit the passer a lot.  Romo might need to keep the passing of the shorter variety and hope that Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, Kevin Ogletree and Laurent Robinson can make some plays after the catch.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Cowboys are going to try to stop Jahvid Best’s running with the front seven as the Lions are only averaging 78.3 rushing yards per game this year and 2.8 yards per carry.  This will allow the Cowboys to really come after Matthew Stafford this weekend.  OLBs DeMarcus Ware (5 sacks) and Anthony Spencer (3 sacks) are likely going to be turned loose the whole game in an effort to force Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford into making some mistakes with the football.  The Cowboys need to get to Stafford and hit him a lot because he’s going to be aiming at the secondary quite a bit this Sunday.  WR Calvin Johnson, WR Nate Burleson, WR Titus Young, TE Brandon Pettigrew and TE Tony Scheffler are going to cause matchup problems for the Cowboys’ D.  Jahvid Best out of the backfield on screen passes could also cause the Cowboys to have issues on defense.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 24, COWBOYS 20

Veteran kicker David Buehler hasn’t been able to play this year due to a hip problem.  That has opened the door for 23-year old Dan Bailey and he has been excellent for the Cowboys this year.  Last night he kicked six field goals good for all 18 of the points they scored.  Bailey has played in all 3 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has made 9 of 10 field goals (90%) and all six of his extra points, good for 33 points so far this year.  It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys handle things when Buehler is healthy enough to return to action.

The Dallas Cowboys couldn’t get into the end zone last night, as kicked Dan Bailey nailed six field goals including the eventual game winner with 1:47 last in the game (a 40-yarder).  Tony Romo was a warrior last night in playing with his fractured ribs.  He completed 22 of 36 passes for 255 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Felix Jones had by far his best game of the year last night with 115 yards rushing on 14 carries (8.2 ypc).  He also caught 3 passes for 40 yards (13.3 avg) last night.  WR Dez Bryant (4 rec, 63 yards), TE Jason Witten (6 rec, 60 yards), WR Laurent Robinson (3 rec, 49 yards) and WR Kevin Ogletree (3 rec, 19 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Cowboys last night.  The Cowboys rushed for 125 yards on 26 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 36 passes (61.1%) for 250 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:36 last night.

The defense was very solid for the Cowboys last night.  LB Sean Lee continued to excel last night as he led the way for the Cowboys with 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 passes defensed, 1 fumble recovery and 1 interception.  His fumble recovery led to the Cowboys’ winning field goal late in the 4th quarter and it was forced by fellow linebacker Anthony Spencer.  Safeties Gerald Sensabaugh and Abram Elam each pitched in with 7 tackles apiece in this game.  The Redskins finished up with 65 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 37 passes (59.5%) for 233 yards.  The Cowboys are now 2-1 on the year.

The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins split last seasons two games with each team winning at home.  The Cowboys are really beat up heading into this game while the Redskins are ready to rock.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys might get rookie RB DeMarco Murray more involved in the offense in this game as Felix Jones is going to try to play with a separated shoulder.  The Cowboys are only averaging 54.5 yards rushing per game and 2.3 yards per carry, and that’s just not going to get it done.  The Redskins are allowing 4.8 yards per carry this year but only 84.0 yards rushing per game, so the opportunity to have a somewhat balanced offense could be there for the Cowboys in this game.  Tony Romo is going to try to play with a couple of fractured ribs in this game, so expect the Redskins to send the house after him by blitzling early and often.  With WRs Miles Austin and Dez Bryant out of action due to injuries, Jesse Holley and Kevin Ogletree will need to step up.  Romo will likely be looking for his buddy, TE Jason Witten a lot in this game.  Witten caught 13 passes for 167 yards (12.8 avg) with 1 TD grab against the Redskins last year.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Cowboys will have to stop RBs Tim Hightower and rookie Roy Helu, as the Redskins are averaging 123.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  The Cowboys should be up to the challenge as they are only allowing 59.5 yards rushing per game so far this year and only 3.0 yards per carry.  The Redskins have been really effective throwing the ball this year and Rex Grossman torched them for 322 yards passing and 4 TD passes in his lone start against the Cowboys last year.  They will have to send the blitz after Grossman a lot in this game to try to force him into making some mistakes.  If Grossman has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a big game tossing the ball to TE Fred Davis and WRs Santana Moss, Anthony Armstrong and Jabar Gaffney.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 26, COWBOYS 20

The Cowboys have released CB/PR/KR Bryan McCann.  McCann played in both of the Cowboys’ games this year and he didn’t have any tackles while defending 1 pass.  He also returned 2 punts for 13 yards and 1 kickoff for 26 yards for the Cowboys this season.  McCann played in 11 games in two years with the Cowboys and he had 15 tackles, 1 interception (he returned it 101 yards for a TD), defensed 1 pass and he had 1 tackle for a loss.  McCann also returned 10 punts for 178 yards (17.8 avg) with 1 TD return and he returned 24 kickoffs for 533 yards (22.2 avg) for the Cowboys.  McCann probably won’t be out of work too long.  The Cowboys needed McCann’s roster spot in order to re-sign WR Laurent Robinson.

31-year old QB Tony Romo took a lot of heat after he pretty much blew the game against the Jets in the season opener.  He then fractured a rib and had a punctured lung against the Niners last Sunday.  That didn’t matter though as he watched a little bit from the sidelines before replacing Jon Kitna and leading the Cowboys to a big time comeback and win in O.T.  Romo has now played in 2 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has completed 43 of 69 passes (62.3%) for 687 yards with 4 TD passes and 1 INT (108.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc) so far this year.  It’s time for everyone to jump back on the Tony Romo bandwagon after last week when he proved his toughness and ability to lead his team to a tough win on the road.

The Cowboys will likely be without starting WR Miles Austin until week #6, due to a serious hamstring injury.  Austin has played in both games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has caught 14 passes for 233 yards (16.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  The Cowboys are likely going to look to TE Jason Witten and WR Dez Bryant a lot more until Austin is ready to return to action.  The Cowboys will also need 27-year old WR Jesse Holley and 24-year old WR Kevin Ogletree to step up while  Austin is out of action.  Holley (3 rec, 96 yards, 32.0 avg) and Kevin Ogletree (4 rec, 62 yards, 15.5 avg) have played well so far this year and the Cowboys hope they keep up the good work.

The Dallas Cowboys had to fight to win this game out west yesterday.  Kicker Dan Bailey connected on a 48-yard field goal on the last play of regulation to send this game into O.T.  The Cowboys lost the coin toss but played outstanding defense to get the ball back.  Tony Romo (with a fractured rib) led his team down the field to set up the game winning 19-yard field goal from Dan Bailey!  Romo was a warrior yesterday as he completed 20 of 33 passes for 345 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He left the game for a while before coming back into the game.  Jon Kitna completed 6 of 10 passes for 87 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs while he was in the game.  Felix Jones led the way for the Cowboys on the ground in this game with 25 yards rushing on 9 carries (2.8 ypc).  Rookie DeMarco Murray pitched in with 21 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.5 ypc).  Tashard Choice carried the ball 5 times for -5 yards (-1.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 24 yards (12.0 avg) in this game.  WR Miles Austin was incredible in this game for the Cowboys as he caught 9 passes for 143 yards (15.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  TE Jason Witten (7 rec, 102 yards), WR Jesse Holley (3 rec, 96 yards) and WR Kevin Ogletree (2 rec, 50 yards) also had solid games for the Cowboys yesterday.  The Cowboys finished up with 45 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.0 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 43 passes (60.5%) for 427 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:10.

The Cowboys’ D was outstanding yesterday as they sacked Niners’ QB Alex Smith six times!  LB Sean Lee was a beast again for the Cowboys as he had 11 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss.  Safety Gerald Sensabaugh (5 tackles), DE Jason Hatcher (4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 3 QB hits) and CB Alan Ball (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also had solid games for the Cowboys on D.  The 49ers finished up with 74 yards rushing on 24 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 24 passes (66.7%) for 132 yards.  The Cowboys are now 1-1 on the year.

The Dallas Cowboys are fresh off a gigantic choke job against the Jets last Sunday Night.  The 49ers have to be thinking good about themselves both defensively and on special teams due to their performance last weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are going to come out throwing the ball to try to get a quick lead on the Niners and take them out of their game plan.  If the Cowboys can protect Romo (the Niners had 5 sacks last weekend), he should have success throwing the ball.  The Cowboys have too many weapons (Jason Witten, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin) for the 49ers’ secondary to deal with.  The Cowboys would also like to get Felix Jones going but he’s going to have to fight for every yard with Patrick Willis chasing him around all day long.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Cowboys want to take Frank Gore away from the Niners and force Alex Smith to beat them with his arm.  The Cowboys’ front seven will be responsible to stop Gore and they did well last week against the Jets, who they held to 45 yards rushing on 16 carries (2.8 ypc).  The secondary is very vulnerable right now due to all of the injuries they have suffered at cornerback.  That means that the Cowboys will have to send OLB DeMarcus Ware and his buddies after Alex Smith.  CBs Mike Jenkins, Bryan McCann and Frank Walker are going to have their hands full dealing with Braylon Edwards, Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan.  Safeties Abram Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh better tighten up the chinstraps this Sunday as they are going to have to try to corral Vernon Davis.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 27, 49ERS 24

The Cowboys want 24-year old RB Felix Jones to carry the load for them in the running game this year.  If they are going to keep giving him the ball, he’s going to need to do a lot better than he did last week against the Jets.  Jones carried the ball 17 times for 44 yards (2.6 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 22 yards (7.3 avg) last week.  Rookie RB DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice are laying in the weeds, waiting to tote the rock if Jones can handle his new full-time gig.