There is a unwritten rule of sports that you can’t lose your starting job due to injury.  But, back in the day, Wally Pipp was the starting 1B of the New York Yankees.  He got injured and Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig took his job while he was out of action.  Fast forward to 2011……Felix Jones was the starting RB of the Dallas Cowboys until he got injured.  Rookie DeMarco Murray replaced him and took his starting job.  Jones is going to have to work hard to get the ball much the rest of the year.  Jones has played in 8 games for the Cowboys so far this year in which he has carried the ball 74 times for 307 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 17 passes for 120 yards (7.1 avg).  The Cowboys have started using Jones on kickoff returns in an effort to get him the ball more.  He has returned 7 kickoffs for 186 yards (26.6 avg) so far this year.  Unless DeMarco Murray gets injured, Jones isn’t going to get his starting job back this year.

The Dallas Cowboys choked yesterday in Arizona!  Tony Romo was solid yesterday as he completed 28 of 42 passes for 299 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  DeMarco Murray led the way for the Cowboys in the running game with 12 carries for 38 yards (3.2 ypc).  Felix Jones pitched in with 36 yards rushing on 6 carries (6.0 ypc).  WR Dez Bryant (8 rec, 86 yards, TD), WR Laurent Robinson (4 rec, 72 yards) and TE Jason Witten (5 rec, 47 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Cowboys in this game.  The Cowboys finished up with 75 yards rushing on 20 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 42 passes (66.7%) for 261 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:42.

The Cowboys’ defense was pretty good until O.T. when they allowed LaRod Stephens-Howling to catch a pass from Kevin Kolb and run 52 yards for the game winning TD!  The Cowboys had 5 sacks yesterday, so they were getting pretty solid pressure on Kevin Kolb yesterday.  LB Sean Lee (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and CB Terence Newman (6 tackles) led the way for the Cowboys on D in this game.  DT Jay Ratliff was very active in this game with 4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  The Cardinals finished up with 103 yards rushing on 25 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 25 passes (64%) for 224 yards.  The Cowboys are now 7-5 on the year.

The Cowboys have won four games in a row (against bad football teams), and they will look to make it a fifth this weekend in Arizona.  The Cardinals are suddenly hot as they have won 3 of their last four games (but 2 were against the Rams).  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are so much better now that the offense is balancing a lot more.  A lot of that credit should go to rookie RB DeMarco Murray, as he is playing great right now.  The Cardinals are giving up 123.5 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry, so Murray could be in line for a big game.  Tony Romo has benefitted from the Cowboys’ newly found success running the ball, as he has had much more time to throw lately.  TE Jason Witten and WRs Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson are in line for good games this weekend for the Cowboys.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cowboys might have some problems stopping the suddenly balanced offense of the Cardinals.  Beanie Wells is in a good groove, so the Cowboys’ front seven is going to be challenged all day by him tomorrow.  Kevin Kolb is going to be back at QB after missing some time with turf toe.  The Cowboys hope that he’s a tad rusty and they are going to be blitzing him left and right.  If Kolb has time to throw the ball, the Cowboys could be in some trouble as WR Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best playmakers in the NFL.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 27, CARDINALS 24

The Cowboys have cut 23-year old safety/return man Akwasi Owusu-Ansah.  Owusu-Ansah played in 3 games for the Cowboys this year and he had 3 tackles.  He also returned 6 punts for 47 yards (7.8 avg) and 3 kickoffs for 56 yards (18.7 avg) this year for the Cowboys.  He played in 10 games in two years with the Cowboys and he has 3 tackles.  Owusu-Ansah also returned 6 punts for 47 yards (7.8 avg) and 28 kickoffs for 599 yards (21.4 avg) with the Cowboys.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Cowboys.

26-year old WR Laurent Robinson has been outstanding for the Cowboys lately.  In his last five games, Robinson has caught 24 passes for 321 yards (13.4 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He has played in 9 games overall this year for the Cowboys and he has caught 38 passes for 554 yards (14.6 avg) with 7 TD grabs so far this year.  Robinson has already set career highs in receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs and he still has five games to play.  Robinson has now played in 47 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has caught 127 passes for 1,554 yards (12.2 avg) with 11 TD grabs.

Things were looking dim for the Cowboys when they got the ball down 19-17 with a tad over 3 minutes left in the game.  That’s when Tony Romo led his boys on a 10-play, 54 yard drive to set up kicker Dan Bailey, who nailed a 28-yard field goal as time expired.  Tony Romo completed 22 of 34 passes for 226 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  DeMarco Murray led the way on the ground for the Cowboys yesterday with 87 yards rushing on 22 carries (4.0 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 41 yards (10.3 avg).  WR Laurent Robinson (7 rec, 79 yards, 2 TD grabs) and TE Jason Witten (4 rec, 43 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Cowboys yesterday.  The Cowboys finished up with 85 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 34 passes (71.1%) for 218 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:32.

The defense played solid for the most part yesterday as they only gave up 1 TD.  OLB Anthony Spencer (8 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed), CB Orlando Scandrick (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and LB Sean Lee (7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Cowboys’ D in this game.  OLB DeMarcus Ware pitched in with 1 tackle and a fumble recovery.  The Dolphins finished up with 89 yards rushing on 25 carries (3.6 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 32 passes (59.4%) for 263 yards.  The Cowboys are now 7-4 on the year.

The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins both enter this game on three game winning streaks.  The Cowboys have outscored their opponents 94-44 during their winning streak and the Dolphins have outscored their last three opponents 86-20!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are going to stay balanced offensively today as it has really been working well.  DeMarco Murray will have to work hard for every yard he gets as the Dolphins are giving up only 98.7 yards rushing per game this year and only 3.7 yards per carry.  Romo has been deadly off play action passes to Jason Witten, Laurent Robinson and Dez Bryant.  The Dolphins are giving up 251.3 yards passing per game so far this year, so I expect Romo to have a good day.

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins run a balanced offense, so the front seven is going to have to handle stopping Reggie Bush and Donald Thomas’  running.  If the Cowboys can stop the Dolphins’ rushing attack, they will have a good shot of slowing down QB Matt Moore, as he has been red hot throwing the ball as of late.  The Cowboys will likely double WR Brandon Marshall and force Moore to beat them by throwing to someone else.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 23, DOLPHINS 20

31-year old QB Tony Romo has been red hot the last three weeks.  Romo has completed 65 of 94 passes (69.1%) for 841 yards with 8 TD passes and 0 INTs in his last three weeks.  The Cowboys have won the last three games by a combined score of 94-44 against the Redskins, Bills and Seahawks.  Romo has now played in 10 games for the Cowboys this year and he has completed 223 of 346 passes (64.5%) for 2,800 yards with 19 TD passes and 7 INTs (99.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 14 times for 45 yards (3.2 ypc) so far this year for the Cowboys.  The Cowboys are going to need Tony Romo to finish strongly if they are going to win the NFC East.

The Cowboys needed a little luck to hold off the Redskins in O.T. yesterday as Redskins’ kicker Graham Gano was only 1 for 3 on field goals, including a miss in O.T.  Tony Romo was very solid in this game as he completed 23 of 37 passes for 292 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  DeMarco Murray had a rough time finding running room as he carried the ball 25 times for 73 yards (2.9 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 32 yards (5.3 avg) in this game.  Felix Jones returned to action for the Cowboys and he carried the ball 5 times for 18 yards (3.6 ypc) in this game.  TE Jason Witten (3 rec, 85 yards, TD), WR Dez Bryant (3 rec, 68 yards, TD) and WR Laurent Robinson (4 rec, 34 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Cowboys yesterday.  The Cowboys finished up with 89 yards rushing on 32 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 37 passes (62.2%) for 264 yards as they had possession of the ball for 36:01.

The defense was excellent against the run, but not too good against the pass yesterday.  LB Sean Lee (10 tackles), safety Gerald Sensabaugh (9 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) and CB Orlando Scandrick (interception) led the way for the Cowboys on D in this game.  The Redskins finished up with 60 yards rushing on 24 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 38 passes (65.8%) for 276 yards in this game.  The Cowboys are now 6-4 and tied for first place in the AFC East.

The Dallas Cowboys are back on the right track as they have won two games in a row by a combined score of 67-20!  They also beat the Redskins 18-16 earlier this year in Dallas, when the Redskins were healthy and playing a lot better than they are right now.  The Redskins have lost five games in a row, in which they have been outscored 115-53!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Dallas Cowboys weren’t using DeMarco Murray much when these teams first player each other.  This time around, Murray is going to get a lot of carries against a Redskins’ D that is giving up 120.4 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry so far this year.  The Redskins have 27 sacks already this year, so the Cowboys’ O-Line is going to get tested on passing downs this Sunday.  If Romo has time to throw the ball, he’s likely going to have a lot of success tossing it to TE Jason Witten and WRs Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins need to get back to being more balanced on offense this weekend, and that means they will try to run the ball a bit more than they have been.  Roy Helu and Ryan Torain don’t scare the Cowboys’ D much.  But, Tashard Choice might be active tomorrow and he’s going to want to stick it to his old team.  OLB DeMarcus Ware might have a great game this Sunday as the Redskins’ O-Line has been depleted due to injuries and they have already allowed 27 sacks this year.  Rex Grossman is interception prone and his WRs and TEs scare no one.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 27, REDSKINS 10