Babin

Jason Babin was just cut by the Eagles after posting a great 18 sack season last year. This year he hasn't been a star like last but has had 5.5 sacks. So the question is, should the Cowboys go for him?

We all know how dominate Ware is, he is a sack monster, he lead the league in sacks at the end of a season twice. But the only problem is, there are no other consistent pass rushers on the defense. Spencer is starting to step up but other than that there is really nothing.

Babin coming in would be a huge help to both the pass rush and the run defense. With along side pro bowler Jay Ratlif, and then Spencer, Ware, Lee, and Carter at Line backer, this would be an amazing defense along with their new and improved secondary.

Now Babin is getting old at the age of 32 so he wouldn't be a long term solution. But still the Cowboys need a dominate pass rusher with Ware. And Romo is also starting to age which means the window for a super bowl with him is closing. The Cowboys could have such a good defense with Babin if the rest stayed healthy. So then the Cowboys could then focus more on fixing their offensive line in the draft.

I really think the Cowboys should go for him, they need another dominate player on defense to help stop the run and get sacks.

Go Cowboys!

The Final Test

The last 5 games need to all be won by the Cowboys if they even want to think about the playoffs. The Giants have gotten their confidence back by destroying Green Bay and the Redskins are now back in the race as well. But the teams that remain have all been making come backs since the beginning of the year. Can the Cowboys make the playoffs?

The first game is the easiest game remaining. The Cowboys play the Eagles, who are completely lost this season. Vick is out and the turnovers just keep coming with Foles at starting QB. The defense has been doing even worse since the firing of their defensive coordinator and the playoffs are completely out of the picture for the Eagles. So winning this game does not look like a problem at all. The Cowboys just have to remember to not make mistakes of their own and they will get the win.

And now the games start getting harder. The Bengals are second and have gotten 3 straight blow out wins including one against the Giants. They are on fire and the Cowboys play them in Cincinnati. The Cowboys need to make sure they can shut down A.J. Green, he is a big playmaker that is very dangerous. And of course the Cowboys need to not have turnovers. That is the main reason why the Bengals killed the Giants, the Giants turned the ball over and gave the Bengal great opportunities to score. It will be a close one but I think the Cowboys will win.

No body can really tell how the third game is going to work out. Big Ben along with his back up are both out. But Big Ben may be back for this game. If he is the Cowboys need to apply constant pressure on him and try to force a bad throw to make an interception. If that happens and the Cowboys don't commit any turnovers of their own, this could be a win.

The Saints have made a huge come back after starting 0-4, and look to be dangerous just like they have before. The Cowboys need to take advantage of the Saints lowly defense and make sure Brees does not have enough time to make a good throw. He is very dangerous, among the best quarterbacks, stopping him is key to win this game. I think the Cowboys could win this game, they just need to apply constant pressure and not allow turnovers.

The final game is one the the Cowboys can not wait to play. In the first match up against the Redskins they were down by 25 and almost a great comeback in the second half to win the game. This time the Cowboys need to make sure they don't fall behind and play good defense the entire game. I think the Cowboys will get revenge and will win this one.

Over all some very good teams left on the schedule that are all manageable for the Cowboys. They just need to be consistent on offense and defense and not allow turnovers.

Go Cowboys!

Injury Problems

The Cowboys have been full of injuries the entire year, as soon as somebody got healthy, another person went to the injured list. And they have been happening at the worst times. The run game and offensive line has been hit bad this year, along with the front 7 on the defense. Here is why these injuries have been hurting the teams chances so much.

Run game
This is probably one of the weakest links right now. Without Murray the run game has only gotten worse. Yes Jones has caught some touchdown passes to help win games, but the Cowboys still need a run game. Romo is a quarterback that can be great but can also make poor decisions. If the Cowboys can't rely on their run game then it will force Romo to throw more and make bad choices with the ball. This is only Murrays second year, and just like the year before, he was getting good and then got injured. If Murray is injury prone the Cowboys need to start thinking about picking up a better back up who can step and gain yards.

Offensive line
The offensive line injuries has taken its biggest hit in the center position. So much that right guards have had to move over and take over as center because even the back up has gotten hurt. And right now the Cowboys need a good offensive line. If Romo has to always scramble, he will keep making poor choices. The Cowboys really need to draft big to try and get something solid for Romo.

Defense
This year everyone is talking about how good Claiborne and Carr have been for this defense. But the Cowboys are still struggling a bit stopping the run. In the beginning of the season both Ratlif and Spencer were out, both key players that are dominant and could stop the run. Luckily Lee, Carter, and Ware were looking very good on the field. But then the injuries started happening. Lee got hurt and is out and now Carter needs surgery. And even Ratif after coming back is now hurt again. This is just too much, if all of those players were in the Cowboys would be very dominant. I don't know what's happen but the Cowboys need to stay healthy in order to get some wins.

NFC East Preview

Heading into the weekend the Eagles who can not seem to find a way to win will look to try and bounce back against the Panthers. While the Giants have their hands full with trying to stay a top the East on Sunday against the Packers. Here is what to watch.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Carolina Panthers
One of the main reasons why the Eagles have fallen so far since starting 3-1, is because they are just turnover prone. The Eagles have only forced 10 turnovers the whole season, and given away the ball 24 times. Turnovers are the most important part of the game, and that is why the Eagles are doing terrible. It also doesn't help that Vick is out currently with a concussion, he wasn't amazing in the turnover game but back up Foles isn't doing any better. In this game, 2 things need to happen in order for the Eagles to win. They need to stop Newton, he is a very dangerous player both by throwing and rushing, the Eagles defense has been struggling so it will be a big test. And the other thing is the offense needs to get going and can't turn the ball over. McCoy is out for this game which really hurts the offense, he is a player who can always be relied on. My prediction is the Eagles will not be able to stop the turnovers. How ever they will do a good job of containing Newton, but the turnovers will prove to be too much and they will lose a close one.
Panthers win 21-17

New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers
You could say this is a must win game for the Giants. Both the Redskins and Cowboys are closing in on them and the Giants schedule is not helping. They have a very hard schedule to end the season, beating the Packers would be a great spirit booster and could help them get through the other teams. The only problem is, the Packers have been on fire. They have won 5 straight games and show no sign of slowing down, the Giants will need to be perfect in this game if they want the win. The main thing that has to happen is Manning needs to play like he does in the playoffs. He has had barely any games where his stats are amazing, the only reason why they have 6 wins is because of their defense right now. And against Rodgers, Manning knows he has to be able to stay with him the entire game and keep putting up points. My prediction is the Packers offense will prove too much, and they will win the game to make the race even closer for the NFC East.
Packers win 35-17

Go Cowboys!

Recap Cowboys vs Redskins

The Cowboys have learned that coming back to win games is not their specialty. This was almost a repeat of the Browns game, down big in the first half, and then make a come back in the second. But this time they lost. The Cowboys only scored 3 points in the first half, while RGIII put up 28 points. In the second half, Romo lead the Cowboys to get 28 of his own points, but RGIII got 10 more and the Cowboys failed to get closer to the Giants in the standings. Here is what happened in the game.

When looking at the stats from this game, and comparing the 2 teams, the Cowboys did better in almost every category. They gained more yards and had more third down conversions then the Redskins, but the Cowboys lost in the most important category, turnovers. Once again the Cowboys shot themselves in the foot by turning the ball over and allowing RGIII and the Redskins to get up big. The only way the Cowboys will ever make the playoffs is if they stop the turnovers and play football. If Romo hadn't thrown half of the interceptions he did this year, he would be considered one of the best quarterbacks. He is second overall in pass yards per game, the only problem is his turnovers.

There are 2 more main things I said the Cowboys needed to do in order to win this game, one was to watch out for the deep ball. And they did exactly the opposite. 2 of the 4 touchdowns passes from RGIII were over 50 yards, and one of the others went for 29 yards. The Cowboys can not allow big plays like those to happen, it puts the offense in a huge hole.

The other thing was having a balanced offense. And yet again, the Cowboys did exactly the opposite. Romo threw for a career high 441 yards. Unfortunately, it was from 62 pass attempts. The Cowboys only rushed 11 times the entire game. A reason is because the Cowboys got down by so much they couldn't waste any time. But when they have too throw it 62 times, bad things will happen. Romo threw 2 costly interceptions, with out them the Cowboys could have won. One thing is for sure, the Cowboys need Murray back as quickly as possible. Without him the playoffs look far out of sight.

Now there are 3 other smaller problems that can affect the game greatly if the Cowboys don't fix them.

Offensive line
The offensive line only allowed 2 sacks the whole game, but Romo was still under pressure and took 9 hits. And then the run game couldn't get going behind the blocking from the offensive line. The line needs to at least protect Romo if the run game isn't there so that he has more time to throw and make the right decision.

Penalties
The Cowboys each week are going in and getting too many penalties, they keep hurting the chances of winning and need to be stopped. This is yet another example of the Cowboys shooting themselves in the foot.

Defense
In the second half the Cowboys defense arrived to the game, in the first half they were very late. They allowed RGIII to put up 28 points. Then they only allowed 10 in the second half, this is just like the Browns game. The defense needs to show up for the whole game in order to get the win.

And then there are the very few good parts of the game.
Dez Bryant produced the third turnover by fumbling the ball. The only reason why he wasn't critiqued so much is because he made up for it by getting 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. While on the defensive side of the ball Spencer showed why the Cowboys placed their franchise tag on him. He had 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. And Peprah got the only turnover of the game for the Dallas Defense by picking off RGIII.

Over all it was the second game in a row that was very sloppy. Luckily the Cowboys play the Eagles next, who hurt themselves even more then the Cowboys in games. The Cowboys should be able to get the win and try to make a run to the playoffs.

Go Cowboys!

Preview Cowboys vs Redskins

On Thanksgiving the Cowboys defense will be facing one of its biggest tests of the season. RGIII and the Redskins is one of the best rushing offenses in the league, and with the Cowboys pass defense already secure, the run defense will be key. Here is what the Cowboys need to do to win this game.

Romo needs to do what he has been doing the past 3 games, no interceptions thrown. He has been great and with that the Cowboys have won 2 of those 3 games. So the Cowboys just can't shoot themselves in the foot, a lot of the games were lost because of too many turnovers. If Romo has another no interception game the Cowboys should be able to win.

Luckily, the Redskins have one of the worst defenses in the league. And for a lot of games this season, the Dallas offense has been slow to start games, they always have to come from behind to win games. The Cowboys need to take advantage of the Redskins defense and get the lead early on and keep it. If they want to beat RGIII they need all the momentum they can get.

The run game has been absent for almost the whole year. Murray was looking good in the beginning but got hurt and is doubtful for yet another game. The reason why the Browns game was maybe a bit to close is because the Cowboys weren't having any success on the ground. A balanced offense is very important and Jones really needs to start stepping it up. He needs to be there to keep the drives alive and find the end zone if the passing is not there.

The defense needs to be all around good. I mentioned the fact that the Redskins have one of the best rushing attacks with RGIII and Morris. But that doesn't mean RGIII can't throw. Last week he only had one incompletion and had a ton of deep balls against Philadelphia. What the Cowboys need to do is make sure they don't get too drawn in to defending the rush, because then RGIII will catch them off guard and throw it. What the defense needs to do is just not give up big plays, they need to try and slow down this offense and let the Dallas offense get up front. If they can do that the Cowboys will win their third straight game.

My predictions over all is that the Cowboys will win but it will be another close one. Romo will not throw any interceptions and lead his team to score 32 points, but RGIII will make a come back in the second half to get to 28 points. But the Cowboys will hang on and win the game.
Cowboys 32-28

Go Cowboys!

Recap Cowboys vs Browns

A win is a win, but this one was bit too close. The Cowboys were held score less the entire first half and it looked like the only thing they could do to get the ball moving was punt it. But they came back, and scored 17 unanswered points. The Browns then got a touchdown and then Bailey tied the game to force over time. The Cowboys successfully went down the field on their second try and won the game 23-20. Many are saying this is just another game to prove nobody knows how good the Cowboys really can be, they can have great games, and horrible ones, they just aren't consistent. But some good things did come from this win.

Well really, when looking at the stats not many good things appear. The only one being the 30 first downs they got, there are maybe 2 things that went well for the Cowboys.

Defense
This one is in the middle, they gave up early points but stopped them for almost the whole second half and over time. They also did great on stuffing Trent Richardson at the goal line that maybe saved the game. And they only gave up 2 first downs from penalties. The defense needs to improve though, when teams jump out ahead it is always hard for the offense to comeback.

Coming Back
The Cowboys have been known to give up points in the fourth quarter and end up losing the game. For once it was the other way around. Romo did great in leading his team back in the second half, proving that he can be a leader and the starting quarter back. The first half was very sloppy, but thanks to the second half play they made up for it.

Now here are the bad parts, if you ask me, I would say the Cowboys are lucky to have won this game, they really played one of their worst games of the season.

Offensive Line
This was maybe why the offense couldn't get going, Romo was sacked for a career high 7 times, and always had to scramble to find his receivers. And then the rushing was yet terrible again with out Murray, only gaining 63 yards. This offensive line needs to step it up, they can affect who win the game easily.

Penalties
The Cowboys had a whopping 9 penalties for 92 yards. This is terrible, this takes aways chances to score and get the first down. Luckily the Browns weren't as good and had 12 penalties, and 10 of those went for Cowboys first downs. But these are still easy yards and the penalties need to stop.

Turnovers
Now yes the Cowboys only had one turnover the whole game, but the reason why I am saying this is because of the time it happened. In the fourth quarter, Romo fumbles the ball and gives the Browns great field position to score. Fortunately for Romo the defense stopped the Browns, but that may not happen every time, Romo needs to be more careful of the ball so he doesn't lose the game.

On Thanksgiving the Cowboys look to get even with the Giants in the division standings, but first have to stop the mighty Redskins offense.

Go Cowboys!

Injury Update

Heading into the game there are a few injured players that will not be making appearances.

Demarco Murray is listed as doubtful, which to me, not playing him is a great idea. The Browns have a struggling defense so him being out will probably not be a deciding factor of who will when the game. And since he doesn't have to play, resting is great, this way he won't hurt himself more, and he can be at full health for next week.

Both Mike Jenkins and Sean Lissemore our out for the defense, I also do not see this as to big of an impact since the Browns have been struggling on offense this year.

And then Vickers, Connor, Ratliff, and Philips are all listed as probable for the game and should be able to play.

So injuries this week do not look like too big of a concern and hopefully they will be back next week.

Go Cowboys!

Preview NFC East

This week both the Redskins and Eagles will try to make a come back and get back into the race for the playoffs. While the Giants get a much needed bye week and the Cowboys look to get 1 game closer to the Giants in the standings, here is what to look for.

New York Giants
The Giants unlike the Cowboys are in a bad position, they are only 1.5 games up, and still have to play the Packers, Saints, Falcons, and Ravens. While the Cowboys have one of the easiest records. Luckily for the Giants they have a bye week to prepare for them. There biggest problem is Eli Manning. He started off good, but he has slowly becoming a problem, he is isn't completing passes and is turning the ball over a ton. He could probably blamed for last weeks blow out lost to the Bengals because of his turnovers. In the bye week the Giants need to do what ever they have to do in order to get him back to his Super bowl self. Or else the Giants might not even make the play offs.

Washington Redskins vs Philadelphia Eagles
Both of these teams have not been able to find a grove this season. The Eagles have been turnover masters and Vick has not been producing. While the Redskins have one of the best offenses in the league, their defense can't stop anyone. The Eagles just need to stop those turnovers, they would be great if they hadn't turned the ball over so much, and with Vick out, there is a lot of pressure on Foles to get the win. As for the Redskins, RGIII has to produce, if his defense can't do anything, then he can at least try and out do the Eagles offense. And with Alfred Morris I think they will be able to. Nick Foles will be lost and turn the ball over and RGIII will destroy.
My Prediction Redskins Win 24-21

And I just talked about how I predict the Cowboys to win 38-10

Go Cowboys!

Preview Cowboys vs Browns

The Cowboys are in yet another great position to gain some ground on the Giants. They play one of the worst teams in the league while the Giants have a bye week and can't do anything but watch. Getting the win over Philly last week was huge, they are back in the race for not just a wild card, but the East champions. Here are the keys to win the game.

Offensive line
If the offensive line produces, then everything else will start clicking too. It is simple, if the offensive line gets good blocks, Tony Romo will have time to throw. If Romo has time to throw, it will lead to better decision making, which will stop turnovers. Also if the blocks are there, the run game will produce. Murray may be back for this game which will be great for the run game. But if he isn't, then Jones should be able to carry the team if the blocks are there. This Browns defense has been known to give some teams trouble, so the offensive line needs to be there in order to secure this win.

Turnovers
Romo has been improving greatly since his 4 interception and 5 interception games. He hasn't thrown 1 interception in the past 2 games. If he doesn't throw any interceptions again, this game will be a secured victory.

Run defense
Brandon Weeden has not been spectacular this year and shutting down the Browns wide receivers will not be a problem for the Cowboys secondary. But the Dallas run defense has been giving up too many yards on the ground. They need to be able to make sure they can shut down Trent Richardson. He is a big running back that can get those 3rd and 1s every time. Making sure he doesn't find the end zone is very important for the Cowboys to win this game.

The Browns gave the Eagles plenty of trouble in week 1, and even beat the Chargers in a great defensive battle. The Cowboys need to just take this game easy. Make sure they don't get over confident, they are in a great position to make a run to the playoffs, losing to the Browns is not an option.

My prediction is the Cowboys dominate the Browns in Dallas, they show why they are real play off contenders and they get the win.
Cowboys 38-10

Go Cowboys!

Recap Cowboys vs Eagles

This week by far is one of the best for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys dealt with the Eagles in Philly while the Giants got destroyed by the Bengals. This now puts the Cowboys 1.5 games back in the race for the NFC East champions. This is exactly what the Cowboys needed, a good win to get them back on track. Before this the Cowboys had lost 4 of the last 5, and a coaching change was coming into to question. But the Cowboys prevailed, and scored on offense, special teams, and defense in the game Sunday. The whole game seemed to go the Cowboys game, it started off with a 11 yard pass to Jones when he plowed through 6 defenders. And then a great throw and catch from Romo to Bryant. Next came Dwayne Harris, simply running to the edge and returning a punt straight to the end zone. Then Brandon Carr had a interception returned for a touchdown. Finally to seal the deal, Hatcher recovered a fumble by Foles in the end zone to end the game. Here is what the Cowboys did great on to win this game.

Turnovers
Coming into this game I said who ever won the turn over battle would win the game, and I was right. The Cowboys defense got 2 touchdowns from turnovers which really helped the team. Then Romo didn't turn the ball over once in the entire game.

Balanced offense
The run game has been pathetic since the Ravens game, but this game they seemed to step it up a little. Jones had 71 yards then Vickers and Dunbar combined for 30 to finally get the Cowboys over 100 yards rushing in a game were able to help out Romo quite a bit.

Special Teams/Defense
I really only have to say 3 touchdowns and that sums it up. The Cowboys defense only allowed 1 third down conversion on 10 attempts by the Eagles. The defense and Harris also really helped win the game thanks to their touchdowns they got in the fourth.

Here is what the Cowboys need to work on

Penalties
This was the biggest problem for the Cowboys. They had 13 penalties, 5 alone from Morris Claiborne and 6 that got the Eagles first downs. Plus Claiborne had a hold when the Dallas defense got a touchdown on the play, although Harris returned his punt soon after, those are things that shouldn't be happening. Claiborne is just a rookie though, he needs to learn more along with his team in order to stop these penalties.

Offensive line
Romo was sacked 3 times and had 5 hits, it is not a terrible stat but the Cowboys still need to keep improving that line to give Romo time.

Third down conversions
The Cowboys were only 5-13 on conversions on Sunday, these definitely need to be improved in order for the Cowboys to keep drives alive and win games.

Next week the Cowboys play the Browns, where they look to become 5-5.
Go Cowboys!

Preview Cowboys vs Eagles

A game that once had people excited to go watch, a game that people knew would be a good one. And is now a game for 2 teams to try and get back to .500. The Cowboys and Eagles have an intense rivalry but this year both teams are struggling and non Eagles/Cowboys fans, don't care that much about this game. Both teams are losing in the fourth quarter and are committing way too many turnovers, here is what the Cowboys need to do in order to win.

The Eagles offense is one of the greatest disappointments on this team, but it does not mean they can't make big plays. McCoy is still on super star status and is getting over 100 yards almost every game, and we all know how Desean Jackson is one of the trickiest players in the league. What the Dallas defense needs to do is get to Vick. Vick has had many multiple interceptions games this year. And the Cowboys still stand as one of the best pass defenses in the league. With pressure on Vick, he will be forced to throw which will give the corners a chance to make a big play. With that being said, the Line backers need to do their job and stop McCoy, he is a huge threat to the Cowboys. Last week the loss could be blamed on not being able to stop Turner, so stopping McCoy is key.

The run game, Murray is unfortunately listed as doubtful for the game. Which is a huge blow to this team. Every offense needs to try and have a balance on offense, and with out Murray, the Cowboys can do no such thing. Jones and Tanner combined aren't getting close to being productive. And the Cowboys can't rely on passing the whole time, Jones needs to step it up in this game in order to get the win.

Offensive line, they weren't a problem last week, and they need to do the exact same this week. Romo was only sacked once last week, and with that time he had thanks to the blocking, he didn't turn the ball over once. If the run game is not there, then making sure Romo has time to throw is the most essential thing to winning this game. The Cowboys can not allow turnovers because falling behind and coming back has not worked well for the Cowboys this season.

Now this game comes down to who ever can stop the turnovers. And with the offensive line doing much better, and great cornerbacks, I think the Cowboys will win the turnover battle and win the game.
My Prediction - Cowboys Win 20-10

Jason Garrett

The Cowboys team has lots of areas to improve on, but one of the areas that a lot are concerned about is Jason Garrett. Many are wondering if he will even end the season as the head coach. Here is what I have to say about this.

Jason Garrett is a great a guy, and is hard not to like, but that might be one of his problems. He may not have that strict side of him. A side that can get his team back into shape after a loss. Every coach needs to have this side so that they can show the players who is boss. Plus a lot of the losses this year came in the fourth quarter. And most of them were lost because of bad time management. In some areas of the game you can blame the players for dropped balls or fumbles, but time management is all on the coach. He needs to make sure his players know exactly what to do in these situations. Garrett also needs to control the play calling more. When Romo wants to kill a play, Garrett should see what he is trying to do and have some sort of thing with the receivers to make sure they know what to do. Also with play calling, converting on third downs and converting in the red zone has been a problem this year.

Could this season really be the last with Garrett?

Well we all know who will do anything to win, Jerry Jones. He managed a dynasty Cowboys football team, and right now they are no dynasty. Jones is one of the most known managers in football, he always loves to talk about his team and how they will win the super bowl this year. And when he sees them losing in the fourth quarter because of silly time management, he hates it. 

Just look at Wade Phillips, his 2010 season started with horrible losses early on and late losses in the fourth just like this season. And Jones ended up firing him, and looked towards Garrett. With Garrett at coach, the Cowboys had a winning record in the last half of that season. This showed promise, but the Cowboys failed to make the playoffs last year because of late losses in the season and Garrett hasn't improved the Cowboys much since.

There is also one thing that pops up when talks about Garrett comes up. Sean Payton will be a free agent coach. The suspended Saints coach has gone to the playoffs the past two seasons in a row, and won a super bowl three seasons ago. This could also be another reason to fire Garret, the Cowboys could finally have found a coach to lead them to the super bowl. To be like Landry and Johnson. Payton would definitely be a great addition to the team.

Before that happens though, what about the second half if the season? The Cowboys are not out of the race and have one of the easiest records left with their opponents having a combined record of 19-30, and only one of them has a winning record. The Cowboys getting a wild card is a chance, can Garret turn around this team? Or will more losses continue, and maybe a new head coach?

Recap Cowboys vs Falcons

And yet another 4th quarter collapse. This can sum up 3 of the Cowboys losses this year. The Cowboys were yet again sloppy on offense. Only getting 2 field goals early on in the game and then their lone touchdown in the fourth quarter from Romo to Ogletree. Here is what went well and what didn't go well in the game.

Pass protection
Romo was only sacked once in the entire game, with this blocking Romo was given plenty of time to throw. And with that time, he didn't turn the ball over once. Neither did anyone else on the team. These were 2 main issues heading into this game and they seemed to be cleared up.

Defense
This Atlanta offense lowest scoring game before this one, was 23 points. The Dallas defense did great of getting to Matt Ryan and only allowed one touchdown. The area they could improve on is the run defense, if they were a bit better in stopping Turner, they may have on this game.

Special Teams
Lance Dunbar may have had one of his best games this year, with 3 kick returns for an average of 24.3 yards, and a long of 39. He is just what the Cowboys needed in this year. Then the only punt return of the game by Harris went for a 37 yard return, so no Dez back there, no problem.

But then here are the reasons why the Cowboys lost.

Converting on 3rd down and red zone
The Cowboys were only 3 out of 10 in 3rd downs, and 0-2 in the red zone. It seems surprising the Cowboys only lost by 6 with just 3, 3rd down conversions. They are key for drives, they need to get those and be able to get into the end zone.

Run game
Again I am not putting to much blame on the run, since Demarco Murray was out. But Felix Jones has not been stepping up. He needs to be consistent and show us why the Cowboys picked him to start a year ago.

Penalties
If these don't stop, then converting on downs will get harder. The penalties have improved a bit, but they need to do more. The Cowboys had 7 that went for 50 yards, these are yards being wasted.

Luckily next week the Cowboys have the struggling Eagles, where they will look to bounce back.

Go Cowboys!

Injury Update

The main injury this week is sadly that Demarco Murray is out. Which is now putting all of the work on to Felix Jones to produce for the running game. This means the offensive line needs to really step it up so Jones can find some room to run.

Lissemore and Connor are both out for the defense. Them being gone should not effect this powerful defense too much.

Bryant, Ogletree, Harris, and Jones are all questionable/probable but are expected to play. Bryant, if he plays, will not be seeing anytime returning punts.

Preview NFC East

The Giants are set on top of the East, and all three of the others have must win games this weekend in order to stay in the race for the play offs. Here is a break down of the games and my predictions for who will win and who will lose.

Washington Redskins
The offense is the only reason why this team has 3 wins. RGIII and Alfred Morris are an unstoppable duo, but the defense can't stop anything. Which is why the Redskins are at 3-4, a team with just an offense can not go very far, just look at the Saints, who only have 2 wins with one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Luckily in week 9, the Redskins play the disappointing Panthers. With Cam Newton struggling to find the magic he once had last year, this team is going know where. Plus the defense, like the Redskins, is also terrible. The Redskins are also set up in a very good position here, they play a very bad team, so they could get a win heading into their bye week which is always good for a players motive. Plus with this bye week coming up, it may help with the defense.
My Prediction - Redskins Win 32-14

New York Giants
This game against the Steelers might be one of the best match ups of week 9. The Steelers had a slow start but are now starting to come back to its super bowl winning self. This game will most definitely not be a walk in the park for the Giants. What they need to do in this game is make sure their defense is able to handle the pass. Last game they gave up 437 yards through the air and if Romo hadn't thrown 4 interceptions, they would have lost the game. So making sure the secondary is ready is key to win this game. Manning also needs to produce, even though the Giants have been winning most of their games recently, Manning has not been producing great numbers. He has to stop relying on his defense to get turnovers and stop the other team.
My Prediction - Steelers Win 14-10

Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles along with the Cowboys are the two highest teams in need of a win this weekend. After yet another off season in which they thought they were going to be great, they have yet failed again. Vick is throwing interceptions consistently and is hurting the teams chances of winning. Luckily for the Eagles, they play one of the worst defenses in the entire league, the Saints. Without their coach they seem lost. This will mainly be a battle of offenses with the Eagles defense seeming even more lost. But I think that with McCoy and this Eagles offense, they should be able to produce enough points to win the game.
My Prediction - Eagles Win 35-28

And I already talked about the Cowboys and how I predict them to win 28-27.

Go Cowboys!

Preview Cowboys vs Falcons

This is just about the worst position for the Cowboys, they play the undefeated Falcons in a must win game. At 3-4, falling back in the race for the NFC East is not affordable. With the Eagles and Redskins also tied with them, the Cowboys need to get some breathing space to try and get a spot in the play offs. Here is what to look for in the game.

The defense needs to do what it has been doing all week long. Be dominate. Matt Ryan comes in as one of the best passers in the league. He has one of the best wide receiver corps in the league, and a very good running back to back him up. Stopping this offense will be key to win this game. Luckily with one of the best defenses in the league, I don't think stopping them will be to big of a problem for the Cowboys.

The offensive line needs to step up big in this game. The Falcons defense has also been hot this year, so  there going to need to be able to block for Romo well enough to give him time in the pocket to throw. If he gets pressured too much, then Romo will be forced to scramble and through the ball, which does not end well. If Romo keeps having to throw the ball under pressure, he will throw interceptions which have been the main reason for the losses this year. Romo's main problem is he always try's to force the throw. It seems that he never wants to throw the ball away, or scramble if receivers aren't open. He is always trying to get yards threw the air. Which yes sometimes works out, but if an interception happens, it hurts the Cowboys chances greatly. Just look at the Giants and Bears games, if Romo only threw about 1 interception in both of those games, they would have won.

Another thing the Cowboys need to do in this game, is make sure they control the fourth quarter. This year the Falcons have been known for coming back in the fourth to win games. The Cowboys will need to be able to manage the clock and not turn the ball over to make sure they don't lose from a come back.

The running game also needs to be there in this game. Demarco Murray may be back for this game which would be a huge help. Without him Jones has not been a big success. Having a balanced offense is key with a quarter back that throws one to many interceptions. If Murray is back and healthy for this game, he will be key for winning the game.

The last thing, is to not fall behind early. Yes they were able to recover from a 23 point deficit to the Giants, but if they had just stayed in that game more they could have won it.

Over all the Cowboys just need to get their offense clicking in order to win this game and show that they deserve to be in the play offs.

My prediction - Cowboys win 28-27

Play off predictions for NFC

The NFC has two divisions in which a wild card will not come out of. Then the race for the two spots are still very close as the season is half way through. Who will make the play offs?

NFC North
If the season ended now it would be the Bears winning the division and the Vikings as a wild card. But that will not be how it turns out. The Packers have been making a come back after a sloppy start, and the Vikings will for sure not have a winning record by the end of the season.
Prediction
Division winners - Packers (3rd seed)
Wild card - Bears (5th seed)

NFC South
The team ranked first in the league leads this division, and with nobody to challenge it. All three of the other teams have struggled to win games, there will definitely be no wild cards coming out of this division.
Prediction
Division winners - Falcons (1st seed, round one bye)

NFC West
The 49ers are one of the best teams in the league, and just like the Falcons, they have no competition. With the Cardinals falling from a 4-0 start, the 49ers will be the clear winners for this division.
Prediction
Division winners - 49ers (2nd seed, round one bye)

NFC East
The East is the trickiest division to predict in the whole NFL. The Giants look to have control but have a very hard schedule ahead. And then the Cowboys, Redskins, and Eagles are all tied up. So predicting the winner and wild card is very hard to do. But I think the Giants have gotten far ahead with 6 wins and should stay on top. Then the Cowboys look to have the best defense out of the last three teams, so if their offense starts clicking, good things may be ahead.
Prediction
Division winners - Giants (4th seed)
Wild card - Cowboys (6th seed)