Preview Cowboys vs Bengals

This game will be the first test on the road to the playoffs. Andy Dalton and the Bengals are also looking to try and battle into the playoffs. This game for both teams is can make or break the season. Here is what the Cowboys need to do in order to win the game.

If I was Jason Garrett, right now I would be telling my team to do a lot of the same things that they did last week against the Eagles. Last week many things went right and the Cowboys need everything clicking again to beat the Bengals.

Offensive line
The whole of this offense relies on this offensive line. It is a whole chain reaction that starts with this offensive line. If the good blocks are there then the run game is there, if the run game is there than the pressure is off Romo to throw so he will not make mistakes, if the blocks are there period Romo has time to throw so then he won't make mistakes. I can not stress enough how badly the blocks need to be there, with out them this team will go no where.

Turnovers
Just like last week the Cowboys need to be positive in the turnover margin. The Giants were turnover prone when they lost to the Bengals which is why they got blown out. Romo needs to make smart decisions and the defense needs to apply pressure on second year QB Dalton to force him to throw a bad pass.

Defense
The pass defense really needs to show up in this game. A.J. Green is having a great season and is said to be one of the best wide receivers in the league in only his second year. Dalton loves to use the deep ball with Green and the Cowboys will really have to make sure he does not get even the slightest bit open because he will be able to make great catches all day.

Then for the little things Murray needs to do exactly what he did last time, he was great last week, helping the Cowboys build a balanced offense. He needs to be productive again in order for the Cowboys to win. Dez Bryant also needs to stay consistent. He has been great this year and has really been on fire the past few weeks. He needs to be able to get some great plays in to help the Cowboys win.

My prediction is this one will come down to the wire. The Cowboys need to make sure they don't get to far behind and get the lead early on.
My prediction Cowboys win 20-17

Recap Cowboys vs Eagles

This game is one the Cowboys needed badly. It was essential for the Cowboys to stay in the playoff race, and they had a great game. This game will definitely give the Cowboys a boost for the next few games. Here is what went well.

The balanced offense is something the Cowboys haven't been able to accomplish since Murray got hurt. And with him back the Cowboys have seemed to have found it. Murray rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown. While the Cowboys totaled 123 rush yards. And then Romo went 22-27 for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns. The offense was great, they only punted it 3 times while going 9-14 on third downs and 1-1 on fourth downs. With Murray back he is a huge help to this offense and will be very important to help beat some big opponents coming up.

The turnover battle is very important for this game. Both teams have had trouble with them so who ever won that battle would win the game, which is what the Cowboys did. Almost everything was clicking for the offense. The offensive line did not do too bad, they got good blocks for Murray and Romo was only sacked twice. With those blocks Murray could get going, taking the pressure off of Romo to throw the ball a lot, and no turnovers were produced by the Cowboys. Then Claiborne was able to get a touchdown out of the Eagles only turnover. This is how the Cowboys always have to play, a balanced offense so that Romo is not forced to throw too much.

Now yes the defense was not amazing. They allowed a lot of yards on the ground, and even allowed a punt return in the fourth quarter. But they were still able to hang in there in the fourth quarter to help get a huge win for the Cowboys. But this defense still needs to get better, hopefully a lot of key players will be back from injuries in time for when the Cowboys play some great teams.

The one thing the Cowboys really have to work on, is penalties. Every game this year the Cowboys are getting so many penalties. They can give the other team first downs and take away your first downs. They need to stop they are hurting the chances of winning easily.

Next up is the red hot Bengals in Cincinnati. The Cowboys will look to end their 4 game win streak and hopefully get even with the Giants in the race for the playoffs.

Go Cowboys!

Preview Cowboys vs Eagles

Even though the Eagles are doing terrible with Foles at QB the Cowboys can not screw this game up. The Cowboys need to win every game left on the schedule in order to make the playoffs, and they need a huge win tonight to help get them through those games. Here is what the Cowboys need to do in order to win the game.

Just like last time the Cowboys need to win the turnover battle. That is exactly what they did a few weeks ago and if they can do it again they will win this game. Foles has not been what the Eagles have hoped for, he is inconsistent and produces turnovers. The Cowboys have to take advantage of him, they can not ease off and take him lightly. If they work hard and get good field position it will make the offenses job a lot easier to get into the end zone.

This game can also be a door to the balanced offense that has been absent this whole season. Murray finally looks to be healthy and with him the Cowboys can finally try and figure out an offense that works. Romo shouldn't have to throw it a lot now which means he will make less mistakes. And with Murray back the Cowboys can finally have a decent run game after doing terrible with out him. The Cowboys are second in the league in passing and yet last in rushing. Think of how good they will be if Murray can get his grove back. And coming back to play the Eagles is great for Murray. The Eagles defense has recently been doing terrible, Murray should get a good confidence boost from this game and hope fully it will carry onto to the last few games. He is key and the Cowboys are happy to have him back.

But with Murray back it doesn't mean Romo isn't going to turn the ball over for sure, the offensive line still needs to preform. They need to provide good blocks for Murray and make sure Romo has time to throw. Yes some stats may show that Romo hasn't been sacked a whole lot in the past few games but he is still consistently having to leave the pocket to throw. And throwing on the run is always a risk and can easily lead to turnovers.

All the defense has to do in this game is apply constant pressure to Foles. If they do that it will force him to make bad throws, interceptions, and fumble the ball. Like I said the Cowboys just can't hold back they need to make Foles life terrible.

My prediction is that the Cowboys will get the win and get a good boost of confidence to start a run for the playoffs.
Cowboys win 35-13

Go Cowboys!

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!