Dez Bryant

Over the past few weeks Dez Bryant has shown us that he is the true number one wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. He has had 7 touchdowns in the past five games and in 4 of those games he has add over 80 yards receiving. Also getting him to his first 1,000 plus yard receiving year of his career. He has even been proving himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.

And now he may be out for the season. As soon as he was becoming a super star, he gets a injury. In last Sundays win over the Bengals, Bryant apparently broke his finger. He is now listed as doubtful for the game on Sunday and may even have to get surgery on it which would take him out for the season.

The real question is, do the Cowboys really need him?
Everybody knows he is a play maker. He can always make defenders miss and can make great catches. Ever since his rookie year when he returned his first punt for a touchdown he has had high standards. So yes he is great, but I do not think he is needed that much. The Cowboys still have Miles Austin and Jason Witten, and Romo always trusts them when he is throwing the ball. But is there much past that? Kevin Ogletree had a break out game in the very first game of the season. But since then he hasn't grabbed anybodies attention. If Romo decides to throw to him a lot he may be good or he may not. Also receivers Harris and Beasely have been making some noise the past few weeks. So there is talent there, that is not the question, but can they step up?

I think if Dez needs to get surgery or his finger is still broken by Sunday the Cowboys should not try and play him. If they inject him with some pain medication and have Dez suck up the pain and play, yes he could be helpful, but he could also hurt his finger more. The Cowboys should trust there talent this game and rest Dez so that he can be fully healthy for the last few games an the playoffs.

Recap Cowboys vs Bengals

This win was even more needed after the events of yesterday. Josh Brent was drunk driving and killed practice squad member Jerry Brown in a car accident. The Cowboys team was informed of this on the plane ride to Cincinnati. Garrett told the team that the best way to honor him was to play their best. Some Cowboys were tearing up, but they knew this game was a very key game to stay in the playoffs, and they went out and got the win for Jerry Brown. The Cowboys lead with a field goal earl on, then Dalton lead a touchdown drive, and then a field goal drive. The Cowboys marched down to the 1 yard line and Murray punched it in for the touchdown to tie it up in the second. The Bengals then got 3 field goals to go up 19-10. Romo then came alive, he lead a touchdown drive that ended with a 27 yard catch from Dez Bryant. And then led the Cowboys on the games final drive to set up Dan Bailey's 40 yard field goal to win the game. Bailey is perfect inside 50 yards this year. Here is what went well.

The balanced offense was not amazing the entire game, it was just amazing when it counted most. Murray only had 53 yards on 21 carries. But on the final drive of the game Murray converted on huge 3rd downs to help set up good field position for Dan Bailey. With him in it took some of the pressure off Romo to throw who had only 1 interception. The offensive line still needs to improve though if they want this offense to really get going. Romo was only sacked 3 times. But was hit 9 times after the throw. And even though the player does not have the ball, they can still get hurt.

Dan Bailey deserves some recognition. Not many people talk about the kicker but he can still win the games. He has been great for the Cowboys, the only 2 misses he has this year out of 25 attempts have come on kicks longer than 50 yards. The Cowboys are lucky to have such a good kicker that is reliable in these type of situations.

The Cowboys 3rd down efficiency has also gotten better. They were 11-19 on the day which is great because they are key for keeping drives alive to win the games.

The defense was not amazing but they were still good. After the Bengals first touchdown, they were able to get into the red zone 3 more times, each time the Cowboys defense came up with great stops to force field goals. Those were key so that the offense did not get too far behind. The defense recorder 5 sacks and a monster game from Spencer, he had 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and one tackle for a loss. He is becoming a great pass rusher to go with Ware that the Cowboys have been looking for.

The Cowboys still need to work on penalties though. They had 5 on the day, which yes is better then the past few weeks but they still need to improve. They hurt the chances of keeping the drive alive.

Next up is the Steelers, they have lost 3 of the last 4. Including a loss with Big Ben in against the Chargers. The Cowboys will look to continue their playoff run at home with another win.

Go Cowboys!

Preview NFC East

This week could determine a new NFC East leader or even a 3 way tie for 1st place in the NFC East. But no body can really tell who will get that top spot at the end of this week, each of the top 3 teams play tough games and will be close ones. Here is what to watch.

Philadelphia Eagles vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This game has no effect on the NFC East what so ever. The Eagles haven't won a game since week 4 and that streak may continue. Foles has not won a game yet since taking over for Vick after he got a concussion. The turnovers have kept coming and so have the losses. The Eagles don't even have a .01% chance of making the playoffs, another year being called the dream team, and another year of failure. And the chances of winning this game are not so good. The Bucs have found a bit of a groove lately. They have won 5 of the last 8 and look to make it 6. Rookie Doug Martin has been on fire and shows no sign of slowing down, while Freeman has also been hot. If the Eagles want to even think about coming close, making sure they do not turn the ball over is the most essential thing.
My Prediction - Eagles lose 28-14

New York Giants vs New Orleans Saints
Now the games start to get interesting. The Giants are leading the division by 1 game but have lost 3 of the last 4. While Drew Brees and the Saints have been making a comeback since starting 0-4. This game will be a huge offensive show down. Both defenses have been giving up a ton of yards this season, and with Manning and Brees at QB, this will be a high scoring game. This will really come down to who makes the least amount of mistakes. Who ever does not turn the ball over the most and can convert on third downs and in the red zone. I think that the Giants will continue their slump though, Manning will be inconsistent and not be of any help.
My Prediction - Giants lose 32-21

Washington Redskins vs Baltimore Ravens
This game will definitely be a good one. Both teams have struggling defenses, but powerful offenses. Now the Ravens can be powerful, but are sometimes inconsistent. Joe Flacco needs time to throw and Ray Rice needs good blocks in order to get going. Luckily for them they play one of the worst defenses. As for the Redskins they have the best rushing attack thanks to Morris and RGIII. The Ravens defense will have to really try and get interceptions because stopping the run game is not going to be easy. This game will be a close one, Rice and Flacco need to step up, and RGIII can not make mistakes through the air. And the Ravens are familiar with close games. 7 of their games this year have been decided by 3 points or less, 5 of those were wins.
My Prediction - Redskins lose 35-32

And I already talked about how I predict the Cowboys to get the win over the Bengals 20-17, and move up to have a share of the East lead with the Giants.

Go Cowboys!

Injury Report

This week the offense looks to be in good shape. Miles Austin and Demarco Murray are expected to start. These two are both great players the Cowboys are happy to have on the offense. Austin is one of the best receivers on the team, and Murray is key for a balanced offense.

As for the defense there are a fey key injuries. Orlando Scandrick was placed on the IR and Jay Raliff has been ruled out for the game. Both of them have played key roles in this defense, Orlando not as much but both will be missed. The Cowboys really need to rely on Spencer and Ware to disrupt the pass now.

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!