by. William C. Walker Jr.
November 16, 2014
With Dallas off this week with the bye I felt like it was a perfect time to breakdown their final 6 opponents and how Dallas matches up against them. The Cowboys bye couldn't have come at a better time in my opinion. It gives the team a better chance to get key players healthy before the final push to try and make the playoffs. It also sets the stage for the Cowboys to re-establish that winning formula they had during their 6 game winning streak. The question is can history repeat itself, can the Boys finish on a 6 game roll? Let's take a look at the Cowboys final 6 opponents.
@New York Giants (3-6): Regardless on what happens during Sunday's game versus the San Francisco 49ers this is a dangerous opponent. Eli Manning seems to save his best for Dallas. Even if the Giants are out of it at this point they'd love nothing more to try and throw a wrench in Dallas's plan to win the East. I still feel like this is a win especially with Dallas having 2 weeks to prepare them. The loss on Monday Night against the Redskins should've taught this team to take no team lightly. That could explain why Romo played against lowly Jacksonville, even into the the middle of the 4th quarter (EVEN THOUGH I WAS SCREAMING AT GARRETT'S STUPIDITY). Granted it had more to do with the terrible play of Brandon Weeden, but Dallas is taking each game seriously which is the way it should be.
Philadelphia Eagles (7-2): This is the big one! Showdown in BIG D on Thanksgiving day no less. A lot of factors go into this game. One of which is how will the defense handle Chip Kelly's offense in year 2. As bad as the Dallas defense was last year and it was historically bad, they seemed to play their best against Philly. Will Mark (Butt Fumble) Sanchez continue to thrive in this offense. This year the no name defense has been the biggest surprise on the team this year. With DT Henry Melton getting into shape, DT Tyrone Crawford coming back off injury, and rookie DE Demarcus Lawrence showing promise this D may continue to surprise. I'll give the Eagles a definite edge over Dallas in the special teams department. The match-up I can't wait to see is Dallas's offensive line versus Philadelphia's defensive line.
@Chicago Bears (3-6): By the time the Cowboys play the Bears they could be mailing it in at this point. After the debacle in Green Bay head coach Marc Tressman is officially on the hot seat. While Jay Cutler continues to be a turnover machine. As lousy as Cutler has been it doesn't even come close to how awful the Bears defense has played. Long gone are the Monsters of the Midway seeing how this defense has given up back to back 50 pt games. Again I don't look for Dallas to overlook any opponent and this is a team that embarrassed the Boys last year, but I don't expect history to repeat itself.
@Philadelphia Eagles (7-2): Eagles part II! Based on what happens in the 1st game will make the rubber match even more important. The winner of the 1st game could put a strangle hold on the division. The loser of the 1st game will be extremely desperate to win this game. The solace I take with this being Dallas 3rd on the road game in a 4 week stretch, is the fact that Dallas seems to play best on the road. I don't know if it's the emphasis on executing in a hostile environment but the Cowboys are the only team in the NFL to not have lost a game on the road. If they want to win this division they'll have to keep the success on the road going.
Indianapolis Colts (6-3): The second of the Cowboys tough remaining opponents. Andrew Luck is playing at an MVP level. The Colts however I will say don't look like the same team on the road. Top corner Vonte Davis should be back and healthy for this game. DeMarco Murray and the run game will be the best defense by keeping Andrew Luck on the sideline. Even if the Cowboys get 10 wins this year that may not be enough to get into the playoffs. So this game against a tough opponent will be huge.
@Washington Redskins (3-6): RGIII is back but it didn't make much difference last week. The Redskins aren't a good team plain and simple. It made little difference when the teams met in Dallas on Monday Night. The Cowboys didn't play their best and they paid the price. Jim Haslett's defense was a definite issue for Tony Romo and the rest of the offense. For the past 3 years the Cowboys have faced an NFC East rival with the division on the line. It's safe to say that the Skins won't be competing for the division. But depending on how they and the Eagles do in this final stretch this game could still mean something. I look for the Cowboys to get their revenge in this one.
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