I came into the 2011 NFL season believing that the Dallas Cowboys might struggle some as the season wore on. They lost three of their top offensive linemen and were starting a brand new defensive scheme. Changes often need time before the team is able to mesh.

Jerry Jones
Wikimedia Commons

However, Dallas fooled me as the season wore on and made me believe they had a chance to make it, not only into the playoffs, but deep into the postseason. Then they fell apart at the end and missed the playoffs by one win. Somehow, my opinion changed so much that I still think they could have won the Super Bowl if they had only beat the New York Giants in Week 17.

Jerry Jones seems to believe that as well.

“Had you beaten the Giants the first time, is getting to the playoffs competing for a Super Bowl? I think it is,” Jones said. “I thought the team last year had the talent to compete for a Super Bowl. I believe that.

The big difference here is that I believed, as a fan, that Dallas could have won the Super Bowl. Jerry Jones is the owner of the team, and while he should be optimistic, he should also be realistic. The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is not solid enough to protect Tony Romo. The cornerbacks are not good enough to stop players like Tom Brady from orchestrating come-from-behind victories. The pass rush is almost non-existent outside of DeMarcus Ware.

Mile Austin couldn’t stay healthy and the best option in the running game went on the IR. The Dallas Cowboys team that played in 2011 overplayed their abilities and did better than they ever deserved to do. Tony Romo became a true star in 2011 because he single handedly led them to a number of those wins. Romo can’t do this on his own.

As a fan, I like to believe the Cowboys could have won the Super Bowl this year if they had gotten past the New York Giants. However, as a realist, I know that the Cowboys were not good enough to win it. I would hope Jones is just being overly optimistic, because if he is not, he is fooling himself.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

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The Dallas Cowboys’ season ended with a heartbreaking loss to the New York Giants in the final game of the 2011 NFL regular season. Here is a look at how the offensive stars finished the game for the Cowboys.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
Wikimedia Commons

Tony Romo

Tony Romo came into the Week 17 game with the New York Giants with a bruised hand and seemed like the biggest question mark on the field. However, out of all the players in the game, Romo was the one who came to play. He completed 29-of-37 of his passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception and fumbled the ball, but a lot of his problems had to do with bad offensive line play.

Laurent Robinson

Out of all the stars on the Dallas Cowboys’ roster, it is newcomer Laurent Robinson who leads the team in touchdowns with 11. In the final game of the season, while Dallas had few stars step up, it was Robinson who caught both touchdown passes from Romo. Robinson was the Cowboys’ best offensive weapon this season.

Felix Jones

When DeMarco Murray went down with a season ending injury, Felix Jones got his chance to prove he could help the team win. He did fine but it is obvious that the Cowboys need Murray back next year bad. Jones ran for 30 yards and caught seven passes for 47 yards in Week 17. It wasn’t horrible but Dallas needs a better rushing attack in 2012.

Dez Bryant / Miles Austin

Dez Bryant led the team with 70 receiving yards in the game on six receptions in the game. Miles Austin did not do anything of note, with two receptions for 20 yards. Neither man was a solid weapon in this game because Romo had little time to wait for routes to develop before the pass rush reached him.

Jason Witten

Jason Witten finally had a decent game but fell short of the 1000 yard mark for the first time since 2008. He finished the game with seven receptions for 69 yards.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

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With the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the New York Giants officially ending their season, there has to be a time to look back and see what went right with the franchise. One of the best stories of the season featured a wide receiver that had never reached his potential getting another chance and exploding in 2011.

Laurent Robinson
Wikimedia Commons

Laurent Robinson joined the Cowboys to help out the team when Miles Austin went down with a hamstring injury. After integrating himself into the offense in Week 3, with three receptions for 49 yards, he exploded against the Detroit Lions in Week 4. While Dallas might have lost the game at the end, they found a new star for the wide receiver corps. Robinson caught seven balls for 116 yards.

Austin returned in the next game, after the bye week, but by Week 8, Robinson made his name with the Cowboys. Against Philadelphia, in that game, Robinson caught five balls for 103 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

Over a five game stretch, Robinson caught at least one touchdown pass in each game, with two against Buffalo and Miami. He broke 100 yards again in Week 14, against the New York Giants, and then finished the season, against the Giants once again, with two more touchdowns.

By the end of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2011 NFL season, Laurent Robinson finished with season high in receptions (54), yards (858) and touchdowns (11).

Robinson started his career in Atlanta and then moved on to the St. Louis Rams. At both stops, he was supposed to be a star but failed to hold onto a job at either location. With this fresh chance in Dallas, and a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback throwing him the ball, Robinson finally showed what he is capable of.

If anything, Robinson has shown that he has a chance to be a solid starter for a team in 2012. It would be nice to see him return to Dallas, but does he really want to play secondary roles behind Dez Bryant and Miles Austin? He said he loves it in Dallas and would love to return, though. Fans of the Cowboys will have to wait and see, but if Robinson comes back in 2012, Dallas should have one of the top receiver corps in the NFL once again.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The disappointing 2011 National Football League (NFL) Season is finally over for the Dallas Cowboys. There were some high moments and some very low ones. Here are five areas that need fixing on the Cowboys.

The Philadelphia Eagles embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.
commons.wikimedia.org/Billy Bob Bain

Primary Running Back?

Who will be the primary running back for the Dallas Cowboys next season? DeMarco Murray should be the guy. However, Murray suffered a fractured ankle in Week 14 that ended his season. That is cause for concern because the Cowboys are thin at running back. Felix Jones continues to be plagued by injuries. Even when healthy, Jones is not the power back the Cowboys need.

Defense When it Counts

New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan implemented a new scheme that promised aggressiveness. The defense played well at times but failed in the most crucial moments. Poor defense resulted in two late-season losses to the New York Giants. Are the players still learning the new system? Do the Cowboys simply lack enough talent on defense?

Dr. Tony and Mr. Romo

Will the real Tony Romo please stand up? Sometimes you get a gutsy performance like the Week 2 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Other times you get the Romo who literally threw the game away against the Detroit Lions in Week 4. How many more chances does Romo get? He is still not an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Is Garrett the Guy?

Why is owner Jerry Jones convinced that Jason Garrett is the right coach for the Cowboys? Jones criticized Garrett for being too conservative in Week 6 against the New England Patriots. Garrett goofed in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals. His clock management effectively iced his own kicker and lost the game. The Cowboys were embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8. They failed to clinch the playoffs in Week 17 against the Giants. Garrett is supposed to know these teams. Aside from the Washington Redskins, his division rivals got the best of him this season.

Involved Owner

Jones is one of the most involved owners in the NFL. But his control on the team may be part of the problem. Jones is the owner, president and general manager of the Cowboys. He is not the head coach. Jones needs to step back and let the coach be the coach. He needs to give his coach the power to make all coaching decisions and fully support those decisions. Until that happens, this team will not move forward.

These are five areas that need fixing on the Cowboys. They have a lot of work ahead of them. The offseason starts now.

More from Edwin Torres:

The Ten Commandments of Tim Tebow: Explaining His Stunning Success

Giant Loss Reveals Truths About the Dallas Cowboys: Fan Reaction

Top Ten NFL Stories in 2011: Fan View

Edwin Torres has been a fan of the Dallas Cowboys since the days of Tony Dorsett and Roger Staubach. He enjoyed watching the Dallas teams of the 90s dominate opponents on both sides of the ball. As a longtime fan of the National Football League, Edwin follows many interesting games and stories each week. For more articles, follow him on Twitter @FlipPoker.

Sources:

NFL – Statistics – Yahoo! Sports

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Read More: Mat McBriar (P – DAL), Tony Romo (QB – DAL), Chris Jones (P – DAL), Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants

Everything is on the line when the Dallas Cowboys travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Giants in a winner take all matchup for the NFC East title. So naturally every little detail is being looked at and overly scrutinized.

If the Dallas Cowboys continue to play without mental toughness, franchise legend Emmitt Smith thinks the team will get blew out … blowed out on Sunday against the New York Giants. Blown out.

The Hall of Fame running back told Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com that he doubts the team has enough leadership and toughness to win the de facto NFC East Championship game on Sunday night.

“Talent-wise, I think they have it. Leadership-wise, they have some good leaders on the ballclub. Do they have enough? Probably not. Can they go up to New York and be mentally tough in this situation? I think Jason [Garrett] has done a very good job of preparing the guys to be physically and hopefully mentally tough, but I think mental toughness is the thing needed in games like this.

“Mental toughness for four quarters or five quarters, if you have to go that far. But that’s something our Cowboys have not been able to do in close games. And that’s where mental toughness comes into play.”

It was that exact mental toughness that allowed Smith to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, a three-time Super Bowl champion and the guy who succeeded Drew Lachey as “Dancing With the Stars” champion. He’s completely right though; as he pointed out later, the Cowboys have lost four games this season after holding fourth quarter leads. And in one of those, it was a timeout by Jason Garrett that played a hand in defeat. Is the team getting its cues from its coach?

The bright side is that the Cowboys are playing the Giants, a team whose mental toughness comes and goes without advance warning. One day they’re beating New England and hanging with the defending Super Bowl champions, the next they’re getting swept by the Washington Redskins.

Related: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins

IRVING, Texas (AP) — With tape still wrapped around his bruised throwing hand after practice, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo insists that he will be ready to play in what is essentially a playoff game against the New York Giants.

“Everything’s coming together like we thought, just each day it’s getting a little bit better,” Romo said Thursday. “We’ll be good to go this weekend.”

Romo wore the protective wrap on his swollen right hand, the one he banged on a defender’s helmet on the opening series Saturday against Philadelphia before coming out of the game. The wrap leaves his fingers and thumb free. He wasn’t wearing anything on the hand Wednesday.

The Cowboys go on the road to face the Giants on Sunday night, a matchup of 8-7 teams that will decide the NFC East and fill the NFC’s last playoff spot.

Romo, who played through a broken rib early this season, said he isn’t worried about whether he will feel normal Sunday.

“You have to go out there and practice all week and get yourself ready to go to the game on Sunday. I’m excited that we’re in this position and we have an opportunity to go and play in a big game like this,” he said. “This is when it gets fun. No matter what, you’re not going to sit one of these out.”

During the few minutes early in practice open to reporters Thursday, Romo came out of the locker room wearing the protective wrap and made a few soft tosses. He was also bantering with teammates.

“Tony did a little bit more today than he did yesterday. I wouldn’t constitute a full practice, but he’s making some progress,” coach Jason Garrett said. “The swelling still is there. … All the functional things that a quarterback has to do, he has to be able to do by game time, and he’s making progress in all those areas.”

Garrett said backup quarterback Stephen McGee, who finished Saturday’s game after Romo got hurt, got some work with the first-team offense again Thursday.

Even with the rib injury in Week 2 and not playing much last week against Philadelphia, Romo has already thrown for 3,895 yards and 29 touchdowns. He still has a chance for his third 4,000-yard passing season and his second year with at least 30 TDs. No other Dallas quarterback has reached 4,000 yards or 30 TDs in a season.

Romo threw for 321 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 37-34 home loss three weeks ago against the Giants, who overcame a 12-point deficit in the final 3½ minutes.

Dallas might have already clinched the division had it won that game.

“It’s obvious that this is basically a playoff game. For us, it’s been great energy all week. Guys are ready to go, and they’re excited,” Romo said.

The quarterback’s bruised hand just adds another twist to the important game.

“A lot of quarterbacks throughout the league play through stuff every week,” Romo said. “Sometimes it can be magnified because you’re playing in a game that’s like this. … No one cares, and once you get out there, it’s about winning and losing, so that’s all it’s going to be about.”

Romo said he won’t decide until later this week about whether to wear tape on his hand during the game. He never said how much pain he was feeling, saying only that, “like anything, you just have to deal with it and overcome it.”

Notes: Just like last week, the Cowboys are easing Pro Bowl defenders DeMarcus Ware (neck) and Jay Ratliff (ribs) into practice this week. Neither practiced Wednesday, and were limited Thursday … RB Felix Jones (hamstring tightness) was limited again in practice, but Garrett said he’s looking good in the work he’s doing. … LB Sean Lee missed practice for the second day in a row because of illness.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Dallas Cowboys will not see many players on this year’s Pro Bowl squad. As a matter of fact, they were shut out completely on the offensive side of the ball. However, they will send two defensive players to the Pro Bowl, so Dallas fans have something to look forward to in the season ending exhibition game.

Sean Lee, Dallas Cowboys
Wikimedia Commons

It should come as no shock to anybody that DeMarcus Ware is the highest vote getter on the Dallas Cowboys’ squad. Ware is tied for second in 2011 for sacks at 18 and is widely considered not only one of the best linebackers in the game but one of the best overall defensive stars in the NFL.

Over his seven year career in Dallas, Ware has averaged 14 sacks a season and needs only two more in the final game with the New York Giants to match his season high over his career. He also has 53 tackles on the year for Dallas.

The second player to make the Pro Bowl is nose tackle Jay Ratliff. Even as a Dallas fan, this is a little strange to me. Ratliff has 35 tackles on the season, 26 solo, and two sacks. It’s not bad but is it a Pro Bowl year? Cullen Jenkins of Philadelphia had 37 tackles, 29 solo, and 5.5 sacks.

But at least Ratliff was the second Cowboys’ player to make the lineup.

Now, let’s talk about who got shafted.

Inside linebacker Sean Lee has been hurt a couple of times this season but it didn’t matter. He kept playing. The second year player out of Penn State has 94 total tackles on the season with two fumble recoveries and four interceptions, tied for the most of any linebacker for picks in the NFL alongside New York Jets linebacker David Harris. Something else the two have in common is that neither made their respective Pro Bowl teams.

Starting linebacker Patrick Willis is a monster. He has also been injured since Week 14. He has 93 tackles on the season, one interception and four forced fumbles. Willis and Lee are very similar when it comes to stats. Brian Urlacher is the other man headed to the Pro Bowl. He has 92 tackles on the year with two fumble recoveries and three interceptions. I argue that all three men deserved to make it to the Pro Bowl.

Only two made it and that means that, despite his amazing year, Sean Lee was snubbed in the NFL Pro Bowl. In any other year, he could have been the starter. Luckily, he is young and his opportunity will come.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: Yahoo! Sports

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Read More: Tony Romo (QB – DAL), Jason Witten (TE – DAL), Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants

While Cowboys fans await the status of their quarterback Tony Romo has he battles through a swollen hand, there are some encouraging signs out of Valley Ranch that their signal caller will be able to play on Sunday.

Courtesy of Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, thoughts from Pro-Bowl tight end Jason Witten on his injury-riddled friend and quarterback is that he’s “pretty confident” he’ll play.

Tony did good,” Witten said. “I thought he was throwing the ball well. I couldn’t tell any difference. You’d probably have to ask him about the details, but I thought from the receiving end of it, he was as good as he always is.”

More from Witten:

“I would be hard pressed to see him not playing,” Witten said. “Anyone who knows what he is about, knows he’s going to play. I don’t want to speak for him by any means, but I feel pretty confident he will.”

Here is the practice report for the Cowboys on Wednesday:

DID NOT PRACTICE

Outside Linebacker DeMarcus Ware (neck)

Defensive Tackle Jay Ratliff (ribs)

Inside Linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring)

Defensive Back Danny McCray (ankle)

LIMITED IN PRACTICE

Quarterback Tony Romo (hand)

FULL PRACTICE

Running Back Felix Jones (hamstring)

Nose Tackle Josh Brent (knee)

For more on the Cowboys head over to Blogging the Boys, SB Nation’s Dallas Cowboys blog. For more on the Giants head over to Big Blue View, SB Nation’s New York Giants blog. For more on the NFL, visit SB Nation’s NFL news hub.

The Dallas Cowboys at the New York Giants in NFL Week 17 with the NFC East title on the line. It’s the kind of scenario the league must have dreamed of when the schedule came out months ago. The winner gets at least one playoff game at home; the loser has to watch the playoffs from home.

Writers from around the Tribune Co. will preview Sunday night’s winner-take-all game. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the discussion by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own.

Ron Fritz, Baltimore Sun

Fortunately, I was able to see a fair amount of both teams’ games this season, and to me it looks like the Giants are gaining some momentum while the Cowboys are sinking quickly. Based on that, you’ll see the Giants in the playoffs and the Cowboys sitting at home. Jerry Jones will have all off-season to come up with reasons why he isn’t the problem with the Cowboys. He may even throw some people under the bus.

Unfortunately, if you’re a Giants fan, does making the playoffs mean you have to put up with Tom Coughlin for another year? It might be worth losing just to get him out of there. With young playmakers on offense (Victor Cruz) and defense (Jason Pierre-Paul) and a quarterback coming into his prime (Eli Manning), it would be nice to see what a new coach could do with some of New York’s talent.

But it looks like we’ll have to wait until their first playoff loss to see if the Giants bring back Coughlin.

[Updated at 9:15 a.m.:

Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune

If the Cowboys are going to beat the Giants Sunday night on the road and win the NFC East, they are going to have to reverse a trend. The Cowboys have not played well for the last month, winning only once in four games. One of their losses during the streak, on Dec. 11, was to these very Giants. 

Of course, the Giants haven’t had much of an advantage at home, going 3-4. We should also point out that the New York defense is very vulnerable, ranking 28th in the league both in points allowed (25.7 average) and yards (381.5 average). 

Whether or not the Cowboys can capitalize is the issue. Tony Romo is expected to play with a bruised hand. It looks like the Cowboys have a little too much to overcome in this one.]

ALSO:

NFL drama goes right to the end

Dan Marino’s stay at No. 2 on passing list might be a short one

Pro Bowl: An AFC quarterback got snubbed … just not sure which one

Left photo: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Credit: Tom Pennington / Getty Images

Right photo: New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Credit: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

The Philadelphia Eagles should not be favored over the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 24. Even Eagles fans like myself know that Philadelphia is as likely to get blown out by Dallas and be utterly humiliated as it is to pull off an upset. However, due to the Birds winning two straight games for once and somehow still being alive in the NFC East, they have become the popular pick.

The Cowboys are the one who control their own destiny, lead the NFC East by a game and are extra motivated to avenge the 34-7 loss to the Eagles on Oct. 30. Now that Philadelphia is being talked up as the scariest 6-8 team in history – even by owner Jerry Jones – it gives Dallas an extra reason to play with a chip on its shoulder.

It isn’t like the Cowboys haven’t taken care of a red hot Eagles team before. In 2009, the Birds came in on the last week of the season on a seven-game winning streak. But Dallas still utterly slaughtered Philadelphia to win the NFC East, and then destroyed the Eagles again the next week for its only playoff win in 15 years.

These Eagles should be a lot easier to defeat, especially if they have one of their off weeks. They haven’t won three games in a row this season, so they may be due for a collapse pretty soon. Of course, the Cowboys aren’t one to judge since they have been up and down all year themselves, although it has paid off for two more wins so far.

Dallas can easily defeat Philadelphia and get closer to the NFC East title, despite all of the buzz favoring the Eagles lately. On paper, it should be simple – although both the Eagles and Cowboys are much better on paper than they have been in reality in 2011. Fourth quarter collapses have doomed them both all year, yet the Cowboys’ only blowout loss was to the Eagles almost two months ago. At the least, Dallas has pulled out a few close victories since then, while Philadelphia hasn’t really been tested in the fourth quarter in the last two weeks.

The entire complexion of this game could change even before kickoff, depending on the New York Giants-New York Jets showdown. If the Giants win, the Eagles will be eliminated and will really have no reason to play. Of course, the Cowboys will be rooting for the Jets as well, since they can clinch the NFC East with a win and a Giants loss. But no matter what, Dallas can clinch the division with a win next week while Philadelphia has absolutely no margin for error left.

These are two teams that can each shoot themselves fatally at a given moment, or blow each other out. Yet even though the Eagles are still closer to last place than first place and are on the road, the Cowboys are the ones being underestimated. That kind of disrespect could give Dallas all the added motivation it needs to kill off its arch-rivals once and for all.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

Other stories by this contributor

Cowboys dethroned by America

Coughlin even closer to being fired than Reid

Eagles to have their way with Cowboys in December again?

Eagles improbably building up playoff hype again

Eagles playoff picture depends on unreliable Jets, Giants

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

In this Week 16 matchup, the 6-8 Philadelphia Eagles visit the 8-6 Dallas Cowboys in a very important NFC East matchup that could determine the playoff fates of both teams. Despite having only six wins with only two weeks left in the season, the Eagles have a chance at winning the division and heading the playoffs with an 8-8 record. In this big NFC East game with playoff implications, both the Eagles and Cowboys have important players injured that may factor into this game.

Dallas Cowboys RB Felix Jones
Wikimedia Commons

Out for Eagles: CB Asante Samuel

After missing practice all week with a hamstring injury, Samuel will miss the game against the Cowboys, making Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie the starter opposite Nnmadi Asomugha. A big hit to the Eagles secondary, Philadelphia may have a much tougher time covering the Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Laurent Robinson on Saturday. Joselio Hanson will be the Eagles nickelback.

Out for Cowboys: NT Josh Brent, WR Andre Holmes

Brent has five tackles this season and has been out with a knee injury for over a month. Holmes (hamstring) has yet to record any stats for the Cowboys this season.

Doubtful for Eagles: None

Doubtful for Cowboys: None

Questionable for Eagles: DT Trevor Laws

Fighting knee tendonitis, Laws, who also missed last week’s game against the New York Jets, is listed as questionable but did travel with the team. Laws, who has 19 tackles this season backing up Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson, should be available to play.

Questionable for Cowboys: CB Mike Jenkins, RB Felix Jones, S Danny McCray, WR Kevin Ogletree, NT Jay Ratliff, WR Laurent Robinson, LB DeMarcus Ware

The three main Cowboys listed as questionable this week are Jones (hamstring), Robinson (shoulder), and Ware (neck). All three of their injuries have been persistent but they should all be available for play this Saturday. Jones’s health is the most crucial this week, as the team would have to heavily play recently-signed RB Sammy Morris since DeMarco Murray is out for the year.

Probable for Eagles: RB Ronnie Brown, T Todd Herremans, DT Cullen Jenkins, WR Jeremy Maclin, DE Darryl Tapp, QB Michael Vick

The biggest names on this list are Maclin (hamstring) and Vick (ribs). All players listed as probable were full participants in the most recent practice and will play against the Cowboys.

Probable for Cowboys: G Kyle Kosier, LB Sean Lee, P Mat McBriar

Kosier (foot), Lee (wrist), and McBriar (left foot) have been dealing with these injuries all season and should all be available in Week 16 play.

Sources:

NFL Injuries, Yahoo! Sports

Asante Samuel News and Notes, Yahoo! Sports

Josh Brent Profile, Yahoo! Sports

Trevor Laws News and Notes, Yahoo! Sports

The NFL Injury Report, NFL

More from this contributor:

2011 NFL Week 16 Regional TV Schedule for December 24

New York Giants at New York Jets Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts Week 16 Injury Report: Fan’s Preview

Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco 49ers supporter, and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

IRVING, Texas – With another NFC East title so close for the Dallas Cowboys, team owner Jerry Jones seems to be caught between the excitement and fear of what could happen.

The Cowboys can clinch their 18th division title since 1970 by winning their last two games. They are in that position after plenty of close games, with five of their losses coming by an average margin of four points and the biggest being six points in overtime.

But there is also that one lopsided blemish, a 34-7 loss nearly two months ago at Philadelphia, the team the Cowboys (8-6) play in their regular-season home finale Saturday.

Maybe that’s why Jones uncharacteristically expressed publicly being scared of the Eagles.

“There is obviously a thrill to dream about what can be out here, the success,” Jones said during one of his regular weekly radio appearances this week. “But I’m also, because it is the Eagles, after the butt-kicking they gave us up in Philadelphia, I’m scared.”

Jones probably also remembers the 2008 season finale the Cowboys lost 44-6 at Philadelphia to get left of the playoffs.

Because Jones is so often overly optimistic, maybe there is some psychological theory to his sudden seemingly pessimistic outlook.

“It’s probably not my position to explain that,” coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday. “I know that we as coaches and players are focused on getting ready to play our best on Saturday. … We have great respect for their team. I think everybody is excited about the challenge.”

A day earlier, Garrett just smiled when asked about Jones’ comments.

Like their coach, Cowboys players don’t seem to be worried about or trying to analyze what Jones said.

“We obviously took a tough loss to the Eagles last time, so we know this team is dangerous,” quarterback Tony Romo said. “We have to play a great game out here to get a win. I know we’ve approached it that way. We’re excited about going and playing those guys.”

The Eagles (6-8) still have a chance to win the NFC East and get to the playoffs, if they win both of their last two games and get some help.

That would include the New York Giants (7-7) losing their game earlier Saturday against the New York Jets. But if the Giants win, Philadelphia would be eliminated from the playoffs even before kickoff at Cowboys Stadium, which could alter the dynamic of the game.

Until then though there seems to a sense of uneasy anticipation for Jones.

“I have that kind of feeling about the respect turns into being afraid of what they can do to you if you have some breakdowns out there,” Jones said during an interview on KRLD-FM, the team’s radio flagship station. “You can put that scared in there if you want to. I think sometimes I do the best when I’m scared.”

If the Cowboys had won some of those close games, most of which they led in the fourth quarter, they might have already wrapped up a playoff spot.

Dallas led by 14 points in the season opener against the Jets before losing 27-24, and there was the 24-point lead against Detroit that evaporated into a 34-30 defeat after the Lions scored 17 points in the fourth quarter. New England got a winning touchdown with 2:31 left for a 20-16 victory.

Before winning last week at Tampa Bay, there were consecutive losses by the Cowboys to start December when they missed field goals at the end of regulation. One of those was in Arizona, where the Cardinals blocked a kick on the final play of regulation and won with a touchdown in overtime.

“You can’t really concentrate on that. … We still have a ton of opportunity ahead of us that we need to take advantage of,” linebacker Sean Lee said. “So as much as those losses were tough, I think we’ve done a good job of moving on, and have focused on what we need to do.

“When you have a team like the Eagles coming in, you better be focused,” he said. “Or it could be another night like it was last time.”

With an 8-6 record that has them a game up on the New York Giants and two on the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys remain in the driver’s seat in the NFC East.

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones, however, admitted to a Dallas radio station that he’s a little anxious about his team’s Week 16 home game against the 6-8 Eagles.

“Because it is the Eagles and after the butt-kicking they gave us up in Philadelphia, I’m scared,” Jones told KRLD-FM on Tuesday.

Jones is referring to the teams’ Week 8 game, when the Eagles throttled the Cowboys 34-7 in a front of a national audience on Sunday night. Jones has four good reasons to still be spooked by the team that gained 495 yards against his team on Halloween eve:

QB Michael Vick. It’s not a coincidence Vick’s two most efficient games of the season came against defenses coached by the Brothers Ryan. Cowboys coordinator Rob must go back to the drawing board after Vick picked his group apart (21-for-28, 279 yards passing, 2 total TDs, 50 yards rushing). And last week, Vick torched Rex’s Jets for similar stats (15-for-22, 274 yards, 2 total TDs, 32 yards rushing). Vick struggles more against cover 2 type defenses (see Chicago) than those that aggressively come after him, because he makes big things happen when he’s chased out of the pocket.

RB LeSean McCoy. The Cowboys’ run defense has been pretty good all season, with one notable hiccup. McCoy burned them for 185 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries in the first meeting. He now owns the Eagles’ record for touchdowns in a season (20 overall), and he has found the end zone in every game other than Week 11 against the Giants. McCoy causes Dallas problems because of the speed he has to consistently turn the corner.

TE Brent Celek. Like Vick, the Eagles’ tight end has made a living off of Ryan defenses this season. He had seven catches for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys in Philadelphia, and trumped that with five catches for 156 yards and a TD against the Jets. Looking at the challenges wide receiver DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin will present outside for the Cowboys’ cornerbacks, Celek should see the middle of the field open up for him again.

DE Jason Babin. Babin, whose troika against the Jets gave him a league-leading 18 sacks, was able to drop Tony Romo twice in Week 8. With DeMarco Murray (ankle) out and Felix Jones (shoulder) banged up, Romo may not be able to lean on the running game much in the rematch. That should allow Philadelphia to go into tee-off mode off the edge, with Babin working often against rookie tackle Tyron Smith.

–Story originally appeared on SportingNews.com.