It is time for the Dallas Cowboys to try to gain some revenge against the Philadelphia Eagles but this is a definite trap game for the Cowboys. Even if Dallas loses to the Eagles, they can still beat the Giants the next week and make the playoffs. However, Philadelphia just found a glimmer of light, and if they win their last two games, they might still make the playoffs as well depending on the Giants final two games.

It is a trap game because Philadelphia has to win but Dallas does not. Of course, if the New York Jets beat the Giants in the noon game then the Cowboys can clinch a playoff spot by beating the Eagles that afternoon. But, if the Giants win, it all comes down to the last game of the season.

And that might be a good thing, because the last times these teams played, Philadelphia beat Dallas, 34-7. The Eagles out-gained the Cowboys, 495-267 in total yards and held onto the ball for 42:09 while Dallas only notched 17:50. Needless to say, Philadelphia whipped Dallas every way there is to beat a team.

The bad thing is that the Eagles dominated the Cowboys offense and took them completely out of their game plan. DeMarco Murray only ran eight times in the game, and when Dallas runs less than 20 times in a game, Dallas loses. Miles Austin and Dez Bryant only finished with three receptions each. Laurent Robinson was the only reliable target in the game, catching 103 of Tony Romo’s total 203 yards of passing.

The Dallas defense was shredded as well. Coming into the game, it was an exciting matchup pitting the No. 1 rush defense in the nation against the No. 1 rushing offense. LeSean McCoy made a joke out of the matchup by running for 185 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns. Dallas’ defense has not even sniffed the top of the rushing defense leader board since.

That was also the game that Sean Lee was injured. Punter Mat McBriar and corner Mike Jenkins also left the game with injuries. It was a game Dallas might want to forget but should take strong note of heading into Saturday.

After the Eagles trounced Dallas, they lost four of the next five but have won two straight heading into Week 16. Their season is on the line this game. Win and their playoff hopes are still alive, with a Giants loss. Lose and go home. By the time the two teams play, they will know the result of the Giants game. If the Giants win, the Eagles are only playing for pride. If the Giants lose, Dallas is playing for and early division win.

This might be the most exciting game of the season for one of these teams.

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.

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys came out with a sense of urgency, as though they had something to accomplish.

They wound up having a great weekend that put them back in first place in the NFC East.

“We just can’t let up,” receiver Dez Bryant said. “We know where we want to go and it don’t matter who comes in here, we’re going to keep the same intensity and just play hard and hopefully we can win out. … We just got to keep focusing and keep playing hard.”

Dallas (8-6) reclaimed the division lead by a game over the New York Giants with two to play. A week after winning at Cowboys Stadium, New York (7-7) lost at home Sunday to Washington, even though they knew the Cowboys had already won 31-15 at Tampa Bay the previous night.

“We really needed to get back on track,” said Romo, who threw three touchdowns and ran for another as the Cowboys took a 28-0 halftime lead against the Buccaneers.

Coach Jason Garrett spoke Sunday about how his team practiced well and with purpose all last week, and then played that way against Tampa Bay.

So what kind of added boost did the Cowboys get by the Giants losing?

“It doesn’t matter to us. What we are focused on is our football team,” Garrett said. “Again, processing this game (against Tampa) and going forward is the challenge we have this week against Philadelphia.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is that the Cowboys can clinch the division by winning their last two regular season games — or with a win next weekend in their home finale against Philadelphia combined with a Giants loss to the Jets. Dallas finishes the season on the road New Years’ Day against the Giants.

“We’ve got to get the wins. We’ve got to get in,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game in Tampa Bay. “Best way to do it is win this thing.”

While there is a clear-cut way to get to the playoffs, the Cowboys have already lost this season to both of the division foes that combined for 71 points and 1,005 total yards. That included a 34-7 loss against the Eagles at the end of October before Dallas swept through November with four consecutive wins.

Then came December, when the Cowboys lost in overtime at Arizona after rookie Dan Bailey’s apparent game-winning kick at the end of regulation was erased by Garrett’s timeout. They blew a 12-point lead over the final 5 1/2 minutes and lost 37-34 to the Giants after Bailey’s potential tying kick was blocked at the end of the game.

“It’s a big win for us (because) we know about the December woes,” tight end Jason Witten said. “The only way to put that behind you is to get a big win.”

So different than the gloomy feeling the past two weeks.

“We are a very confident team. … I don’t think we look at it as ‘Hey, we win two we get in.’ I think we just take it one day at a time, one week at a time,” Witten said. “Obviously, Philly got us good earlier in the year and they are coming to our place. It is going to be a tough challenge and that is where our focus is.”

Notes: Cowboys players had the day off Sunday, the first of consecutive days without practicing. They will return Tuesday to start preparing for another Saturday kickoff. … Dallas’ eighth victory guarantees a .500-or-better finish in the regular season for the 34th time in franchise history. … Bailey has made 32 field goals in 14 games. The only Cowboys kicker to make more field goals in a 14-game span was Richie Cunningham’s 33 in 1997. … Romo is only 105 yards shy of his third career 4,000-yard passing season.

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys came out with a sense of urgency, as though they had something to accomplish.

They wound up having a great weekend that put them back in first place in the NFC East.

“We just can’t let up,” receiver Dez Bryant said. “We know where we want to go and it don’t matter who comes in here, we’re going to keep the same intensity and just play hard and hopefully we can win out. … We just got to keep focusing and keep playing hard.”

Dallas (8-6) reclaimed the division lead by a game over the New York Giants with two to play. A week after winning at Cowboys Stadium, New York (7-7) lost at home Sunday to Washington knowing the Cowboys had already won 31-15 at Tampa Bay the previous night.

“We really needed to get back on track,” said Romo, who threw three touchdowns and ran for another as the Cowboys took a 28-0 halftime lead against the Buccaneers.

Coach Jason Garrett spoke Sunday about how his team practised well and with purpose all last week, and then played that way against Tampa Bay.

So what kind of added boost did the Cowboys get by the Giants losing?

“It doesn’t matter to us. What we are focused on is our football team,” Garrett said. “Again, processing this game (against Tampa) and going forward is the challenge we have this week against Philadelphia.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is that the Cowboys can clinch the division by winning their last two regular season games — or with a win next weekend in their home finale against Philadelphia combined with a Giants loss to the Jets. Dallas finishes the season on the road New Years’ Day against the Giants.

“We’ve got to get the wins. We’ve got to get in,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game in Tampa Bay. “Best way to do it is win this thing.”

While there is a clear-cut way to get to the playoffs, the Cowboys have already lost this season to both of the division foes that combined for 71 points and 1,005 total yards. That included a 34-7 loss against the Eagles at the end of October before Dallas swept through November with four consecutive wins.

Then came December, when the Cowboys lost in overtime at Arizona after rookie Dan Bailey’s apparent game-winning kick at the end of regulation was erased by Garrett’s timeout. They blew a 12-point lead over the final 5 1/2 minutes and lost 37-34 to the Giants after Bailey’s potential tying kick was blocked at the end of the game.

“It’s a big win for us (because) we know about the December woes,” tight end Jason Witten said. “The only way to put that behind you is to get a big win.”

So different than the gloomy feeling the past two weeks.

“We are a very confident team. … I don’t think we look at it as ‘Hey, we win two we get in.’ I think we just take it one day at a time, one week at a time,” Witten said. “Obviously, Philly got us good earlier in the year and they are coming to our place. It is going to be a tough challenge and that is where our focus is.”

Notes: Cowboys players had the day off Sunday, the first of consecutive days without practising. They will return Tuesday to start preparing for another Saturday kickoff. … Dallas’ eighth victory guarantees a .500-or-better finish in the regular season for the 34th time in franchise history. … Bailey has made 32 field goals in 14 games. The only Cowboys kicker to make more field goals in a 14-game span was Richie Cunningham’s 33 in 1997. … Romo is only 105 yards shy of his third career 4,000-yard passing season.

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys came out with a sense of urgency, as though
they had something to accomplish.

They wound up having a great weekend that put them back in first place in
the NFC East.

“We just can’t let up,” receiver Dez Bryant said. “We know where we want
to go and it don’t matter who comes in here, we’re going to keep the same
intensity and just play hard and hopefully we can win out. … We just got to
keep focusing and keep playing hard.”

Dallas (8-6) reclaimed the division lead by a game over the New York Giants
with two to play. A week after winning at Cowboys Stadium, New York (7-7) lost
at home Sunday to Washington knowing the Cowboys had already won 31-15 at Tampa
Bay the previous night.

“We really needed to get back on track,” said Romo, who threw three
touchdowns and ran for another as the Cowboys took a 28-0 halftime lead against
the Buccaneers.

Coach Jason Garrett spoke Sunday about how his team practiced well and with
purpose all last week, and then played that way against Tampa Bay.

So what kind of added boost did the Cowboys get by the Giants losing?

“It doesn’t matter to us. What we are focused on is our football team,”
Garrett said. “Again, processing this game (against Tampa) and going forward is
the challenge we have this week against Philadelphia.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is that the Cowboys can clinch the division by
winning their last two regular season games—or with a win next weekend in
their home finale against Philadelphia combined with a Giants loss to the Jets.
Dallas finishes the season on the road New Years’ Day against the Giants.

“We’ve got to get the wins. We’ve got to get in,” Cowboys owner Jerry
Jones said after the game in Tampa Bay. “Best way to do it is win this thing.”

While there is a clear-cut way to get to the playoffs, the Cowboys have
already lost this season to both of the division foes that combined for 71
points and 1,005 total yards. That included a 34-7 loss against the Eagles at
the end of October before Dallas swept through November with four consecutive
wins.

Then came December, when the Cowboys lost in overtime at Arizona after
rookie Dan Bailey’s apparent game-winning kick at the end of regulation was
erased by Garrett’s timeout. They blew a 12-point lead over the final 5 1/2
minutes and lost 37-34 to the Giants after Bailey’s potential tying kick was
blocked at the end of the game.

“It’s a big win for us (because) we know about the December woes,” tight
end Jason Witten said. “The only way to put that behind you is to get a big
win.”

So different than the gloomy feeling the past two weeks.

“We are a very confident team. … I don’t think we look at it as `Hey, we
win two we get in.’ I think we just take it one day at a time, one week at a
time,” Witten said. “Obviously, Philly got us good earlier in the year and
they are coming to our place. It is going to be a tough challenge and that is
where our focus is.”

Notes: Cowboys players had the day off Sunday, the first of consecutive days
without practicing. They will return Tuesday to start preparing for another
Saturday kickoff. … Dallas’ eighth victory guarantees a .500-or-better finish
in the regular season for the 34th time in franchise history. … Bailey has
made 32 field goals in 14 games. The only Cowboys kicker to make more field
goals in a 14-game span was Richie Cunningham’s 33 in 1997. … Romo is only 105
yards shy of his third career 4,000-yard passing season.

The Dallas Cowboys have to be concerned heading into the Saturday night game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15 of the NFL season. DeMarcus Ware suffered a neck stinger in the loss to Arizona and spent much of the final quarter of the game on the sidelines, as the Cardinals came from behind, to win. He then was in and out of the Giants game, and without him in key moments, Dallas fell again.

Ware missed practice heading into the short week game but should be ready for the Buccaneers’ game.

Ware said that missing a lot of the Giants game, despite the Cowboys losing, was better for him because now he is ready to go. That is good news for the Dallas Cowboys and bad news for Josh Freeman and the Bucs.

On the 2011 season, Ware sits at 15 sacks on the season, tied for second in the NFL. He took the lead two weeks ago but Jared Allen roared back with three sacks in Week 14. Of course, Ware has four double-digit sack games in the year, so don’t count him out.

Don’t look at Ware’s game against the Giants, with his four tackles, two solo, and no sacks for his status this week. There have been four games this season he did not record a sack but he has never gone back-to-back games without a sack this season. The Buccaneers are decent protecting their quarterback, only allowing 24 sacks on the season, but Ware is pretty good as well.

At one point this season, DeMarcus Ware was on pace to break Michael Strahan’s record of 22.5 sacks in a season. However, Ware now needs 7.5 sacks in the final three games, which is not likely. What is possible is Allen’s chance to break the record, needing only five in three games. You can bet Ware wants to keep his name in the race.

Over seven seasons, Ware has never missed a game with an injury. He didn’t miss the Giants game, although he was ineffective. Ware should definitely be ready to make up for it against the Buccaneers.

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.

ARLINGTON, Texas – DeMarco Murray left the Dallas Cowboys locker-room on crutches, his face shrouded by a grey hoodie and his right leg immobilized by a protective boot.

The running back knew his record-setting rookie season is over. His teammates left wondering whether their season is falling apart, too.

The Cowboys lost a second straight game on Sunday night, but what really stings is the way they did it. The defence gave up two touchdowns in the final 3:14.

Miles Austin failed to haul in a potential winning touchdown; coach Jason Garrett again struggled with his clock management; and rookie kicker Dan Bailey had a last-second kick blocked.

All in a home game against the New York Giants, a team that had lost four straight games, and in a game that would decide first place in the NFC East.

“You always think about would’ve, should’ve, could’ve when you don’t win,” linebacker Bradie James said. “I’m going to be thinking about this one.”

Then again, the Cowboys should be getting used to these kinds of finishes.

Dallas has led in the fourth quarter of five of its six losses this season, and in eight of its nine losses under Garrett.

Even big leads aren’t safe with this club. This was the third time this season the Cowboys have blown a fourth-quarter lead of at least 12 points; to put in perspective how unusual that is, it happened only twice over the franchise’s previous 51 seasons.

“The nature of our team is we’ve played a lot of close games,” Garrett said. “We’ve won maybe half of them and we’ve lost some other ones. You have to look at situations, see what happens, some way, somehow process it, learn from it and hopefully go forward. Just because you’ve figured out how to do it once doesn’t mean you’re going to do it all the time. I think that’s the nature of the National Football League, we just need to find ways to do it much more often than we have.”

Now here’s the really crazy part. Dallas still has a clear path to the division title. If the Cowboys win their final three games — at Tampa Bay on Saturday night, at home against Philadelphia the following Saturday, then on the road against New York on New Year’s Day — then they will win the East and host a playoff game.

Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially with a running game that will be missing Murray.

“We know what we have in front of us,” cornerback Terence Newman said. “After losing two straight, there isn’t much we can do as far pointing fingers. You have to try to correct the mistakes you make.”

There are some specific things that need cleaning up, such as the way Newman and the rest of the secondary were routinely burned. A unit that allowed a 52-yard touchdown pass in overtime to lose the previous game gave up catches of 64 and 47 yards.

They also were flagged for pass interference in the end zone on what would’ve been a third-down incompletion, thus forcing a field goal, and they gave the Giants a first down on the winning drive when nickel cornerback Frank Walker was flagged for holding in the secondary.

Walker’s penalty was the second of that drive. DeMarcus Ware was caught being offside. Not even counting penalty yards, the Giants gained 510 yards on Sunday night.

“We have to find a way to be on the same page,” James said. “When those pressure situations come, people crack or they make plays. We didn’t make enough plays in the end.”

The offence put up enough points to win, but still had enough costly mistakes to cost guys some sleep. It started early, with Doug Free’s missed block that led to quarterback Tony Romo getting twisted around and toppling into the end zone for a safety.

And it lasted late, with Austin watching that pass flutter past him, perhaps not able to find that extra gear because of the hamstring injuries that have limited him all season.

But the part that causes the most gnashing of teeth among Cowboys fans is Garrett’s continued problems managing the clock.

NBC cameras showed Sunday night that team owner Jerry Jones and everyone in his booth knew when to call a timeout, but it took the coach about 15 seconds to do it.

Jones was so frustrated after the game that he only issued a brief statement. He didn’t answer any questions.

The Cowboys have essentially turned into the anti-Tebows. Just like the Denver quarterback has a knack for turning seemingly lost games into victories in the final minutes, Dallas turns likely victories into losses right at the end.

Again, there’s a pattern to it. Romo is 19-2 in November, just 9-14 in regular season games in December and January. That includes 4-0 this November and 0-2 this December.

After the game, Garrett and Romo offered little insight into anything, instead deferring to “the process.”

They also kept talking about looking ahead to Tampa Bay, as if it was unbeaten Green Bay and not a 4-9 team that just got spanked 41-14 by another 4-9 team that has a rookie quarterback and an interim coach.

“You have to put your head down and keep playing games,” Romo said. “For us it is about us coming back and figuring out some detail things that we can use from this game to improve and using that. Getting better as a team and playing our best game next week.”

For years, the Dallas Cowboys have tried to debunk the perception that they crater in clutch situations — either late in the games or in December when it matters the most.

After the shocking events before an NFL season-high crowd of 95,952 at Cowboys Stadium, there is little doubt about their problems in crunch time.

Sunday’s fourth-quarter collapse in a 37-34 loss to the New York Giants can only be described as a meltdown in what the team admitted was the season’s biggest game.

The game ended when kicker Dan Bailey’s 47-yard field goal-attempt was blocked by Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

This was a methodical meltdown that has the Cowboys (7-6) riding a two-game losing streak in December, tied with the Giants (7-6) for first place in the NFC East and possibly needing help to make the playoffs with three games to go.

“Hats off to the Giants,” said a terse owner Jerry Jones in a brief statement before walking way. “They didn’t quit. They were able to come back and played well and got the win. We are disappointed and we certainly know we have our work cut out for us.”

Leading 34-22 with 5 minutes, 41 seconds left in the game, the Cowboys watched Giants quarterback Eli Manning throw a touchdown pass of 8 yards to tight end Jake Ballard at the 2:21 mark.

Then Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo — who had seemingly been perfect all night with four touchdowns passes, including two in the fourth quarter to put his team up by 12 — missed a wide-open Miles Austin on a key third down.

A 35-yard punt by Mat McBriar gave the Giants the ball at their 40.

Manning, who completed 27 of 47 passes for 400 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, moved the Giants right down the field.

He was aided by two penalties on the Cowboys, who had made plays earlier in the quarter to help spark their own rally from a 22-20 deficit. Now, they were in their own version of a meltdown, thanks to an offside flag on linebacker DeMarcus Ware to open the drive and defensive-holding flag on cornerback Frank Walker.

An 18-yard pass from Manning to Ballard gave the Giants a first down at the 1, setting up a touchdown run from Brandon Jacobs. D.J. Ware’s run for the 2-point conversion gave the Giants a 37-34 lead with 46 seconds left.

The Cowboys set themselves up to put the game in overtime when Romo hit Austin with passes of 22 and 23 yards, setting up the final try by Bailey, who had made kicks from 49 yards out earlier in the game.

But a week after Cowboys coach Jason Garrett called a timeout and iced Bailey, resulting in a miss at the end of regulation of a 20-19 overtime loss to Cardinals, the Giants called time out to ice Bailey. It nullified the first field goal he made.

The second try was blocked by Pierre-Paul.

Thus, a Cowboys team that could have come into this game with a two-game lead on the Giants before ending a four-game November win streak with a controversial loss to the Cardinals, has now lost again, raising renewed questions about their ability to perform when it matters most.

Romo, who completed 21 of 31passes for 321 yards with the four touchdowns and no interceptions, is 7-12 all time in December.

This was also the fifth time this season that the Cowboys have blown a fourth-quarter lead, joining losses to the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, and Cardinals.

“Anytime you are that in position you feel you need one or two plays,” Romo said of the missed big play opportunity to Austin that gave the Giants final life. “This was a very disappointing loss.”

The Cowboys had three fourth-quarter penalties to nullify what was a fantastic start to the period, especially for the defense which had a big third-down stop by nose tackle Jay Ratliff and an interception by linebacker Sean Lee to set up Romo touchdown passes of 6 yards to Miles Austin and 50 yards to Dez Bryant.

The Dallas defense gave up 501 yards, including 101 yards rushing to Brandon Jacobs.

The Dallas Cowboys have not been ready-for-prime-time players so far this season.

“Football Night in America” hasn’t been good to America’s Team.

The Cowboys are 0-2 on Sunday night.

On the first week of the season, they showed us how to blow a fourth-quarter lead. Tony Romo’s late fumble and interception gave the Jets a 27-24 win.

Then six weeks ago in Philadelphia, the team never got off the bus. They trailed 24-0 at halftime and got whipped 34-7 by the Eagles.

Tonight, the Cowboys return to the big stage for the biggest game of the year.

A win over the Giants wouldn’t sew up the NFC East, but it would sure give Dallas the upper hand. A two-game lead with three games to play and a 3-1 division record compared with New York’s 1-3 would be hard for the G-men to overcome.

A loss also wouldn’t end all hope for the Cowboys,

but it would certainly put the Giants in the driver’s seat.

The two teams would be tied at the top of the division, but Dallas has to hit the road for two of its final three games. The Giants play their last three on their home field, including a New Year’s Day regular season finale against the Cowboys.

So, in my humble opinion, the NFC East title is on the line tonight at Jerry World.

In the NFL, you are only as good as your last game.

And if you were watching last Sunday, you have to believe the Giants are better than the Cowboys.

Dallas stunk in an embarrassing 19-13 overtime loss in Arizona.

Although the Giants also lost, they hung for 59 minutes with a Green Bay team that will probably go 19-0 and win a second straight Super Bowl.

The Cowboys that I saw on Sunday looked like a JV team compared with the Giants’ effort against the Packers.

The bookies have the Cowboys a 3-point favorite for two reasons.

One, they are at home, where they are 5-1 this year. The Giants, however, are 2-0 at Cowboys Stadium.

Two, the Giants’ defense is ranked 29th in the league.

It’s really hard to make predictions for a Dallas team that is so unpredictable.

Will we see tonight the Cowboys who absolutely dominated a Buffalo Bills team that, at the time, we thought was pretty good?

Or will we see the team that didn’t get off the bus and humiliated itself in Philly?

Will we get the flawless Cowboys who jumped on Detroit 27-3 or the clueless Cowboys who were outscored 31-7 by the Lions in the final 28 minutes?

The answer to those questions will decide the season.

Sports Editor Nick Gholson can be reached at gholsonn@timesrecordnews.com or 940-720-3447.

We are about to learn how tough Dallas Cowboys’ rookie kicker Dan Bailey is. Bailey missed a field goal in Week 2 of the season against San Francisco but came back and made two at the end of the game to win it for the Cowboys.

Then he was perfect for the next eight games, hitting two more game winners along the way. In the Arizona game, Bailey missed a kick early on but had another chance to redeem himself at the end. Just like he has been all season, Bailey was clutch and hit the game winning field goal as time expired.

There was only one problem. Jason Garrett called a timeout and the field goal didn’t count. That is called icing your kicker, which is usually what the opposing coach does and not your own. Icing a kicker usually makes a kicker re-think his important kick in hopes that the nerves causes him to miss it. Bailey missed the following kick.

Oh, by the way, Garrett responded by saying he has not lost the confidence in his kicker after the miss.

I was watching the NFL Network on Dec. 7 and Michael Irvin made a great point. He said that Garrett wasn’t to blame for the Cowboys’ loss. He said that icing the kicker shouldn’t’ matter because it is the kicker’s job to make the kick. The only person to blame for the overtime period was Dan Bailey because he missed the kick.

I can live with that but I can’t handle Garrett sugar coating the incident saying he hasn’t lost confidence in his kicker. That is because a lot of people might be losing confidence in Garrett.

Let’s get back to Bailey. There is no way anyone should lose confidence in the kid. He is rookie kicker who has kicked three walk off field goals this season. He is 29-of-32 in field goals on the season and 28-of-28 in PATs. The leading scorer this season among kickers is David Akers of San Francisco and he has missed five field goals.

Dan Bailey has kicked a total of 12 games in his career and missed three field goals in two of those games. Bailey will be fine.

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: Dallas Cowboys

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By Ed Valentine

– Regional Editor

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Dec 8, 2011 – The New York Giants face a must-win Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas. The Giants (6-6) trail the Cowboys (7-5) in the NFC East and have just four games remaining, two against Dallas. Let’s take a look at what the Cowboys are all about.

RECORD (7-5, first place in the NFC East)

Much like the Giants, the Cowboys have been all over the map this season. They started the season 3-4 but, following a lopsided 34-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Dallas ran off four straight victories. Then, last week, is a game against a weak Arizona team, Dallas lost in overtime, 19-13. 

Which Dallas team is the real one? Maybe the answer is both, which makes largely identical to the Giants.

OFFENSE

Dallas, of course, is led by quarterback Tony Romo. The Cowboy quarterback has had a typical year statistically, completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 3,325 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions thus far. He has a passer rating of 97.3 and a QBR of 71.0, which is fourth in the league.

The Cowboys leading receiver is tight end Jason Witten, who has 61 catches. Since the start of the 2007 season, Witten leads NFL tight ends with 426 catches & 4,889 yards.

On the outside the Cowboys have Dez Bryant (46 catches and seven touchdowns) and Laurent Robinson (42 catches, seven touchdowns). They also expect to get Miles Austin, who has compiled more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons, back Sunday. Austin has played only six games this season due to a hamstring injury.

The Dallas running game is led by rookie third-round pick DeMarco Murray. He has 872 yards this season and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Felix Jones is the backup. The Cowboys could also be helped by the return of fullback Tony Fiammetta.

DEFENSE

For Dallas, linebacker DeMarcus Ware leads the league in sacks with 15 and will be matched up most of the time with Giants’ veteran offensive tackle David Diehl. That pair has locked horns for years, and Ware has generally gotten the better of the match-up. Second-year linebacker Sean Lee leads the Cowboys in tackles with 76. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff is another key defender for Dallas.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Dallas placekicker Dan Bailey is 29-of-32 on field goals this season. Punter Mat McBriar averages 45.2 yards per kick. Several players have shared kickoff and punt return duties. 

COACHING

Jason Garrett is in his first full season with the Cowboys. He is drawing some scrutiny after calling a timeout at the end of regulation Sunday against Arizona that would have won the game for Dallas in regulation. Bailey missed the subsequent re-kick and the Cowboys lost in overtime. Dallas is 12-8 since Garrett replaces Wade Phillips midway through last season.

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The game is almost here. I have been worrying about it for weeks. On Sunday December 11, 2011, the Dallas Cowboys will host the New York Giants in a critical NFC East game. Here are my five concerns about the Cowboys in this game.

Do not count out Eli Manning and the New York Giants.
commons.wikimedia.org/AJ Guel

Trouble Against the Pass

The Cowboys have won four of their last five games. But their secondary has been suspect at times. The Giants are on a four-game losing streak, but they have made some big passing plays along the way. I think Giants quarterback Eli Manning(notes) will frequently find his receivers downfield.

Giants Need it More

While this is an important game for both teams, this game is more important to the Giants. They cannot afford to fall two games back of the division-leading Cowboys with three games left in the season.

Tale of the Schedule

The Cowboys have won four out of five games against weaker opponents. In fact, their only win against a top team all season was in Week 2 versus the San Francisco 49ers. The Giants have lost four games in a row, but three of those losses were against division leaders. I am concerned that the Cowboys may be overrated, while the Giants could be underrated. We will soon find out.

Is this the December fade, again?

The Cowboys played well in November. But they have already lost their first game in December. Are these the December demons again for the Cowboys? Without a strong December, the Cowboys will miss the playoffs.

Three Out of Four Wins

I think the Cowboys need three out of four wins to win the NFC East. This will be tough since they play the Giants twice and the Philadelphia Eagles, who always play the Cowboys tough. The game at Tampa Bay will not be easy either. These final four games of the season will tell us all we need to know about the Cowboys.

These are my five concerns about the Cowboys heading into this important game against the Giants. Many of these concerns will go away if they win on Sunday night. But if they lose, my concerns will be tripled.

More from Edwin Torres:

Dallas Cowboys Almost Spoil My Thanksgiving Day: Fan Reaction

Cowboys Defeat Redskins in NFC East Smackdown: Fan Reaction

The Dallas Cowboys Have a Chance at Redemption: Fan Preview

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. For more articles, follow him on Twitter @FlipPoker.

Sources:

SI.com – NFL

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The Cardinals continued their unpredictable climb to respectability on Sunday through a method that’s becoming a cliche: beating the Cowboys in the final seconds at University of Phoenix Stadium.

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Cardinals-Cowboys photos | Best of Cardinals fans | Box score

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Running back LaRod Stephens-Howling turned a short reception on a screen into a 52-yard touchdown in overtime to give the Cardinals a 19-13 victory.

It was the Cardinals fourth victory in their past five games and improved their record to 5-7.

“You know what? Overtime games here are crazy,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I’m just glad we’ve won more than our share of them.”

If it’s a Cardinals and Cowboys game, count on more drama than a soap opera on Friday afternoon. The Cardinals beat the Cowboys a year ago with a field goal in the final seconds and the year before that with a blocked punt in overtime. That’s three games decided on the final play.

This one ended, oddly, in the same manner as the Cardinals previous home game, a 19-13 overtime win against the Rams.

Like the Rams, the Cowboys had a chance to win with a field goal in the final seconds of regulation, then lost by a giving up a big play.

It’s not often a coach ices his own kicker, but Cowboys coach Jason Garrett did, calling timeout before Dan Bailey’s 49-yard attempt.

“I was glad they iced the kicker, so I didn’t have to do it,” Whisenhunt said.

Bailey’s attempt was short, as was Garrett’s postgame explanation for the timeout.

“We felt like the play clock was running down,” Garrett said. “We just want to make sure he had a real clean opportunity at it.”

The Cardinals won the toss before overtime and moved to near midfield. On first and 15, offensive coordinator Mike Miller called the screen pass, a play the Cardinals have executed unsuccessfully for several years.

So it was ironic, don’t you think, that Stephens-Howling scored on it, especially when no offensive linemen were able to block for him because the Cowboys blitzed, and Kolb had to have at least a little time to get the pass off.

“I tried to hold on to it as long as possible to give him (Stephens-Howling) enough room to make a play,” Kolb said, “then he does what he does best and that’s making people miss in the open field.”

Kolb, who missed the previous four games with a foot injury, passed for just 44 yards in the first half and finished with 247.

The Cardinals had 49 total yards at halftime and finished with 327.

“It was definitely a game of two halves,” Kolb said.

It would be easy to concentrate on the startling offensive turnaround. But the Cardinals won because their defense played well throughout, even though it was presented with terrible field position time and again.

The Cardinals sacked quarterback Tony Romo five times, and while the Cowboys didn’t have a turnover, they scored just one touchdown, and they had to go only 33 yards for that one.

“We ain’t got (expletive) to lose,” said defensive end Darnell Dockett when asked to explain the defensive improvement over the past five games. “This is our playoff game right here. And next week (against the 49ers) is going to be our Super Bowl.”

Punter Dave Zastudil deserves credit, too. Without him averaging 50.1 yards, the Cardinals field-position problems would have been worse.

It’s been a familiar theme too often this season. The defense and special teams have played well enough to win, with the offense lagging far behind.

That changed in the second half.

“I guess maybe I have a great halftime talk,” Whisenhunt said, smiling.

The Cardinals gained more yards (78) in the first possession of the second half than they did in the entire first half. They had to settle for a field goal after tackle Brandon Keith flinched before the ball was snapped on fourth down.

The Cowboys countered with a field-goal drive of their own to take a seven-point lead.

By then, Kolb and his offensive teammates had found a rhythm. A 40-yard pass to Andre Roberts, who had a career-high 111 yards receiving, helped set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Beanie Wells.

That tied the game with 13:08 remaining. The teams swapped possessions, penalties and other mistakes for the rest of the quarter, setting up the dramatic finish.

It was their second victory with Kolb at quarterback, and their first since the season opener.

Against the Cowboys, he overcame a terrible start and provided some hope for the future.

“He was very sharp in the second half,” Whisenhunt said, “being able to manage the offense and make some of those escapes and some of those throws. It’s very exciting to see that we have something to build on and build with him.”

Cardinals report

Key player: WR Andre Roberts caught six passes for 111 yards. In the final possession, he had two catches for 30 yards and drew a pass-interference call on second and 19.

Key moment: A long kick return in the first quarter gave Dallas the ball at the Arizona 35. The defense held, forcing the Cowboys to punt.

Injury report: None reported. RB Beanie Wells wore a brace on his left wrist after the game but said he was fine.

Quote: “We were 1-6 and we were fighting just as hard as we were the first week. You don’t see that everywhere, and that’s a big reflection of our leadership, our coaches and the players we have in the locker room.” -quarterback Kevin Kolb

Up next: 49ers (10-2) at Cardinals (5-7), 2:05 p.m. Sunday, University of Phoenix Stadium.

View from the press box

Even if Dallas had won at the end of regulation, the Cardinals would have benefitted from Sunday’s game. In the second half, quarterback Kevin Kolb looked comfortable and in rhythm for an extended amount of time. That’s a first this season, and Kolb’s improvement is a priority over the final month. The dramatic offensive plays at the end of the game will receive most of the attention, but the Cardinals defense won this game for them. That unit has played well now for five weeks, probably the longest stint in Whisenhunt’s five seasons.