The Dallas Cowboys are back to .500 on the season after beating the Seattle Seahawks, 23-13. After starting the season with a 3-3 record, no game decided by more than four points, the past two weeks have broken that streak. While the Philadelphia blowout was embarrassing, the Seattle victory did little to give fans confidence.
Here is a look at the next four Dallas Cowboys games and what they can expect over this important stretch of the season.
BUFFALO
The Buffalo Bills started the season on fire. Along with the Detroit Lions, they were the season's Cinderella team. They opened with three big wins, none greater than their victory over the New England Patriots in Week 3. It seemed like they were for real. But then they lost to Cincinnati, beat Philadelphia, lost to the Giants and beat the Redskins. After losing to the Jets in Week 9, Buffalo finds themselves at 5-3 and have lost every other week since the Bengals game.
They have a star running back in Fred Jackson, a great receiver in Stevie Johnson and an up-and-coming quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick. However, their defense gives up more yards than their offense gains and they are vulnerable to the pass, giving up 260 yards per game. This is the toughest of the next four games but is winnable if Dallas plays smart.
@ WASHINGTON
Washington and Dallas played in Week 3 and the Cowboys took an 18-16 win over the Redskins. This Redskins team is different, though. Rex Grossman is out at quarterback and John Beck is in. Tim Hightower is out, so Roy Helu and Ryan Torain split time in the backfield. After beating the Giants to start the season, the Redskins have only beat Arizona and St. Louis. They have now lost four in a row and are on a downward spiral in 2011.
MIAMI
In Week 9, the Miami Dolphins finally won their first game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. Before that, they lost to everyone from the good (Giants) to the bad (Denver) to the ugly (Cleveland). Their starting quarterback is Matt Moore, who has four touchdowns and four interceptions on the season. Their backfield includes a banged up rookie in Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush, with Bush actually playing as the starter. The best player on the offense is Brandon Marshall. The defense is decent against the run but gives up 375 yards a game on average.
@ ARIZONA
Arizona was supposed to be rebuilding under Kevin Kolb, the prize trade of the offseason. Kolb is now hurt but should be back by the time Dallas plays the Cardinals. However, even with Kolb, Arizona is struggling. He has as many touchdowns and interceptions (8). Beanie Wells is good for touchdowns but is a walking injury report all by himself. Their defense is one of the worst in the NFL and their only star player, Larry Fitzgerald, is held back by his surrounding cast.
As you can see, the Cowboys have a slight break in their schedule here, with four very winnable games. After these, they play the New York Giants, who began their toughest portion of the schedule on Nov. 6 when they beat the New England Patriots. Dallas has to hope the law of averages catches up with the Giants and the two could end up playing for first place in the NFC East in five weeks. With this schedule, Dallas has to move now or their season is over with.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the '90s and the hard times of the '80s, Shawn never turned his back on America's Team.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
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