It's a must win game for Cowboys against Giants

Will the Boys be alright with the locker room distractions?

Almost one year ago the Dallas Cowboys were division champs heading into the postseason while the Giants qualified for the playoffs as a wild card. The roles could be reversed this year, but the Cowboys will have to make the playoffs first. As of right now the Cowboys are 8-5 with a slew of other NFC teams competing for the two wild card spots. The Giants are 11-2 with the NFC East title already in hand and looking to capture a first round bye and possibly home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

This Sunday’s game between the two rivals could have had a greater meaning had Dallas not lost their game last week to the Steelers. The Cowboys could have pulled to within two games of New York, but they let a ten point lead slip away as they fell to Pittsburgh 20-13, thus allowing the Giants to clinch. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Boys and since then more drama and controversy has engulfed the team thanks to none other than that infamous drama queen himself, Terrel Owens.

At the end of the Pittsburgh game T. O. was seen ranting and raving on the sidelines, a sight not unfamiliar to fans in San Francisco and Philadelphia. Owens’ tirades with the 49ers and Eagles were well documented within his previous two organizations and around the NFL. Now, once again Owens has apparently developed issues with his quarterback Tony Romo as he did with Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb. A number of Cowboy players who wished to remain anonymous expressed their disgust with Owen’s attitude and behavior, making it clear that his influence has a negative effect on the team.

How this latest controversy affects the Cowboys play remains to be seen, but even without T.O. stirring things up Dallas is sure to have their hands full with the Giants coming to town. The defending champs have had a good deal of their own problems recently with wide receiver Plaxico Burress, but have also been playing the best football of any team in the league this year. The Giants did lose to the Eagles last week, however, and had their seven game winning streak snapped. New York will be looking to bounce back with a big win on the road where they have been very successful over the course of the previous two seasons.

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Even though they no longer have their star receiver, Burress, and will also be without the services of starting half back Brandon Jacobs (knee) the Giants will bring a lot of weapons with them into Texas Stadium. The offensive line may be the best in the NFL and are great at opening up lanes for the other backs, Derrick Ward and Amad Bradshaw, as well as protecting Eli Manning in the pocket. Steve Smith, Amani Toomer, and Kevin Boss provide dangerous options for Manning in the passing game. And of course there is the Giants defense that has played at an elite level all season despite the losses of Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyora.

Dallas’s defense has also played well this year, especially over the past few weeks. The defensive unit might have had its best game of the season last week, but unfortunately it went to waste. The key for Dallas of course will be to stop the Giants running attack. Philadelphia had success in doing so last Sunday at the Meadowlands and it threw New York’s entire offensive out of sync. The Cowboys will also have to get pressure on Manning, who has shown time and time again that he can raise his game when his running backs are struggling.

All eyes will be on T.O. and the Dallas offense as people will wait to see if Owens has a big game or implodes in Tony Romo’s face. Romo is under fire from many different angles coming into week 14, not only from his star wide out, but from those in the media who have applied the choke artist label to him. In the Pittsburgh game Romo turned the ball over four times with three interceptions and one fumble. The biggest turnover came late when he was picked off and the ball was returned for the go ahead score.

The stigma that the Cowboys now seem to have attached to them basically started with this team, the Romo and Owens Cowboys. Two years ago in the first round of the playoffs Romo fumbled the snap on what could’ve been a game winning field goal against Seattle. Last year Romo struggled against the Giants in the playoff game at Dallas and threw an interception to end the game. There have been other big regular season games that the Dallas quarterback has not played well, but this week he will have another chance, a chance to come up clutch in a big game or blow it. A win would be huge for the Cowboys in improving their playoff hopes for the 2008 season. A loss and the Cowboys might just be finished.

By Steven Mondelli
ProFootball-fans.com Dallas Cowboys Correspondent