Cowboys Need Win Saturday To Stay Ahead Of Pack
Zach Buchanan - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
December 21, 2007 7:46 PM
GAME SET
WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (12-2) at Carolina Panthers (6-8)
WHEN: Saturday, 7:15 p.m. (CST)
WHERE: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
TELEVISION: NFL Network and KDFI (27) in DFW (Bryant Gumble and Cris Collinsworth)
BIG ISSUE: All of the sudden, this game is vitally important to the Cowboys. After an embarrassing loss to the Eagles last Sunday, the Cowboys are again tied with Green Bay at 12-2 for the best record in the NFC. In order to maintain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Cowboys must at least equal the Packers' win total since they own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Cowboys won't be banking on the possibility that Green Bay drops one of its last two games, so that means disposing of a Panthers team that just upset the 9-5 Seahawks.
There is still an outside chance the Panthers could make the playoffs. For that to happen, the Panthers would have to run the table against the Cowboys and Buccaneers to finish at .500, plus get some help from the rest of the conference. None of that matters, however, if the Panthers don't beat the Cowboys at home Saturday night.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: The Cowboys seem to have abandoned the run as of late, but the stats show they're much better when they give the run game a chance to get into a rhythm. The Cowboys are 8-0 when they reach 100 yards rushing, but only 4-2 when they don't. Three of those four wins in which they didn't reach the century mark on the ground were decided by five points or less.
The Cowboys could have a tough time jump-starting their running game against the Panthers. Although they relinquish over 100 yards on the ground per game, they only allow 3.7 yards per carry, good for third in the NFL.
ONE-ON-ONE: Since Cowboys starting center Andre Gurode is out Saturday with a sprained knee, third-year lineman Cory Procter will receive his first start, and he doesn't get to ease into the lineup, either. Procter probably will butt helmets with Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who has 34 tackles and 2 ½ sacks this year. Jenkins (6-4, 335) is a massive force to reckon with, especially for Procter, who is nearly 40 pounds lighter than Jenkins. And with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's thumb still bruised, Procter better have his shotgun snap down pat, since the Cowboys are likely to avoid potentially re-injuring Romo's thumb with a lot of direct snaps.
Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith hasn't had the best of years, mostly due to the discontinuity of playing with four different starting quarterbacks. No matter who's under center, though, Smith is one of the best and most versatile receivers in the game. The Cowboys have used Terence Newman to shadow Smith all over the field in previous meetings, but defense could elect to use a combination of Newman, Anthony Henry and nickel corner Jacques Reeves on Smith wherever he lines up.
SUPPORTING ROLE: With the Cowboys down two safeties, Roy Williams (one-game suspension) and Patrick Watkins (ankle), they will be relying on two reserves to fill the void: Keith Davis and rookie Courtney Brown. Davis, who has started 21 games at free safety, will be lining up at strong safety in most spots where Williams would usually play. Brown, who switched from corner during training camp, will be taking Watkins' place in the nickel defense next to Ken Hamlin. Brown likely will continue with his special teams duties, but Davis, who plays on every unit, could be spelled some by rookie corner Alan Ball, who was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad earlier this week.
The Panthers earned one of their most impressive wins last Sunday with a starting quarterback who is quite familiar with the Cowboys: Rookie Matt Moore, who was released by the Cowboys at final cuts and subsequently picked up off waivers by the Panthers. Moore found his way to the starting role with three other Carolina quarterbacks bitten by injuries. Having gone through all of preseason with the Cowboys, Moore probably knows the weaknesses of the Phillips 3-4 better than any other quarterback Dallas has faced, but the same could be said for the Cowboys' knowledge of Moore's weaknesses and inexperience.
HEADSET GAMES: The Cowboys know they need to get wide receiver Terrell Owens more involved. In the past two games, Owens was held to 21 and 37 receiving yards, respectively, due to being double-covered and seemingly out-of-sync with quarterback Tony Romo. Don't be surprised if Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett moves Owens around more often to avoid him being taken out of the play.
With the Cowboys depleted in the secondary, the Panthers might take a few more shots downfield than usual, especially with a speedster like Smith who can simply outrun coverage. Pressure is the most important factor in stifling a young quarterback, so the Cowboys will look to force Moore into difficult throws while also containing the run game.
HEALTH WATCH:
Panthers
Only wide receiver Keary Colbert (knee) is listed as out. Defensive end Julius Peppers (knee) is doubtful after missing practice this week. Seven other players are probable: Safety Chris Harris (hip), quarterback Vinny Testaverde (Achilles), wide receiver Steve Smith (illness), defensive end Mike Rucker (illness), defensive tackle Kindal Moorehead (ankle), center Justin Hartwig (ankle) and starting guard Geoff Hangartner (shoulder).
Cowboys
Three players are listed as out for Saturday's game: Starting center Andre Gurode (knee) and backup safety Patrick Watkins (ankle), who missed practice this week, and wide receiver Terry Glenn (knee), who practiced on a limited basis this week but will have to wait at least another week to make his season debut. Starting defensive end Chris Canty (knee), starting right tackle Marc Colombo (ankle), backup tight end Anthony Fasano (head) and starting quarterback Tony Romo (thumb) all practiced fully Thursday and are listed as probable.
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
December 21, 2007 7:46 PM
GAME SET
WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (12-2) at Carolina Panthers (6-8)
WHEN: Saturday, 7:15 p.m. (CST)
WHERE: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
TELEVISION: NFL Network and KDFI (27) in DFW (Bryant Gumble and Cris Collinsworth)
BIG ISSUE: All of the sudden, this game is vitally important to the Cowboys. After an embarrassing loss to the Eagles last Sunday, the Cowboys are again tied with Green Bay at 12-2 for the best record in the NFC. In order to maintain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Cowboys must at least equal the Packers' win total since they own the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Cowboys won't be banking on the possibility that Green Bay drops one of its last two games, so that means disposing of a Panthers team that just upset the 9-5 Seahawks.
There is still an outside chance the Panthers could make the playoffs. For that to happen, the Panthers would have to run the table against the Cowboys and Buccaneers to finish at .500, plus get some help from the rest of the conference. None of that matters, however, if the Panthers don't beat the Cowboys at home Saturday night.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: The Cowboys seem to have abandoned the run as of late, but the stats show they're much better when they give the run game a chance to get into a rhythm. The Cowboys are 8-0 when they reach 100 yards rushing, but only 4-2 when they don't. Three of those four wins in which they didn't reach the century mark on the ground were decided by five points or less.
The Cowboys could have a tough time jump-starting their running game against the Panthers. Although they relinquish over 100 yards on the ground per game, they only allow 3.7 yards per carry, good for third in the NFL.
ONE-ON-ONE: Since Cowboys starting center Andre Gurode is out Saturday with a sprained knee, third-year lineman Cory Procter will receive his first start, and he doesn't get to ease into the lineup, either. Procter probably will butt helmets with Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who has 34 tackles and 2 ½ sacks this year. Jenkins (6-4, 335) is a massive force to reckon with, especially for Procter, who is nearly 40 pounds lighter than Jenkins. And with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's thumb still bruised, Procter better have his shotgun snap down pat, since the Cowboys are likely to avoid potentially re-injuring Romo's thumb with a lot of direct snaps.
Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith hasn't had the best of years, mostly due to the discontinuity of playing with four different starting quarterbacks. No matter who's under center, though, Smith is one of the best and most versatile receivers in the game. The Cowboys have used Terence Newman to shadow Smith all over the field in previous meetings, but defense could elect to use a combination of Newman, Anthony Henry and nickel corner Jacques Reeves on Smith wherever he lines up.
SUPPORTING ROLE: With the Cowboys down two safeties, Roy Williams (one-game suspension) and Patrick Watkins (ankle), they will be relying on two reserves to fill the void: Keith Davis and rookie Courtney Brown. Davis, who has started 21 games at free safety, will be lining up at strong safety in most spots where Williams would usually play. Brown, who switched from corner during training camp, will be taking Watkins' place in the nickel defense next to Ken Hamlin. Brown likely will continue with his special teams duties, but Davis, who plays on every unit, could be spelled some by rookie corner Alan Ball, who was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad earlier this week.
The Panthers earned one of their most impressive wins last Sunday with a starting quarterback who is quite familiar with the Cowboys: Rookie Matt Moore, who was released by the Cowboys at final cuts and subsequently picked up off waivers by the Panthers. Moore found his way to the starting role with three other Carolina quarterbacks bitten by injuries. Having gone through all of preseason with the Cowboys, Moore probably knows the weaknesses of the Phillips 3-4 better than any other quarterback Dallas has faced, but the same could be said for the Cowboys' knowledge of Moore's weaknesses and inexperience.
HEADSET GAMES: The Cowboys know they need to get wide receiver Terrell Owens more involved. In the past two games, Owens was held to 21 and 37 receiving yards, respectively, due to being double-covered and seemingly out-of-sync with quarterback Tony Romo. Don't be surprised if Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett moves Owens around more often to avoid him being taken out of the play.
With the Cowboys depleted in the secondary, the Panthers might take a few more shots downfield than usual, especially with a speedster like Smith who can simply outrun coverage. Pressure is the most important factor in stifling a young quarterback, so the Cowboys will look to force Moore into difficult throws while also containing the run game.
HEALTH WATCH:
Panthers
Only wide receiver Keary Colbert (knee) is listed as out. Defensive end Julius Peppers (knee) is doubtful after missing practice this week. Seven other players are probable: Safety Chris Harris (hip), quarterback Vinny Testaverde (Achilles), wide receiver Steve Smith (illness), defensive end Mike Rucker (illness), defensive tackle Kindal Moorehead (ankle), center Justin Hartwig (ankle) and starting guard Geoff Hangartner (shoulder).
Cowboys
Three players are listed as out for Saturday's game: Starting center Andre Gurode (knee) and backup safety Patrick Watkins (ankle), who missed practice this week, and wide receiver Terry Glenn (knee), who practiced on a limited basis this week but will have to wait at least another week to make his season debut. Starting defensive end Chris Canty (knee), starting right tackle Marc Colombo (ankle), backup tight end Anthony Fasano (head) and starting quarterback Tony Romo (thumb) all practiced fully Thursday and are listed as probable.
posted by The Gryphon at 12:32 PM
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