The Cowboys Have to Beat the Redskins

We finally saw the team we've all been hoping for against the Saints. The Cowboys were everything I believed they could be, minus the kicker, in their biggest win in four seasons. But the win will be meaningless if the Cowboys don't find a way to make the playoffs and win a playoff game.

There is a good chance that the Cowboys will have to win their last two games or the Giants can steal the last playoff spot from them. But two wins will give the Cowboys the NFC East title and a home playoff game. The last thing I want to see is the Cowboys in a position to hope for a loss by the Giants in the final week of the season. The Cowboys control their playoff life right now and they need to keep it that way.

So what do they need to do against the Redskins? It would be easy to say just show up to the game. But history and the game just a few weeks ago tells us otherwise. Wins against the Redskins never come easily. Even though we saw a terrible team play the Giants last week you can bet that the Redskins won't play two stinkers in a row. They'll be at the top of their game and it will be won or lost in the 4th quarter.

The Cowboys will need to continue to roll on offense and pressure the quarterback on defense. The kicker situation is going to be dicey for the rest of the year so the offense needs to put the ball in the endzone. If the Cowboys can knock Jason Campbell down a few times early I think he'll get flustered and make mistakes. The biggest thing the Cowboys need to do is take the wind out of the sails of the Redskins early in the game.

If the Cowboys can build on the momentum that they started with the win against the Saints the offense should be able to move the ball. But for some reason Jason Campbell usually plays very well against Dallas. I expect the game to be close into the 4th quarter until the Cowboys finish them off. I predict a 29-14 win for the Cowboys.