The Dallas Cowboys beat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9 but did not look super in doing so. They also lost Miles Austin for the next few weeks and played without leading tackler Sean Lee. In Week 10, the surprising Buffalo Bills (5-3) come to town and Dallas has to win this game if they want to have any kind of chance to wrestle the NFC East title out of the New York Giants' grasp.
The biggest problem for Dallas comes in the form of Bills' running back Fred Jackson. When the season began, the Bills were reluctant to name Jackson the starting running back but finally relented when he complained about his status and tabbed him their No. 1 runner. He has responded with 803 rushing yards through the Bills first eight games, good enough for best in the AFC and third best in the NFL.
Dallas, on the other hand, entered the Philadelphia Eagles game two weeks ago as the best rushing defense in the nation. LeSean McCoy, the top runner in the NFL after Week 9, responded with 185 rushing and and two touchdowns. The next week, Marshawn Lynch came into the game with Dallas with 263 total yards on the season and ran for 135 yards and a touchdown against Dallas. Jackson has five 100-yard rushing games on the year and Dallas will be hard pressed to stop him Sunday.
Of course, the same could be said for Buffalo stopping Dallas rookie DeMarco Murray.
Handling the passing duties for the Bills is Ryan Fitzpatrick. The young signal caller has almost identical numbers to the Cowboys' Tony Romo. While Romo throws for more yards, the two have an almost identical touchdown to interception ratio and similar completion percentage rates. Fitzpatrick's QB rating is 0.1 higher than Romo's. Fitzpatrick was just rewarded with a new contract extension for his work in Buffalo while Dallas fans want Romo out, which tells where each franchise sits in the NFL echelon.
Buffalo is a team on the way up. While they have lost three games over the past five weeks, they are still considered one of the surprise success stories of the NFL season. While Dallas has lost three games over the last five contests, they are one of the biggest disappointments. This game should be interesting as the two teams meet.
Dallas gets Sean Lee back in the lineup on defense, and while he will wear a cast, Dallas has to hope their defense steps up. They need all the help they can get to stop Jackson, Fitzpatrick and the suddenly dangerous Buffalo Bills.
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: Dallas Cowboys website
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