Cowboys Head to Washington With Romo in Tow

Football Betting Lines

11/14/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys are expected to have their most important offensive player back for this weekend's critical divisional showdown with the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Whether their bitter rival will have its main sparkplug ready to go when the two teams square off on Sunday is a greater mystery.

The primary storyline of this mid-November clash between NFC East foes centers around quarterback Tony Romo's anticipated return to the Dallas lineup following a three-game absence due to a broken finger on his throwing hand. Another intriguing subplot was added, however, when news broke out earlier this week that the Redskins could be without the services of hobbled running back Clinton Portis for Sunday's test.

Portis, whose 995 rushing yards so far this season rank second in the NFL, suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee during Washington's 23-6 home loss to Pittsburgh on November 3, and is considered highly questionable to suit up against the Cowboys. The MVP candidate had ripped off a string of five consecutive outings with over 120 rushing yards prior to the game, a streak that began with a 21-carry, 121-yard performance that was instrumental to the Redskins' 26-24 victory over Dallas at Texas Stadium back in Week 4.

Complicating matters for Washington is the potential absence of Portis' backup, Ladell Betts, for the game. The former 1,000-yard rusher has been dealing with a knee sprain that has sidelined him since mid-October and is iffy to participate as well. If both backs are out, that could take away one of the main factors in the Redskins' strong start under first-year head coach Jim Zorn, a clock-eating ground attack that has averaged nearly 145 yards per game thus far.

Don't count on the Cowboys feeling any sympathy for Washington's injury plight, however. A rash of ailing players has contributed greatly to Dallas' surprising struggles since beginning the season with three straight wins, with Romo's departure being the most impactful of the bunch.

In the three games the star signal-caller sat out, Dallas' usually potent offense mustered subpar averages of 13.3 points, 232 total yards and 140.3 passing yards with 40-year-old Brad Johnson and quintessential journeyman Brooks Bollinger at the controls. In the Cowboys' final game before this past week's bye, the two substitute quarterbacks combined for just 134 yards and were intercepted three times in a lopsided loss to the New York Giants on November 2.

Pro Bowl cornerback Terence Newman and starting guard Kyle Kosier are also slated to play for Dallas on Sunday after missing extensive time due to injuries. Talented tight end Jason Witten, held without a catch against the Giants while battling through a fractured rib, figures to be more of a factor this time after having an extra week to heal with the bye.

Their returns are welcome news for a Cowboys' squad that presently sits on the outside looking in of the NFC playoff picture with a 5-4 record. Washington is one game ahead of Dallas in the standings and is currently in control of one of the conference's two Wild Card berths.

SERIES HISTORY

The Cowboys lead the all-time regular season series with Washington, 56-37-2, but were 26-24 home losers when the teams met in Week 4. The teams engaged in conventional home-and-home splits in both 2006 and 2007, including a 27-6 win for the Redskins at FedEx Field in Week 17 of last year. In that game, which helped put the Redskins into the playoffs, Dallas rested several of its starters for all or part of the contest in preparation for the postseason. The Cowboys are 0-3 in Washington since last winning there in 2004.

Washington is 2-0 against Dallas in the postseason, winning in the 1972 and 1982 NFC Championship games.

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips is 2-2 all-time against Washington, with one of those wins coming for his Bills team in 1999 at FedEx Field. Zorn is 1-0 against both Phillips and the Cowboys as a head coach.

WHEN THE COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL

With Romo (1689 passing yards, 14 TD, 5 INT) under center for the first six games, the Dallas offense averaged 401.8 total yards and 274 passing yards, both of which ranked among the top marks in the league, but never came close to matching those numbers in the three weeks Johnson started. Provided there's no rust in Romo's right arm, the Cowboys should regain their status as one of the NFL's elite passing teams with their regular triggerman back in the fold. Dallas boasts a star-studded group of receivers that was made even more formidable with the mid-October trade of gifted wideout Roy Williams (20 receptions, 2 TD), giving the team another weapon in addition to All-Pros Witten (46 receptions, 2 TD) and the always-dangerous Terrell Owens (35 receptions, 6 TD). Romo put up 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Redskins in September, although he also threw a costly second-half interception in the loss.

To prepare for the Cowboys' enviable depth at wide receiver, the Redskins brought in recently-released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall (48 tackles, 3 INT, 13 PD) during the bye week, just days after he was cut loose by the Raiders. The controversial cover man joins a secondary that has had corner Carlos Rogers (38 tackles, 1 INT, 16 PD) playing at an all-star level this season and is expected to get veteran counterpart Shawn Springs (16 tackles, 1 sack) back after missing the last three games due to a strained calf. Washington is allowing just 191.4 passing yards per week (8th overall) but has had its troubles pressuring the quarterback. The offseason acquisition of sack specialist Jason Taylor (12 tackles, 1 sack) was supposed to alleviate that problem, but the 12th-year pro has had minimal impact thus far while being hampered by a calf injury. His health issues have provided additional playing time for one-time Cowboy Demetric Evans (14 tackles), who leads the club with 3 1/2 sacks. Romo was not taken down once during the teams' earlier encounter this year.

Romo's presence should also aid a Dallas running game that has been slowed as of late, with teams being able to key on main ball-carrier Marion Barber (665 rushing yards, 33 receptions, 7 total TD) because the Cowboys have lacked a downfield threat through the air. The physical running back has averaged a meager 2.8 yards per rush over his last two matchups. Another boost would be added if big-play rookie Felix Jones (266 rushing yards, 3 TD) can make it back from a hamstring strain that has sidelined the first-round pick for the team's three most recent tilts. He will be likely be listed as questionable on Friday's injury report.

The Redskins possess a very sturdy defense against the run, as Dallas found out when the rivals went head-to-head in Week 4. Barber was held to 26 yards on eight attempts that day by a Washington stop unit that comes in ranked sixth in the league with an average of 80.7 rushing yards allowed per game. Veteran tackling machine London Fletcher (75 tackles) and weakside starter Rocky McIntosh (51 tackles, 1 sack) give Washington excellent range at linebacker, while rookie surprise Chris Horton (42 tackles, 3 INT, 1 sack) has been very active in run support from his strong safety spot.

WHEN THE REDSKINS HAVE THE BALL

Washington's strong running game has been nicely complemented by efficient play from quarterback Jason Campbell (1960 passing yards, 8 TD, 2 INT) over the first half of this season, but the backfield injuries may force the Redskins to place a greater emphasis on the pass come Sunday. Campbell did not throw an interception over the first eight games before being picked off twice against the Steelers, and the 26-year-old is enjoying a breakthrough campaign in his first year in Zorn's system. He'll be looking often in the direction of speedster Santana Moss (44 receptions, 672 yards, 5 TD), who scorched the Cowboys for 145 yards on eight catches back in September. The game-breaking wideout may be limited by a lingering hamstring strain, but the offense does have two other capable targets in tight end Chris Cooley (48 receptions, 1 TD) and wide receiver Antwaan Randle El (36 receptions, 1 TD).

Zorn is keeping his fingers crossed that either Portis (995 rushing yards, 7 TD, 18 receptions) or Betts (156 rushing yards, 6 receptions) will be healthy enough to play, because the Pittsburgh game revealed how much less effective the Redskins offense is when it's not consistently grinding out rushing yards. Portis was held squarely in check by the Steelers and Campbell consequently had his worst showing of the year, managing just 206 yards on a season-high 43 attempts while being sacked seven times. If its top two backs wind up being inactive, Washington's only options are declining former league MVP Shaun Alexander (23 rushing yards), whom the team signed off the street after Betts got hurt in Week 6, and special-teams ace Rock Cartwright (13 rushing yards), who's posted a mere 11 carries over the past three seasons.

The Dallas defense can be vulnerable versus the run, a fact the Redskins exposed when the two clubs sparred in late September. Washington racked up 161 rushing yards against the Cowboys and held the football for over 38 minutes, which successfully kept Romo and his outstanding skill players off the field. Inside linebackers Zach Thomas (66 tackles, 1 sack) and Bradie James (55 tackles, 3 sacks) combined for 22 tackles for Dallas in that game, and will be in charge of keeping whomever is running the ball under wraps on Sunday. The Cowboys rank just 18th overall in rushing defense (107.1 ypg) and were trampled upon for 200 yards on the ground by the Giants two weeks back.

Having Newman (9 tackles) back in action should greatly help out a pass defense that has garnered only three interceptions in Dallas' nine games, and the outstanding corner will likely be spending a lot of time shadowing Moss this weekend. The secondary will still be without troublesome nickel back Adam "Pacman" Jones (25 tackles, 6 PD), who continues to serve an indefinite suspension for repeated bad behavior, but rookie Mike Jenkins (18 tackles, 1 INT) has flashed playmaking ability upon getting an extended look. The first- round choice had a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Week 9 loss to the Giants. The Cowboys hope to harass Campbell in the same manner Pittsburgh was able to do two weeks ago and have the pass rushers to accomplish that feat. All-Pro outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (49 tackles, 10 sacks) is one of the game's premier sack artists and veteran Greg Ellis (22 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT) amassed 12 1/2 quarterback takedowns last season on the opposite side.

FANTASY FOCUS

Those with Dallas skill players on their roster have got to be beaming that Romo is going to be back in the saddle this week. Owens and Witten should return to fantasy relevance with the quarterback switch, but Williams is still a risky choice at this point because he's yet to play in a game in which Romo has started. Romo's return should also boost the prospects for Barber, who was a touchdown machine before the Cowboys' offense went south under Johnson's guidance. As for Romo himself, the possibility of rust certainly exists, especially in a matchup with a tough Washington defense, but the celebrity signal-caller's track record says he's worth being inserted back into lineups from the get-go. Moss, a Cowboy killer in the past, seems to be the Redskins' most attractive fantasy play this week, although it's unreasonable to expect the talented wideout to repeat the 145-yard output he had against Dallas earlier this year. Cooley is always a reliable choice at the tight end spot, but Washington's running back situation is too murky right now to start any Redskins back with confidence. Campbell warrants consideration at the quarterback spot and may be airing it out more than usual on Sunday, but there are better options.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Redskins weren't really scoring a lot of points even in the games in which Portis was healthy, instead relying on a tough defense and keeping turnovers to a minimum to pull out wins. With the workhorse back to be either inactive or at best far less than at full strength, the burden now falls heavier on Campbell and the Washington defense to deliver. That may be asking a bit too much against a Dallas squad that's a far more confident and dangerous bunch when Romo is in the mix and will be very motivated to avenge a bad-tasting recent loss to its rival on a national stage. The Cowboys' offense may not operate at maximum efficiency on Sunday, but it could be good enough to put the embattled club back in the forefront of the NFC playoff discussion with a sorely-needed big win.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 23, Redskins 14