NFC East Rivals Collide

Rivalries are always the most entertaining games to watch.  You can feel the tension between the two teams as they play each other. The Dallas Cowboys are Playing the Washington Redskins this Sunday.  The first time these two teams met, the rivalry was so intense that there was only one touchdown scored in the entire game! There was a total of 6 field goals by the Dallas Cowboys, who in recent history have been struggling to find a consistant kicker. (Nick Folk, David Beuhler, etc.) However, with all that aside, both of these teams have been playing differently than they were all those weeks ago.  The Dallas Cowboys have recently been red hot; their offense has been clicking, and it seems whenever Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois) does not turn the ball over more than 2 times, the Cowboys can easily get their win.  The Washington Redskins, however, have been all downhill ever since starting 2 and 0.  They have won only 1 game and their record now is 3-6.  They have tried benching QB Rex Grossman (Florida), and starting John Beck (BYU), but that did not work out as Beck was not scoring any points for the Skins. The Dallas Cowboys are looking to stay hot going into this game, and for the rest of the season.  If the Cowboys do pull off the victory, then it will be one of the best in recent memory for the 'Boys.  Look for the Cowboys to use their 2 headed rushing attack DeMarco Murray (Oklahoma) and with solid RB Felix Jones (Arkansas) as the backup to run over the Redskins.  However, if the Redskins can somehow find a way to stop the run game, and get a few turnovers, then they can find a way to end their losing skid and stop the Cowboys' surge.

My Pick:
Cowboys 34
Redskins 10

The Cowboys have been on fire and the Redskins have been struggling to score more than 20 points the past few weeks, and I think that this will happen.

Can Tebow Win Under The Thursday Night Lights?

Finally, it is time for some Thursday Night Football! Feels great, doesn't it?  Get to watch some football games on other days of the week, not just Sunday.  Last week was the first Thursday night football game since the very first week, which was the Saints vs the Packers.  Now, after 9 weeks, the next Thursday Night football game was the Oakland Raiders vs the struggling San Diego Chargers.  The reason why I say the Struggling San Diego Chargers is because Phil Rivers keeps on turning the ball over between 2-4 times a game, and it is very hard to win if that happens, and therefore, the Chargers are on a little bit of a losing streak.  Veteran quarterback Carson Palmer took the stage for the Raiders, and played an outstanding game, completing 3 touchdown passes; two to break out year receiver Denarious Moore.  The Oakland Raiders wound up winning on last Thursday, and in my football pool, only 2 out of about 15 people picked the Raiders, and I was one of them.  It made me feel smart.
Tomorrow night, however, is the next Thursday Night football game.  This one is between the Denver Broncos, and the New York Jets.  Quarterback Tim Tebow has been receiving a lot of criticism about his accuracy and throwing motion, and if he can be a successful quarterback or not.  Despite all of Tebow's flaws, he has proven that he is a winner.  The Broncos are currently 3-1 with Tebow under center, and they show no signs of slowing down.  Sure, Tebow may not be the most accurate passer.  The thing is, he knows how to win the game.  Coach Herm Edwards said it best. "Hello, You Play To Win The Game"  Tebow is a great leader and his teamates listen to him and go out there and win for the team.  When Kyle Orton was the Broncos Starting quarterback in the beginning of the season, the Denver Broncos were not winning nearly as much as they are now.  With Orton under center, the Broncos were only 1-3, and with Tebow as their starting quarterback, they are currently at a record of 4-5 and in second place in their division.  Tebow has proven that he can win games, but is his skill to win enough to beat the New York Jets? Cornerback Darrelle Revis does not think so, and he was talking about how the type of offense that the Broncos are trying to run would not work for a full season in the NFL; he said it would only work if Michael Vick (Eagles QB) and Chris Johnson (Titans RB) were on the team because they are some of the faster players in the league.  Tebow was not discouraged by Revis' comments, it made him look forward to playing against him to prove him wrong.  Lets see if Tim Tebow really is a true winner as he faces his first "real" hard Test.

My Pick:
I think that the Jets will get the win but it will be a very close game, my guess is 3 points will decide the winner.
24-21 Jets

Rookie Murray Shines for the Cowboys

In the third round of the 2011 draft, the Dallas Cowboys shocked several people by drafting Running Back DeMarco Murray (Oklahoma) in the third round.  People were questioning this pick.  However, several weeks after the draft, the Cowboys decided to let veteran starting running back Marion Barber (Minnesota) go.  This moved Murray up on the depth chart, giving him a few chances to shine.  Still after being 3rd on the Dallas Cowboys depth chart at one time, DeMarco still caught Jerry Jones eye by his explosiveness. Felix Jones however, has always had injury problems in the past, and to noone's surprise he was injured again this year (Ankle) A few weeks into the season, the Cowboys decided to cut young running back Tashard Choice, after seeing poor performances from him in several games.  In mid October, DeMarco Murray really had the chance to shine.  His break out performance came vs the St. Louis Rams.  On the very first play of the game, Murray ran for a 91 yard touchdown.  This was only the beginning.  Before this, the Cowboys had not had a 100 yard rusher in several years! Murray, with just one run, was only 9 yards away.  Murray had an absolutely amazing performance that game, racking up a total of 253 rushing yards! Ever since then, Murray has been rushing for 100 yards a game in 3 out of the last 4 games!  With these performances, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and head coach Jason Garrett decided it was time for a change in true starting running backs, and went with Murray to be the starter for the rest of the season.  This was a great choice by Jerry Jones as Felix Jones has only been an injury nightmare to the Cowboys, and Murray has young, fresh legs & can rush for over 100 yards a game with touchdowns!  I am really looking forward for the rest of the Cowboys season, and can not wait to see what young rookie Murray can do once he reaches his full potential.