Cowboys Prepare Showdown Against Redskins With Issues in The Offensive Line
Despite still accusing pain from cracked ribs and a collapsed lung, in Dallas they are confident about Tony Romo’s presence versus Washington, which is not the case with Miles Austin, who will be out for at least two weeks. If after the loss against the New York Jets the Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, came out to publically defend quarterback Tony Romo from the critics, this time his intervention with the media has been to clarify that the 31-year-old player’s “ability to handle the pain” is what will determine whether or not he plays on Monday Night Football against the Washington Redskins, he said. While head coach Jason Garrett expressed on that there shouldn’t be a reason for Romo not to play. Luckily for Dallas, Romo knows how to manage pain; otherwise he wouldn’t have played in Sunday’s overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers by 27-24. Although much of the strength to endure the pain during that game came out of his hurt pride, after being strongly criticized for his mistakes in the season opener against the NY Jets, Romo forgot about his fractured ribs to quiet his detractors and lead the team to their first victory.
In case Romo can’t make it through the pain again, 39-year-old veteran Jon Kitna would fill in, who this season has a passer rating of 82.1 , with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Wide receiver Miles Austin -who wasn’t able to play the overtime in the victory over the 49ers after accusing a knee injury- is not even in doubt as, he is expected to miss the next two weeks due to injury. Along with Romo, Austin was one of the stars in Dallas’ victory against the 49ers over the weekend, reporting 143 yards and 3 touchdowns, reason why he will be greatly missed against Washington. Positive news is that running back Felix Jones will be available for the Monday Night Football showdown, despite having dislocated his shoulder in the victory over San Francisco. Much more is expected from him after his poor performance this season, as well as from running backs DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice. While Jones has averaged just 2.7 yards per carry on 26 attempts and one TD, the rookie and the veteran combine for only 30 rushing yards and 0 TDs.
No wonder why the Cowboys are struggling so much to win. If the Cowboys don’t want to have a losing season like their previous (6-10) one, they better pick their running game from the less than three yards per carry that is currently averaging. Not to forget that after two games Romo has suffered five sacks, which is also a wake-up call for him. They will face a team that is unbeaten this season, Washington, and leads the NFC East Division, therefore the Cowboys need to get the ball running if they plan to snatch No. 1. Last time they met was in Week 15 of last season, at Cowboys Stadium, and the game ended up with a victory for the home team by 33-30, which Dallas will try to repeat on Monday.