One of the most controversial QB’s of all time is out for week 17’s NFC East showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. Tony Romo is that quarterback. Having been a scapegoat for many Dallas Cowboys fans (not to mention many NFL fans), he’s also been the source of unfair criticism for many years.
I’m going to put this out there right now: Tony Romo is by no means the problem for the Cowboys. That problem rests mainly on the Cowboys defense, which ranks as the worst in the NFL, having given up 6,279 total yards on defense (418.6 YPG as of week 16), 4,360 of those have been on passing, while the other 1,919 yards have been given up on the rush attack. This is especially apparent when the defense gave up 51 points in a close loss to the Broncos at home.
In addition, while the offense could be better, the passing game is ranked 14th in the NFL (3,596 total yards), and Dallas is tied with the Chicago Bears for 3rd in total points scored (417). They are again tied with Chicago (remarkably) for 3rd in points per game with 27.8 put up against opponents. The offense does all it can to provide wins for Dallas. Clearly the defense at most fault (Jerry Jones is to blame as well, but that’s an entirely different story).
In looking for some positives, the Cowboys defense made a significant improvement against the Washington Redskins last Saturday. They gave up 297 yards, 197 on the pass attack, which is a remarkable improvement over their usual low standards. With Tony Romo gone, those scoring numbers for Dallas with Kyle Orton are likely to diminish. If Dallas wants any shot at winning at Philadelphia, the defense has to be the main focus. With new coach Chip Kelly’s fast paced offense, the Eagles are 2nd in total offensive yards (6,310), 9th in passing yards (3,881), and have the #1 rushing offense in the NFL (2,489 total yards).
This will not be an easy game for Dallas and it is already in Philadelphia’s favor. As I’ve said before, the Cowboys defense has to be the main focus of the game. Give Kyle Orton as many chances as you can give him because lord knows he’ll need every possible moment.
Meanwhile the Eagles need every possible moment to use their red-hot offense while they can, because the defense isn’t very good. Although ranked 12th in the rush attack (1,612 yards), the passing game is 30th (4,278 yards) just barely above Dallas.
Luckily, with Romo gone, the Eagles defense stands a better chance against the Cowboys offense. And with injuries from DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee, the already poor Cowboys defense could have little going for them. Philadelphia has to focus on their #1 ranked rushing offense in star running back LeSean McCoy (1,476 yards, 9 TD’s), as well as the passing game of Nick Foles, who has thrown for 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
It’s survival of the fittest at AT&T Stadium. Only one NFC East team will make it, and one will be left behind to be eaten by the wolves.
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