Cowboys at Redskins - What to look for

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins - Fedex Field - Sunday, 18 December, 1615 EST on FOX/ 2115 GMT on Sky Sports Xtra

Both starting Skins defensive tackles, Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a, are listed as "questionable" on this week's injury report, which may mean the Cowboys could be able to run up the middle, either through Marion Barber or Julius Jones. More likely, though, Washington's outstanding linebacker trio will stop them inflicting too much damage. Dallas's D is equally unimpressed by rival running games but is smarting after being taken apart by Kansas City's Larry Johnson last week so will be even more eager to shit down Clinton Portis. As in their first meeting of the season, this is likely to be a game where teams fail with their Plan A and have to try the occasional shot in the dark. The team with the most successful shots wins, and this time it could be the resurgent Cowboys 26-14.
(Season so far 5-3)




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Cowboys at Redskins - Stars and trivia

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins - Fedex Field - Sunday, 18 December, 1615 EST on FOX/ 2115 GMT on Sky Sports Xtra

Santana Moss #89, WR, Redskins
Moss, a free agent signing from the Jets this summer, made an explosive start to his career in the nation's capital, catching passes for more than 100 yards (the mark of a decent receiver) in four of his first six games but he has been nothing like as prolific since. With no other Redskin receiver considered a threat, defenses have begun double-teaming Moss and he has also struggled with a hamstring injury of late. Moss's second-biggest game of the year so far came in Washington's 14-13 victory over Dallas in September, when he scored twice on deep routes late in the game. If Washington find a way to get him open again, they could be successful.

Terry Glenn #83, WR, Cowboys
One of the famous wide receiver class of '96, the collegiate draft group that includes team-mate Keyshawn Johnson, infamous Eagle Terrell Owens and prolific Colt Marvin Harrison, Glenn has found a new home in Dallas after some tough times in New England and Green Bay. Always a deep threat, Glenn had found himself in Moss's position in mid-season as teams gave him extra notice, but coach Parcells found new ways to utilise his ability, gaining a rushing touchdown last weekend and also utilising the "flea-flicker", a trick play where the runner takes the ball from the quarterback but pulls up, throws it back to the QB who then finds his receiver deep and uncovered. Dallas tried it with Glenn against Washington in September and again against Kansas City last week, so don't expect that here, but be aware that the Dallas low-risk mentality is suspended when it comes to number 83.


Interesting trivia

This match pits the two teams reckoned to have the highest value in the league. Forbes magazine valued the Redskins at $1.1bn (£626.9m) at the end of last season with the Cowboys just behind on $923m, not a bad return for Jerry Jones, who bought the franchise for $150m in 1989. Bottom are the Arizona Cardinals, worth $552m.

The Redskins were initially founded as the Boston Braves in 1932, moving to Washington in 1937 when owner George Preston Marshall decided there he was never going to make enough money in Beantown.

The NFL has been known as the "No Fun League" since the mid-1980s, when it banned players from overly celebrating touchdowns. The ban was prompted by a complaint about the Redskins receivers known as the Fun Bunch. The complaint came from Cowboys head coach Tom Landry.

Click here for memorabilia!

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Cowboys at Redskins - Team talking points

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – Fedex Field - Sunday, 18 December, 1615 EST on FOX/ 2115 GMT on Sky Sports Xtra

If you missed the last 20 years, you would still recognise a meeting between coaches Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs this late in the season as a key NFC East battle, but last season saw the first time the two men had come face-to-face on a football field since Parcells resigned as Giants boss because of ill health in 1990.

The Cowboys of 2005 bear a striking resemblance to the Giants side that won two Super Bowls under Parcells' stewardship. They have a ball control offense, looking to run first and chew time off the clock with a veteran quarterback in Drew Bledsoe whose accuracy is highly valued as it reinforces his coach's mistake-free mantra. The defense was overhauled by Parcells over the summer, with big, fast youngsters to see them rank eighth in the league in yards allowed.

Twelve years after he retired, and eight years after he was voted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame, Gibbs was coaxed to hand over the reigns of his Nascar stock car racing team to his son and head back to the NFL. Head coaxer was owner Daniel Snyder, appointing his fourth coach since since buying the team for $750 million (£428m) in 1999. Snyder has pumped massive amounts of money into the franchise without any return on the field of play. In his first spell at the helm, Gibbs won 140 of 205 games, including three Super Bowls from four appearances but the NFL has changed since then, with free player movement and the salary cap affecting Gibbs' ability to stockpile talent as he once did. He inherited an outstanding defense, which has performed this year despite being ravaged by injury, but the offense is still a patchwork, not helped by Snyder's tendency to meddle and bring in headline-grabbing talent. Quarterback Mark Brunell is a Gibbs acquisition, at 35 a short-term solution who has performed solidly but unspectacularly. Running back Clinton Portis is not a bruiser in the traditional Gibbs mould but is one of 11 rushers in the league this year to have gained more than 1,000 yards on the ground and is carrying the side.

Hats and caps for all of your favourite teams

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Cowboys at Redskins - Why it matters

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – Fedex Field - Sunday, 18 December, 1615 EST on FOX/ 2115 GMT on Sky Sports Xtra

Games between Dallas and Washington are intense even when there is nothing on the line. Quite why the rivalry is so bitter depends on which side you ask. The Cowboys maintain that Redskins owner George Preston Marshall tried to block their entry into the NFL in 1960 because he saw it as a threat to his team's fan base at a time when there were no teams in the league south of Washington.Residents of the District of Columbia maintain that Dallas are still sore because the Redskins ended a Cowboy run of six successive division titles in 1972. Perhaps it is just because these sides have historically been two of the best in the league, and one stands in the way of the other twice each year.

All rivalries in the NFC East are traditionally intense because often the division contains some of the best teams in the league, all fighting for one guaranteed playoff spot and, with the revival of the Cowboys and New York Giants, that is true again this year. The Cowboys are trying to maintain their early-season momentum but were buoyed by a tight victory over Kansas City last weekend. Division leaders New York are still catchable but Dallas realise they must win each of their remaining three games to guarantee playing into January. After an inconsistent season, the Skins are still on the fringes of the post-season picture, and could snatch a wildcard spot as one of the best runners up if they win their last three. But even if they don't make the playoffs, Washington fans would love to have the memory of a win over the hated Cowboys to warm them through the rest of the winter.




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Colts 26-18 Jaguars – Verdict

Indianapolis continued their quest to become just the second team ever to have a perfect season, joining the 1934 Chicago Bears, the Miami Dolphins of 1972 and the 1998 Denver Broncos as the only teams ever to start a season with 13 successive wins. On the way, they exhibited perfection at the start of this game, with an 89-yard drive made up of eight plays and featuring five different receivers, culminating in yet another Peyton Manning completion to Marvin Harrison.

The Colts did not have it all their own way, as Jacksonville's four defensive linemen were able to bring enough pressure to keep Manning on his toes, and the quarterback needed more time against generally good coverage, resulting in three sacks. But when you have as many offensive weapons as Indy have, it is only a matter of time before one will fire, as with the 65-yard play-action pass from Manning to Harrison that brought them a second touchdown. It has been so long since he has been needed regularly that you can be forgiven forgetting that Mike Vanderjagt is one of the best kickers in the league.

With back-up quarterback David Garrard under center, the Jaguars were forced to use a more conservative game plan. Running back Fred Taylor played only a minor role in his first game for five weeks after a bruised ankle, and the home side's offense could not establish themselves until late in the game. How did they manage to score twice in the last four-and-a-half minutes? Indianapolis were in a prevent defense, using extra defensive backs to stop long gains but allowing the short stuff. Stick lots of short stuff together and you get down the field pretty effectively, especially as Garrard showed admirable cool under pressure late on.

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