26 sep 10 Cowboys vs. Texans

BIG ISSUE: After they struggled their way through the preseason, the Cowboys told everyone not to worry about meaningless games. When they lost on a last-second holding call in Washington, they partially blamed their woes on a patchwork offensive line. Last week, they were humbled by football jerseys
the Bears. Now, as the Cowboys stare down their in-state rival and a potential 0-3 start, it's time for Dallas to prove they are indeed a contender in the NFL.
The Texans have already shown they are the real deal. Matt Scab, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster and Mario Williams are playing like Pro Bowlers, if not All-Pros. In Week 1, Houston erased the Indianapolis Colts, 34-24. In Week 2, coming off the emotional victory over Indy, the Texans battled back from down 20-7 to beat a Redskins squad which had taken down the Cowboys just seven days before. The Texans are for real, and they'll be trying for their first 3-0 start in franchise history on Sunday.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: The so-called experts say run the ball more. Give the ball to Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tatar Choice, and the Cowboys will be all right, they explain. But the statistics say otherwise. The Cowboys have run the ball 42 times for an abysmal 139 yards this season. Barber is averaging 3.7 yards per carry, Jones is averaging 3.0 and Choice is averaging 2.8. Quarterback Tony Room said it'd be nice to have a running game, but he added, "But if you're not getting the production out of it, you're also banging your head against the wall to just keep doing it." The Cowboys need to do whatever they can do to win a football game.
The Texans offense is as advertised this season. Running back Arian Foster leads the NFL with 300 rushing yards. Quarterback Matt Scab set a franchise record for passing yards last week, throwing for 497. Receiver Andre Johnson leads the team with 15 catches and 191 yards. Even their kicker, Neil Rockers, is tied for the NFL lead among kickers with 22 points. After the Cowboys made Jay Cutler look like John Always last weekend and allowed 27 points to the Chicago Bears, they're going to have to make some serious adjustments against Houston this weekend.
ONE-ON-ONE: Mario Williams is a beast. There's no other way to put it. He leads Vikings jersey
the AFC in sacks, ranking second in the NFL with four. He's 6 feet 6 inches, 290 pounds and runs a sub-4.8 40-yard dash time. Somebody is going to have to block him on Sunday. Doug Free will likely take him most of the game, but Marc Colombo should see a lot of him as well. The Cowboys have done a good job against pass rushers Julius Peppers and Brian Crapo this season, but Williams is in a league of his own.
Take your pick this weekend on the defensive side of the ball. The pass rush against Scab, the secondary against Johnson or the linebackers against the NFL's leading rusher Foster - any of those matches are critical. But the one to keep an eye on will be Demarks Ware against Houston's new left tackle Rashid Butler, who is replacing suspended tackle Duane Brown. Ware only has one sack this season, but he's been around the football nearly every play. If he has his way with Butler, things will be a lot easier for the Cowboys at noon on Sunday.

SUPPORTING ROLE: Starting cornerback Mike Jenkins will probably play for the Cowboys this weekend, but he could be somewhat limited by a bruised knee. Orlando Scandisk is next on the depth chart, and he already has a significant role manning the slot. The Boise State product has no pass deflections or picks this season, but he does have five tackles. The Cowboys could really use a big game from him against Houston.
Andre Johnson says he'll play this weekend despite a sore ankle. But like Jenkins, he'll probably feel the effects of that injury, even if it's just a little bit. The Texans will ask Jacoby Jones to pick up whatever slack Johnson leaves on offense. Jones burned the Cowboys for five catches, 63 yards and one touchdown in their preseason meeting. In the first two games of the regular season, Jones has eight catches for 82 yards and a score.
HEADSET GAMES: Everybody wants the Cowboys to run the ball. But this weekend, they might be better served putting it in the air again. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw for 433 yards and three touchdowns against the Texans in Week 1. Redskins QB Donovan McNabb threw for 426 yards Colts jersey
and one score against them in Week 2. At some point, a quarterback who throws for more than 400 yards against the Texans will come out victorious.
The Texans will undoubtedly try to ram the ball up the gut on the Cowboys all afternoon on Sunday. Foster ran for 110 yards and a touchdown in a preseason game against the Cowboys. Imagine what he might be able to do when the game actually counts.