TheĀ Dallas Cowboys and Washington enter their Monday night tilt as two teams clearly headed in polar opposite directions in the NFC East. Behind the stellar and somewhat surprisingly mistake-free play of resurgent quarterbackĀ Tony Romo, the CowboysĀ are perched atop the conference standingsĀ while Washington remains locked in a basement-dwelling quagmire largely born of what the team would have you believe stems fromĀ Robert Griffin III's early-season ankle injury.
With Romo,Ā Dez Bryant andĀ DeMarco Murray clicking on all cylinders, Dallas has averaged 30 points an outing during its six-game winning streak, making it the third-best scoring offense in the league since its season-opening loss to longtime rival San Francisco.Ā And when it comes to possibly inflicting even more pain on their struggling nemesis, the Cowboys have even more incentive.
Besides preserving the franchise's longest winning streak in seven years, Dallas will attempt to cement its front-leading conference status, particularly with a stretch of remaining games against such fellow heavyweights as Arizona, Philadelphia and Indianapolis, who entered Week 8 with a combined record of 15-4.
With RGIII down, Washington's best-laid plans have seemingly gone awry this season. After replacingĀ Kirk Cousins last week,Ā Colt McCoy went 11-of-12 passing for a touchdown in a 19-17 comeback win against theĀ Titans. And bolstering its chances all the more ofĀ a utter revival is the fact Washington has been here before. Back in 2012, the team fell to 3-6 before embarking on a seven-game winning streak that propelled Griffin and company into the playoff equation they are now desperately seeking. Adding to the hopes for a miracle is that Washington benefits from a stretch of four of its last seven games being at home.
But even given its status as the top defense in the NFC East, Washington now faces the challenge of discombobulating the machineĀ Romo and the 'Boys have suddenly become. To say the least, that could prove a bit too daunting.
How to Watch
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
Radio: Cowboys Radio Network,Ā Washington Radio Network
Online Streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile |Ā WatchESPN
Odds
TheĀ Cowboys areĀ favored by 10 points over Washington,Ā according to OddsShark. The over/under is set at 49.5.
Further Reading
For complete coverage of the Cowboys, head over toĀ Blogging The Boys.
For more on Washington, check outĀ Hogs Haven.