Both the Cowboys are Redskins are coming off a bye. Both lost big games to physical teams the last time they took the field. Injuries have been the buzzword in both cities. And all fans involved are quite nervous that a great start may go for naught.
In a weird scheduling quirk, Week 11 will see the Redskins play their first home game against a division opponent. That is what makes the game so huge ... especially for Dallas. A Washington win gives them the ultimate tiebreaker and puts them at 3-1 against NFC East teams while Dallas would fall to 1-3.
Prime time hasn't been kind to Washington. The Skins have lost both night games they have played (Giants, Steelers). These two teams aren't strangers to the national stage. This will be their fourth ever Sunday Night meeting to go along with 14 Monday Night games and six Thanksgiving Day games.
With the New York Giants opening a two-game lead in the NFC East, the Redskins and Cowboys may be just fighting for one (or both) of the NFC's wildcard berths. Right now, the Redskins would be the No. 6 seed in the NFC while the Cowboys are on the outside looking in.
A Dallas loss would be devastating. The Cowboys would fall to 5-5 and, most likely, two games out of the final playoff spot. They also have to travel to the Steelers and Eagles and host the Ravens and Giants. There are only a couple more losses that Dallas can suffer and they could tap out too soon.
The Redskins have it a little bit easier. They do get to host the Giants in a couple weeks and the Eagles towards the end of the season. They also have a quick trip to Baltimore and trap games in Seattle, Cincinnati and San Francisco. A win over the Cowboys on Sunday night would get them to seven wins and probably needing just three or four more to get into the postseason. With the Seahawks, Bengals and Niners sitting at a combined 5-22, three could very well be in the bag.
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Injuries will have a huge impact on this game. Clinton Portis may not go with an MCL injury, backup Ladell Betts may play but has missed a month of action himself and Santana Moss can't shake his bad hammy. That doesn't even include Marcus Washington, Shawn Springs, Chris Samuels or Anthony Montgomery. Yes, the Redskins are banged up.
The Cowboys can relate. Tony Romo will be back after missing a month. Dallas has seen Felix Jones and Terrence Newman miss time and Jason Witten nursing a rib injury.
Sunday night should be awesome. Both teams are good, both have huge fanbases and both really, really, really need this game.
Redskins vs Cowboys: Huge Game For Both Teams If They Want a Playoff Berth originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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