What does this mean for the Cowboys? For the most part, the remainder of the schedule has teams like the Panthers, Saints, Falcons, and Buccaneers, which should be manageable without the duo. However, skating past the Patriots, Dolphins, Giants, Eagles, and Seahawks will be a tall task. By the time Romo is expected back in Week 12, I expect the Cowboys to be 6-5. With Weeden running the show, there's no chance they can win the shootout battle against the pats. On top of that, the Cowboys BARELY escaped alive during the first round with the Giants and Eagles, and that was with both of them, and one of them respectively. The Seahawks should beat the cowboys even when they're at full strength, and the Dolphins game should be close. Otherwise, consider those low interest out of conference games, wins.
As for the rest of the NFC, this is prime time for the Giants to bounce back after their heartbreak filled 0-2 start. While the Cowboys are in Weeden mode, the Giants face two stand-out defenses, the Patriots and the Bills. Of course, because they are the Giants, you can't call all of those games wins. Let's say their only loses come to the Pats, Bills, and maybe the Eagles. That puts them at 6-4, so long as there are no "Giant" heartbreaks. The key to the Giants bouncing back is the resiliency of their defense. If, for the next two months, New York bears down, and grinds games out, their offense should have plenty of fire power to withstand the coming weeks.
My sleeper team is the Redskins. To put it plainly, the Eagles don't have the offensive leadership or defensive depth to grind these games out. I don't see them winning any of their next two games, and an 0-4 start keeps them out of any playoff push in the competitive NFC East. Back to the Skins. The game against the Rams showed fans two things. 1) They aren't afraid to run the ball, and they will do it effectively. The emergence of Matt Jones, who has a unique combination of speed and size, paired with ole reliable Alfred Morris provides the best two headed monster in the league. 2) Kirk Cousins is semi-legit. An 85.3 completion percentage, paired with 203 yards and one TD against what was supposed to be the leagues best defense was superb. Granted, it might be a fluke, but I don't think so.
The NFC East race will tighten up even more when the Boys are back in Town. For now, count on the Washington Redskins and New York Giants duke it out for the top spot in the division.
