So, let’s take a look back at the month that was, and take a look ahead to see how the final two months of the regular season shape up.

October results: Week 5 - won 25-24 at Buffalo, Week 6 - lost 48-27 to New England, Week 7 - beat Minnesota 24-14, Week 8 - bye

Rapid review: After ending September 4-0, Dallas extended their unbeaten streak to five games with an unforgettable come-from-behind win in a Monday nighter at Buffalo, where Nick Folk drilled a 53-yard field goal on th final play (twice) to cap a wild 24 seconds, in which Dallas overcame a 24-16 deficit with a touchdown, an onside kick recovery, and Folk’s clutch kick. But, that’s where the streak would end, as the Patriots came into Texas Stadium and walked away with an emphatic victory. There might have been a hangover from that loss going into the Minnesota game, and if so, it showed in the first half, when two turnovers had them down 14-7. But, by the end of the third, the Cowboys had the lead, and went into their bye week on a positive note.

The Good: Minus the first 50-odd minutes against Buffalo, Tony Romo has continued to play well, and is well on his way to another Pro Bowl. And, more than that, his start helped earn him a fat new contract, which means this is still very much just the beginning for him in Dallas.

The pass rush has gotten better week by week, especially with the return of Greg Ellis. Ellis has overcome all of the uncertainty about his future and is back to terrorizing QBs like we expect him to (4.5 sacks in four games).

He, DeMarcus Ware (5.5 sacks in the last five games), and about everyone else in the front seven harassed the heck out of poor Tarvaris Jackson (6 of 19, 72 yards, three sacks), and even though Tom Brady was able to have a huge game, they got to him a lot better than most teams have been able to.

The Bad: The run wasn’t as much of a presence as it could have been, partly due to the Cowboys being behind well into each game they played this month.

There’s still been the issue with slow starts. Dallas was behind at halftime in each game they played, and while they were able to come back against the Bills and Vikings, it hurt their chances to hang with the Patriots for 60 minutes.

Looking Ahead: November and Beyond

Dallas has played only one division foe thus far, which means that five of their final nine games will be against division opponents. So, if they want to win their first NFC East title in nearly a decade, it’s going to be done the hard way.

The next three weeks will do a lot to decide not only if the Cowboys are really contenders, but if they go into the final five weeks with a comfortable lead in the division, or if they’re going to be fighting all the way to the end.

First up is a game on Sunday night at Philadelphia, which is never a fun place to play. The Eagles are down, but as enigmatic as they have been, nothing can be taken for granted. Next up will be a visit to the Meadowlands to face the Giants, whose defense has had a complete turnaround since giving up 80 points during an 0-2 start, spearheading a six-game win streak that has tightened things at the top of the division. Thankfully, the Cowboys get to play the final game of the NFC East stretch at home, against Washington.

Following those three contests, Dallas will finish out November with two Thursday games, the first being the annual Thanksgiving game (vs. the Jets), and then a Thursday night visit from the resurgent Brett Favre and the Packers, which will be very pivotal in the hunt for home-field advantage, along with the Giants game.

Romo has the chance to really beef up his numbers and make all of his receivers happy, as only one of the five November opponents (and for that matter, one of the final nine) - the Giants - are in the top 11 in the league in pass defense. And, while New York’s pass defense has improved since the first two games, the only team they’ve faced since Dallas and Green Bay with a decent passing offense was the Eagles.

The defense is going to be tested, but the return of Anthony Henry is going to be a big boost, and so will the insertion of Tank Johnson into the rotation starting Sunday. This guy has a lot to prove, and no doubt is ready to get back on the field after having his livelihood taken away from him. If he’s got himself in the right mindset, and is conditioned both physically and mentally (and all indications are that he is), he could be a huge, huge addition for the rest of the year and beyond.

Getting at least a 4-1 record in November would be big, considering Dallas has to go on the road for three of their last four games, and have the Eagles coming into town in Week 16.

The Giants appear to be the closest challenger for the division title, and as good as they have been over the last several weeks, Dallas can’t afford to lose any games that they shouldn’t.

Not only are the head-to-head matchups important, but so are the ones with common opponents. New York lost to Green Bay, but beat the Jets and Dolphins, and have roadies at Detroit, Chicago, and Buffalo, with home games against Minnesota and New England left. Dallas won at Miami, Chicago, and Buffalo, and beat Minnesota at home, with the only blemish coming against the Pats. So, winning those remaining games against the Packers, Jets, and Lions is almost as important as knocking off the Eagles, Redskins, and of course, the Giants.

The first two months have been a lot of fun to watch, and the Cowboys have the potential to do something special this season. And, as long as they keep their heads in the right place, and bring their best week in, week out, the next few months will hopefully be as exciting.

The pieces are in place. Now it’s just time to close the deal.

There wasn’t any real doubt that it would happen sooner or later, but it’s happened sooner, and the timing certainly couldn‘t be better.

Romo has gotten off to a great start in his first full season as a starter, and minus a hiccup against the Bills, has been excellent, throwing for 1,984 yards and 16 touchdowns (both third in the NFL), and posting a 95.6 passer rating (fifth).

He’s on pace to set team records in yards and touchdowns - if he keeps up his current pace, he’ll break Danny White’s team record of 3,980 yards and 29 touchdowns with a couple of games to spare, and finish with over 4,500 yards and 35+ touchdowns, which will net him two Pro Bowls in two seasons as a starter, which is an honor many of the game‘s best can‘t claim.

But, not only are his numbers great, but he’s becoming the team leader that he needs to be to guide the team to a championship. Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman weren’t known for eye-popping numbers, but more for their abilities to bring the best out of the guys around them and for simply being winning quarterbacks. Romo has both the physical abilities and the intangibles to make him an elite QB.

That was evident in the game against Buffalo, when he had the worst game that he’ll likely ever have in his career, but in the end, rallied the team and made the throws he needed to in crunch time to help the Cowboys win.

Many will question the deal, considering he’s made only 17 career starts and hasn’t done anything overly noteworthy, at least in their eyes.

But, he’s 12-5 as a starter, and has been a big part of Dallas’ transformation from a boring, little more than .500 (at best) team for most of the past several years, back into one of the top teams in the NFL. Dallas’ offense was ranked no better than 8th in points and 9th in yards in any season from 1996 to 2005, but finished 4th and 6th in those categories last season and are ranked second in both thus far this season.

Romo patiently waited while Bill Parcells developed him and stuck with Drew Bledsoe until the wheels fell off, and when he finally got his chance, he‘s fully taken advantage of it.

Many of the skeptics will point to his bad spell at the end of last season, and to his game against Buffalo, but even the best have down spells, may it be Peyton Manning (100 interceptions in his first five seasons, 42 in the last four-plus since), Brett Favre (everyone loves him again, but couldn’t wait to get rid of him just last year), John Elway (Tommy Maddox, come on!), Dan Marino, or even Tom Brady. But, those guys are all considered to be among the elite QBs in the history of the league. Even Dallas’ most well-known signal-callers, Staubach and Aikman, had plenty of bumps in their journeys to the Hall of Fame.

And, Marc Bulger got a comparable deal in the offseason, and it’s not as if he’s led the Rams to glory in his five-plus seasons as a starter (two playoff appearances, one win, barely over .500 as a starter). Romo is already surpassing Bulger (it helps to have a much better team around him), so if he had gotten any less, it would have been a travesty.

Hate him all you like, but if Romo continues to develop as he has, he’ll earn his money and then some, and in another decade, we’ll be talking about him as the standard for the next Cowboys QB to set.

He knows that the owner has faith in him, and that the team is in his hands for the long haul, and that means he can put the money talk behind him and get on with having an excellent season.

It’s a deal that not only helps Dallas in terms of what they can and will be able to do with signing and re-signing, because they avoid having to worry about waiting until after the season (when a) his value could be astronomical, or franchising him would have been the only, and most financially debilitating option), but it also sets the foundation for the future. Dallas has their franchise QB, after their Rolodex of starters after Aikman.

Now Jerry Jones can focus on taking care of the other important assets, and getting the rest of the necessary building blocks. Instead of having to worry about going after a QB in next year’s draft, Dallas can address their real needs.

And, they can now sew up one of their running backs as well, so, Mr. Barber, come on down!

Unfortunately, they’re in an extremely tough stretch in the next few weeks, and with Garrard out, Jack Del Rio turns to untested Quinn Gray to run the team. When Garrard went down against Indianapolis on Monday night, Gray came in and struggled, going 9 of 24 for 56 yards and was picked off twice in the 29-7 loss.

Jacksonville’s ground game can carry a load and take the pressure off of Gray to have to win it on his own, but Maurice Jones-Drew is a question mark with an injury he suffered late against the Colts.

So, things aren’t looking too good for the Jaguars right now, but thanks to a defense that has, for the most part, played very well this season, does give them a chance to overcome any issues there might be with the QB.

However, Tampa Bay did rack up more than 400 yards against Detroit, and Jeff Garcia continued his sharp play (minus two crucial fumbles), despite the 23-16 loss.

And, there’s also that defense that can’t wait to feast on a young, inexperienced QB and a nicked-up running back.

Score: Tampa Bay 20, Jacksonville 13

Buffalo at N.Y. Jets: Trent Edwards made his first NFL start in Week 4 against the Jets, and led the Bills to a 17-14 win.

If he can do the same thing on Sunday at the Meadowlands, the Bills will pick up their third win in four games, after knocking off the Ravens 19-14 last Sunday.

While the Bills now know who their starter under center is, there are still some question marks for the Jets. Chad Pennington held on to his job with his 272-yard, 3 TD performance against Cincinnati last Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to give the Jets a win, as the rest of the guys around him made mistake upon mistake to keep the Jets headed in the opposite direction of the Giants. With the team at 1-6, and with nothing at all to lose, Pennington may well surrender his job to the young and talented Kellen Clemens, who everyone thinks is more equipped to lead the team than the injury-prone Pennington.

The Jets need a serious lift, because it’s looking a lot like 1996 (a 1-15 season) instead of 2006, a 10-6 playoff season in Eric Mangini’s first year, success that was supposed to carry over to this season.

Unfortunately, the Bills seem to be righting their ship, while the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets haven’t found their life preservers yet.

Score: Buffalo 24, N.Y. Jets 17

Houston at San Diego: There were doubts for most of the week about when or where this game would be played, due to the raging wildfires in southern California. But, it will be played at Qualcomm Stadium as scheduled.

It’s no doubt been a long week for the Chargers, but they’ll be focused when the Texans come to town, as they’re looking to keep pace with Kansas City in the AFC West, and win their third game in a row to move over .500.

After scoring 68 points in the first four games, the Chargers have put up 69 in the last two, in wins over Denver and Oakland. It helps that the offense has gotten it going after struggling in the first four weeks. Philip Rivers has been sharp in the last two games, and then there’s the L.T. factor - 198 yards, 4 TD in the 28-14 win over Oakland in San Diego’s last game two weeks ago.

The Texans still won’t have Andre Johnson, as he’s still trying to recover from a knee sprain, and there’s a chance that QB Matt Schaub won’t play, after suffering multiple injuries in last Sunday’s thriller against Tennessee. Sage Rosenfels came in and threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns, and nearly led Houston to a win, so there is a reliable backup plan in case Schaub can‘t go.

But, the Texans defense has imploded recently, giving up 30+ points in each of the last two games. And that doesn’t make for good news considering how well the Chargers offense is playing now.

Score: San Diego 34, Houston 24

New Orleans at San Francisco: Here’s yet another matchup between two teams headed in different directions.

After starting 0-4, the Saints have won their last two games, including last week’s 22-16 win over Atlanta.

After starting 2-0, the 49ers have dropped four in a row, including last Sunday’s 33-15 loss to the Giants.

Some would say that the 49ers’ slide has been aided by the loss of Alex Smith (who missed most of the last three games with a separated shoulder), but the 49ers offense wasn’t playing well before Smith got injured.

Trent Dilfer had a better game against New York than he had against Seattle and Baltimore, but he didn’t produce any better results than Smith. Now, the third-year signal-caller, who recovered very quickly, will be back in the starting lineup for Sunday’s crucial matchup with San Fran’s former NFC West rival.

But, his return alone may not trigger a turnaround for the 49ers, because a) he has to play better than he did before he got hurt, and b) Frank Gore needs to get it going, and soon. Gore has only 394 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the first six games, and doesn’t have a 100-yard game this season after having nine during his 1,695 yard season last year.

However, Gore may be limited on Sunday by an ankle injury, which dampens the good news (or is it?) of Smith’s return.

The Saints have had the 49ers’ number as of late, winning the last three matchups, and I’ll pick them to take that streak to four.

Score: New Orleans 27, San Francisco 14

Green Bay at Denver (Monday night): Just as with the Bears, you can’t read a lot into Denver’s 31-28 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday night. Good win, yes, but they coughed up a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, and though the defense played a little better than in the previous couple of games, still gave up 379 yards, including 290 yards passing and four touchdowsn by Ben Roethlisberger.

Denver did a better job against the run, but this game could be just what the doctor ordered for the Packers, as they come into the week last in the league in rushing.

If they can convincingly win beat the Packers, then it will be a lot easier to buy into the Broncos’ turnaround. But, they still have questions on defense, and there’s no telling what to expect from the run game. Jay Cutler took a big step towards showing how well he can lead by directing the game-winning drive against Pittsburgh, and this game offers up another chance for him to show how much he’s progressing.

But, the other QB in the game has been at it for a while, and with the chance to give his team more distance in the NFC North, he’ll be intent on showing the young gunslinger that he’s got plenty left in the tank.

This is one that I might flip-flop on before game time, but for now, I’ll take the Packers to win it, based on their strong defense and the expectation that the ground game will give old #4 some much-needed assistance.

Score: Green Bay 28, Denver 21

Anyway, on to the predictions. Instead of doing a preview of the schedule and then the predictions, I decided that I’d combine the two.

N.Y. Giants vs. Miami (London): In the NFL’s most-recent attempt to bring football to a land that already has plenty of it, the hot Giants take on the cold Dolphins at London’s Wembley Stadium. A lot of people are wondering how the travel would affect both teams, but for the Giants, a trip to London is no worse than going cross-country to Seattle. And, for the Dolphins, jetlag can’t be used as an excuse when you’re as bad as they are. Maybe a little trip is what Miami needs, but then again, this isn’t much of a vacation. I’d prefer for the Giants to lose, so they can get off of Dallas’ back in the East, but the Dolphins are going to have to play their best game of the season and then some in order to cool off the Giants, who have taken the heat off of Tom Coughlin - for now.

Score: N.Y. Giants 28, Miami 14

Washington at New England: No one’s giving the Redskins a chance in this one, as the odds makers have Washington as a three-score underdog. Most 4-2 teams would seemingly get a little more respect than that, but the Patriots have annihilated all seven of their opponents thus far, which apparently means there’s no reason to think that they won’t do otherwise to Washington.

The Redskins defense could keep them in it for a while longer than expected, but the offense is going to have to produce more than it has for most of the season in order to really keep up. You’ve got to take the Patriots, but it might turn out to be a lot more interesting than your online bookie thinks.

Score: New England 31, Washington 17

Philadelphia at Minnesota: The Eagles have been overly underwhelming this season, and while many might think Sunday’s loss to Chicago might have been their low point of the season, it could very well get worse before it gets better. They face a trip to Minnesota, where starting QB Tarvaris Jackson might not play due to an broken finger suffered against the Cowboys. That might be a good thing, considering Kelly Holcomb is an upgrade from the still-developing Jackson, and has the arm to take advantage of a pass defense that has been prone to implosions thus far. The run defense has been solid, but Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor are going to put them to the test.

As for the offense, Donovan McNabb is putting up decent numbers, and so is Brian Westbrook, but they’re not translating into anything in terms of opportunities and points.

Believe it or not, I’m going to pick the Vikings right now. But, if the decision is made to start Jackson, that might change my pick.

Score: Minnesota 23, Philadelphia 17

Detroit at Chicago: In Week 5, the Bears, who were 1-3 at the time, knocked off 4-0 Green Bay 27-20 at Lambeau Field. Quite a few ‘experts’ proclaimed that was the turning point for the Bears. Then they turned around and got beaten at home the very next week by Adrian Peterson, Ryan Longwell, and the 1-3 Vikings.

Last week, Da Bears were less than two minutes away from defeat before Brian Griese led the offense 97 yards down the field for a game-winning touchdown to beat Philadelphia, which, in reality, is no big feat.

So, which Bears will show up this week? Will they continue to fool us into thinking that they’re back, or will they continue to baffle us with another inexplicable loss, much like the one that happened the last time they played the Lions. That was Griese’s first start, and that was also a game where the Lions scored an NFL-record 34 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Bears 37-27 in Week 4.

I’ll take Chicago to win, but everyone needs to hold off on the ‘they’re back!’ talk until they’re actually over .500.

Score: Chicago 27, Detroit 24

Indianapolis at Carolina: While everyone is hyping the Indianapolis-New England matchup in Week 9, both teams have business to attend to in Week 8. The Patriots have (what should be a tough one, but could be another cakewalk) the Redskins at home, while the Colts have to visit Carolina. Grandpa Testaverde will start for the Panthers again, after giving the offense a lift in last Sunday’s win over Arizona (20 of 33, 206 yards, TD, no INTs).

This could very well be a dangerous game for the Colts, but Tony Dungy knows better than to let his guys look ahead to next week, even if it is the New England Patriots.

It won’t be an easy one by any means for the Colts, but they’re playing very well on both offense and defense right now, and those are good ingredients for a cup of 7-0 soup.

Score: Indianapolis 28, Carolina 20

Cleveland at St. Louis: Right about now is when the Browns needs to start losing so that the draft pick they give the Cowboys ends up being a high one.

But, Derek Anderson (1,496 yards, 14 TD, 8 INT) is playing himself into Pro Bowl contention (and so is Braylon Edwards - 29 rec., 552 yards, 7 TD), while keeping Brady Quinn on the bench, and the Browns, after being overly dull for the past several seasons, are all of a sudden worth watching.

The Rams are still in search of their first win, and while their injury list continues to grow (starting DE Leonard Little is out), RB Steven Jackson will be in the starting lineup on Sunday after missing the last four games.

A lot of points could be scored in this one, because neither team’s strength is defense, so, if you’ve got any of these team’s offensive players on your fantasy team, start them.

As for who comes out on top, I’ll take St. Louis to get their first win of the season, because Jackson will give them a huge lift. But, one of the X-factors could be Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius (yes, he still plays), who had a huge game the last time he played in St. Louis (with Seattle in 2005, shortly after his infant son died at a hospital in St. Louis). If he has a big game, Anderson could have one of his biggest game of the season.

Score: St. Louis 35, Cleveland 31

Oakland at Tennessee: After their exciting, record-setting, last-second win over Houston last Sunday, the Titans host the Raiders on Sunday, in a game of great importance for both teams.

The Raiders have lost two in a row to fall into last place in the AFC West, and are in need of a win. Daunte Culpepper will start for an injured Josh McCown once again, and he and his teammates need to put in an inspired performance, much like the one against Miami the last time the Raiders won (35-17 at Miami in Week 4 - 2 TD passes, 3 TD runs for Culpepper, 299 rushing yards for Oakland).

The Titans have an excellent opportunity to solidify second in the AFC South (Indy has a two-game lead, and at this point, well, you’d have to think the Jaguars, Titans, and Texans are playing for second) in the next few weeks, as they have three home games against Oakland, Carolina, and Jacksonville. This stretch comes as the Jaguars (also at 4-2) will likely be without starting QB David Garrard during a stretch that sees them play the Saints, Bucs, Titans, and Chargers.

Tennessee will have Vince Young back in action for Sunday, after he missed the Houston game. It was big for the Titans to show they could take care of business (the hard way, apparently) without Young, so that should help their confidence now that he is back in there.

Score: Tennessee 26, Oakland 17

In the first half, it looked like there might have been some hangover from the previous Sunday, as Dallas dominated the first half but shot themselves in the foot with two fumbles in Minnesota territory, the latter of which was returned for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 14-7 halftime lead.

But, great defense, a huge special teams play, and finally getting back to the basics led Dallas to a second-half shutout and their sixth victory of the season.

The game turned in the third quarter, after a Mat McBriar punt pinned Minnesota at the 7. The Vikings were pushed back to the 2, and after a three and out, Dallas wound up with the ball at the Minnesota 36 after the punt return and a personal four penalty.

Five plays later, Marion Barber scored from the 1, and it was 14-all. Minnesota promptly drove into Dallas territory, but the defense rose to the challenge again and forced the Vikings into a 49-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by Chris Canty, picked up by Pat Watkins, and returned by the second-year safety for a 68-yard touchdown that put the Cowboys ahead for good late in the third.

Romo was 31 of 39 for 277 yards and a touchdown, and came within three completions of tying Troy Aikman’s record for completions in a game. At the half, it looked like he would obliterate that record, as he was 28 of 32 in the first half. But, he only threw eight passes in the second half, so the record will have to wait another day. And, T.O., after disappearing in the last few games, broke out of his mini-slump with seven catches for 103 yards and a first-quarter touchdown.

And, along with the offense having another productive day, the defense had one of its best performances of the season in shutting down the Vikings and making sure the offense had ample opportunity to sew up a victory.

Anyway, on to the analysis, because that’s what I’m here for, right?

Offensive MVP: Barber. My fiancee isn’t a huge football fan, but she commented last night that Barber was her favorite player, because, in her words, ‘it’s all him.’ And, she’s really not far from the truth, because when he gets touches, he always makes the best of them.

In the last three games, he had only 25 carries as the Cowboys went away from him against St. Louis, Buffalo, and New England, but gained 127 yards on those carries (more than five yards per carry). And, on Sunday, he got 19 carries and ran for 96 yards and made four receptions, while scoring his first touchdown since Week 3. On the game-tying touchdown drive, he had four carries on the five-play drive, and when Dallas needed to ice the game late, he carried the ball for all nine plays of the drive and gained 64 yards, including a 21-yard on a 3rd and 2 with four minutes to go and a 24-yard run two plays later to put a stamp on the win.

Point blank, get him the ball (and not just because my fiancee says so).

Defensive MVP: Bradie James had his best game of the season, racking up nine tackles (six solo, three assists), a sack, and a fumble recovery.

But, he wasn’t the only one stood out. Greg Ellis continues to make up for lost time, as he had two sacks of Tavaris Jackson on Sunday. He already has 4.5 sacks in four games, which equals his nine-game total from last season.

And, DeMarcus Ware, though he saw his four-game sack streak come to an end, also made Jackson’s day miserable as well, pressuring him several times, including nearly forcing a safety in the third.

Offensive Analysis: Romo got the ball to the two guys he needs to get it to in T.O. and Jason Witten (10 catches for 86 yards), though he did miss on a potentially big gainer to Witten early in the fourth, a play after Witten juggled a first-down catch.

But, while we know Romo can sling it, it’s no secret that the run game needs to be a presence, no matter if Romo throws it 83 times in a game. Sunday was an improvement over the previous two weeks (when the opposition took the run out of it, due to the Cowboys having to play from behind), because when you’ve got two backs who run hard and run well, they need to be a part of the game, may it be carrying the ball or making catches.

Defensive Analysis: Tom Brady and Tarvaris Jackson are on two different ends of the spectrum. Brady had five touchdown passes in one half against the Dolphins on Sunday, while Jackson has four in six NFL starts.

But, one wonders if a defensive effort like the one on Sunday may have slowed the Patriots down. The D did what they did for part of the time against New England and applied it to the entire game against the Vikings, limiting Minnesota to very few big plays, harassing the young QB, and slowing down the NFL’s leading rusher.

Jackson was held to 6 of 19 passing for 72 yards, was sacked three times, and pressured countless more times. And, Adrian Peterson, while he had a 20-yard touchdown run on the opening drive, was held to 63 yards on 12 carries when he came in averaging 121.4 on 19 carries per game. He and Chester Taylor did have some nice runs in the second half, and there were a couple of times when Minnesota moved the ball well, but after that first-drive touchdown, the defense stepped up every time it needed to.

Overall Analysis: Frankly, it should have been over at halftime, as the Cowboys could have been up 21-7 or more, if not for the two fumbles and a missed field goal.

But, it was good to see how they parlayed that first-half dominance into points and a lead in the second half. The victory was a lot more resounding than the score indicates, because there were some missed opportunities on offense, but there’s no question about the all-around dominance (381-196 advantage in total yards, 36:35 to 23:25 advantage in time of possession).

Something does need to be done about the slow starts. They nearly got burned for it against Buffalo, and it made things extremely difficult against New England (when you have to battle back from 14-0 down in the first, by the time you take that third-quarter lead, it’s going to be a little difficult to hold on for 25 minutes against one of the best). You can get away with it when you’re playing the weaker teams, but with two games against Philadelphia (who continues to baffle, and not in the good way), two against Washington, and the Giants, Packers, Lions remaining, along with two other tough ones against Carolina and the Jets, slow starts can’t keep happening if Dallas wants to seriously be a contender.

But, a win’s a win, and coming off of the loss, it’s a good way to go into the bye week.

Looking Ahead

Speaking of the bye week, Dallas is off this coming week before embarking on a tough final nine weeks.

Coming off of the bye, they face their NFC East rivals, first going to Philadelphia and then New York, before coming back home to face the Redskins.

That three-week stretch will determine a lot, not only in the NFC East race, but also in the NFC playoff race, as the Cowboys, Giants, and Packers are above everyone else in the battle for first-round byes and in the running for home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Philadelphia is 2-4, and squandered a win against the Bears on Sunday by allowing Brian Griese to drive Chicago 97 yards in the final two minutes to score the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds to go and give Chicago a 19-16 win at Lincoln Financial.

For all of the talent that the Eagles have, they’ve underperformed thus far, and have had some embarrassments (giving up 12 sacks to the Giants, fumbling away the season opener at Green Bay, and looking anemic on offense in a home loss to Washington, along with Sunday’s loss). But, there’s no denying that you can’t overlook them, no matter how bad they seem to look.

The Eagles (and their fans) will be fired up for the game in two Sundays, and will be intent on putting a damper on Dallas’ run to the NFC title.

But, the Cowboys will have their own intentions, as they want to keep rolling on towards an NFC East title and postseason glory.

And, it’s Cowboys-Eagles. That’s enough right there, especially given the two losses to Philly last year, and how the Eagles put a stake through the Cowboys’ NFC East title hopes at Texas Stadium last Christmas Day.

The bye week will also hopefully allow Anthony Henry the necessary time to get back to full strength, and for the rest of the team to heal their nicks and get re-focused for what will be a tough, but hopefully, successful remainder of the season.

The punt takes a nice roll, going alll the way down to the Minnesota 9 to put the Vikings in poor field position yet again. McBriar has punted three times today for an average of 53.8 yards, and all three punts have gone inside the 20.

11:51: On the first play, Jason Hatcher knocks the ball loose from Peterson, and Bradie James recovers the ball at the Minnesota 22. If Dallas can get in the end zone here, that would all but seal the victory.

11:01: The drive stalls with the Cowboys being unable to go nowhere, actually lose yardage on a third down sack that puts them back at the 28, but Folk drills the field goal to put Dallas up 10. Given that the Vikings haven’t quite been able to crack the Cowboys defense today, that might be enough to breathe easy.

9:28: On 2nd and 3, Jackson finds Troy Williamson for 21 yards, and the Vikings, like they have in their last couple of drives, are moving the ball close to midfield. Bend, don’t break time again for the Dallas defense.

8:17: On second down, James sacks Jackson, which is the first sack of the day for the defense. James is having an excellent game, as he has nine total tackles (six solo, three assists).

On third down, the pass is incomplete, and once again, the defense comes up with the stop when they need to. However, the offense will be up against it, as the punt goes out of bounds at the 1. A few first downs would go a long way, as the Vikings only have one timeout, and are down two scores with time running out.

6:32: The Vikings make a relatively quick stop, limiting Barber on two runs and then forcing an incompletion from Romo on third down. Minnesota should get the ball back in pretty good field position, so, it’s not over just yet.

6:21: The Vikings get the ball at the 45 after McBriar’s punt, but go incompletion, incompletion, sack on the drive, and instead of oging for it on fourth down, will punt on fourth down, and Crayton makes the fair catch at the 19 with five and a half minutes to go. Once again, a couple of first downs could finish it off.

4:00: Barber goes for four yards on each of the first two plays, then busts a 21-yard run to get a crucial first down. That might do it, but one more would be good.

2:30: And there it is, as Barber gets loose again, running hard and getting inside the 30 on a 24-yard run on a 2nd and 6 play. The Vikings are forced to take their final timeout, and that should wrap it up. Barber now has 89 yards on 15 carries, with 57 of those yards coming on this drive.

2:00: Barber goes for two yards on the final play before the two-minute warning, taking his total to 91 yards and taking the clock down to the two-minute mark.

1:00: Barber gets stopped for a two-yard gain on third and 7, and the Cowboys take a timeout with 28 seconds to play. They don’t need to kick the field goal, and just give it to Barber on fourth down. He gets only two yards on the play, and will finish four yards short of the 100-yard mark.

Jackson gets sacked by Ellis on the first play of the drive, and for some reason, he decides to spike it to give the Vikings one more play. That ends with an inconsequential pass completion, and it’s all over from Texas Stadium, as the Cowboys overcome a couple of first-half mistakes and a 14-7 halftime deficit, and score 17 points in the third quarter en route to a 24-14 win.

The Dallas defense did an excellent job of limiting the Vikings all day, and the Cowboys got significant plays on offense and special teams to carry them to their sixth victory in seven games, which keeps them alone in first place in the NFC East. The Giants beat the 49ers today to go to 5-2, and the Redskins held off the Cardinals 21-19 to go to 4-2, while the Eagles gave up a touchdown to Chicago in the final seconds to lose 19-16 and drop to 2-4. The Eagles will be Dallas’ next opponent, as the Cowboys will travel to Philadelphia following next week’s bye week.

11:18: On third and five from the 40, Romo scrambles and comes up a yard short of the first-down marker. The Cowboys punt and pin Minnesota back at the 7.

9:36: On the first play, Tavaris Jackson has to get the ball off before he’s nailed near the goal line, and gets called for intentional grounding, which puts the ball just outside the white line. On the next two plays, Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor just miss getting tackled for safeties, and the Vikings have to punt.

Chris Kluwe gets off an excellent kick, and Crayton has to retreat to the Dallas 40 to take the 58-yard boomer. He returns it to the 49, but the Cowboys will start at the Minnesota 36 after a Vikings’ player gets a personal foul for going out of bounds and not making an attempt to get back in.

Dallas is virtually being handed a golden opportunity to score, so we’ll see if they take full advantage of it.

7:45: Barber busts a nine-yard run on the first play of the drive, and then gets a first down to the 25. On the next play, Romo finds T.O. on the right sideline inside the 5, and the Cowboys are in business. T.O. has gotten his wish and has seen plenty of balls his way, and is already over 100 yards.

7:00: Two plays later, Barber barrels in from the 1, and the Cowboys are an extra point away from tying it. Or, maybe not. One ref made the touchdown call, while the other didn’t, so we’ll wait and see what it is. And, after a few seconds of deliberation, it is indeed ruled a touchdown, but Minnesota’s Brad Childress will challenge the call. Wade Phillips already used both of his challenges (won one, lost one), so the coaches are defintely making use of the red flags today.

After the short review, the play is rightfully upheld, and the Vikings allow their first rushing touchdown of the season, as Barber gets into the end zone for the first time since the Chicago game.

4:00: The Vikings convert a third and 8 from the Dallas 26 with a 16-yard completion from Jackson to Bobby Wade, and the next two plays get the Vikings into scoring position as Jackson scrambles for 12 yards, and Peterson busts loose for a 15-yard run before he’s upended at the Dallas 31.

3:05: Dallas makes an impressive defensive stop, stuffing Taylor for no gain on first down and then forcing two incompletions from Jackson to make the Vikings have to attempt a 48-yard field goal. The Vikings have to use their second timeout due to unpreparedness.

2:52: Chris Canty is up front for a reason. The 6′7 Canty uses his frame with optimal effectiveness, blocking Longwell’s field goal. Pat Watkins picks up the loose ball and takes it the other way, streaking down the left sideline into the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown return to put the Cowboys ahead.

End of the third: Peterson and Taylor gain 12 and 16 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive, but from there, the Cowboys defense stands tall and stops the Vikings short on a 3rd down to get the ball back as we begin the fourth.

Both teams scored on their first drive, and due to both taking up most of the first quarter, each team has had only a handful of possessions thus far. The Cowboys opened the game by going 80 yards in 14 plays, and Tony Romo found T.O. for a 5-yard touchdown. The Vikings responded by going 69 yards in 11 plays, and Adrian Peterson scored on a 20-yard run.

And, while I’m typing this, Crayton makes a catch right out of the two-minute warning, the ball gets knocked loose, Ben Leber scoops it up, then pitches it to Cedric Griffin, who returns it for a touchdown.

That’s the second time in the game that the Cowboys have hurt themselves with a fumble on a potential scoring drive. On the previous drive, Dallas went to the 9, but then Romo was hit, the ball came loose, and the Vikings recovered.

On this play, it looks like Romo may have injured himself, and he hobbled off the field, careful not to put weight on one leg. He’s had a great first half, going 21 of 24 for 182 yards, but those two fumbles have cost he and Dallas dearly, as instead of it being a double-digit Dallas lead, the Vikings are ahead 14-7.

It looks like Romo might have injured his hamstring, but all indications are that he’s going to stay in. How effective he’ll be, well, we’ll just have to see.

Minnesota has done next to nothing on offense, and Peterson has been bottled up outside of his touchdown run, but those turnovers have kept them in it and given them a chance to win. As for Dallas, the offense is on pace for another 400-plus yard day, though the run game hasn’t been used all that much, as has been the case in the last few games.

0:28: Romo indeed stays in, and has the Cowboys on the move, completing two passes to Jason Witten, one to Marion Barber, and one to T.O. to get Dallas inside the Minnesota 40 with plenty of time still on the clock.

0:20: Romo throws his 30th pass of the half and completes it to Barber, but it goes nowhere, and Barber gets tackled in-bounds, so Dallas has to use their second timeout.

Halftime: Romo, under pressure, throws to Barber, which loses one yard and forces Dallas to use their final timeout. On third down, Romo completes a pass to Witten, and he gets it to the 32, so Folk will come on for a long field goal attempt, which misses wide left. So, the Cowboys have driven into Minnesota territory four times in five possessions and outgained the Vikings 250-77, and gotten 16 first downs to Minnesota’s five, but the Vikings go into halftime thanking the man above that they somehow have a 14-7 lead.

As for the Giants offense, San Francisco’s defense has been pretty good, but when you’ve got very little offense, it doesn’t matter what your defense does. I’ll take the Giants to win their fifth straight (you’re one lucky man, Tom Coughlin!).

Score: New York 24, San Francisco 6

New England at Miami: Wouldn’t it be nice for the Dolphins to ruin New England’s unbeaten hopes and preserve their piece of history? As great as the Patriots are playing right now, it’s certainly possible, because New England has struggled at Miami in the last several years, losing four of their last six contests at Miami and not playing overwhelmingly well in the two wins (by six and seven points).

Unfortunately, if the Dolphins defense keeps playing like it has, they’ll just be another victim of the machine. I’ll go with recent history and say Miami gives the Patriots a stiff challenge, but ultimately, Brady and Co. will be 7-0.

Score: New England 27, Miami 17

Tennessee at Houston: Vince Young may not play today, due to a nagging quad injury. Even if he does play, he’ll be much less than 100 percent. The Texans still don’t have Andre Johnson, which hurts their offense, but they’ll find a way to win today, because the Titans offense just isn’t the same with Young out or at half-speed.

Score: Houston 23, Tennessee 14

Baltimore at Buffao: Steve McNair won’t play today, so Kyle Boller will start for the Ravens. Their offense hasn’t been that productive recently, but the defense has gotten back to playing like it’s supposed to. The Bills won’t go down without a fight, but in the end, they will go down.

Score: Baltimore 17, Buffalo 9

Tampa Bay at Detroit: With the Bucs’ ground game a concern, Jeff Garcia has to throw more. But, he’s gone without an interception thus far, and against a bad defense, could have his best day of the season.

As for the Lions, they face a tall task of producing against the tough Bucs defense - which can be penetrated by a good offense. So, there’s hope for Detroit, especially with Kevin Jones returning to full-time starter duty.

But, I’ll take the Bucs to prevail in this one.

Score: Tampa Bay 27, Detroit 24

Atlanta at New Orleans: Will Byron Leftwich recharge the Falcons offense? Will the Saints fall right back into mediocrity after an impressive win last week? Those questions and more will be answered when these two NFC South rivals tangle today. The Saints may finally be turning the corner, but need to show it in a game they should have no problem winning.

It’s been a rough first year for Bobby Petrino, and if he’s wishing he was still at Louisville, well, too bad. The misery continues today, because, until Leftwich actually shows he’s better than Joey Harrington, the Falcons are still very, very bad.

Score: New Orleans 28, Atlanta 13

Arizona at Washington: Tim Rattay is starting for the Cardinals today, in place of Kurt Warner, who still may see some action despite the torn ligament in his non-throwing elbow. It’s better that he stay on the sidelines, because the Washington defense isn’t one that you should be testing an injury against. Washington could very well be 5-0, if not for two close losses, but after today, they’ll just be 4-2, which isn’t too shabby in the least. The maturation of Jason Campbell continues.

Score: Washington 20, Arizona 10

2007 Results: beat Atlanta 24-3, lost at Detroit 20-17, lost at Kansas City 13-10, lost to Green Bay 23-16, bye in Week 5, won at Chicago 34-31.

Offense

Where they Rank (NFL)

Points Per Game: 20.2 (t16th)
Yards Per Game: 353.8 (13th)
Pass Yards Per Game: 183.6 (28th)
Rush Yards Per Game: 170.2 (1st)

Personnel

Second-year QB Tavaris Jackson is the Vikings’ starter under center, and makes his sixth career start on Sunday. Jackson missed two games with a groin injury this season, and is still being bothered by it, but returned against Chicago, going 9 of 23 for 136 yards and a touchdown. On the season, he is 39 of 79 (49.4%) for 465 yards, 2 TD, and 5 INT.

Adrian Peterson is only a rookie, but he’s quickly making a big name for himself. Not only is he the focus of Minnesota’s offense and the leader of the #1 rushing offense in the league, but he’s also the league’s leading rusher. Last week against the Bears, he ran for 224 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns, and has 607 yards and four touchdowns thus far. If he can keep it up, he could legitimately challenge Eric Dickerson’s rookie rushing record of 1,808 yards, set in 1983, and push for a 2,000-yard season. Peterson is also one of the team’s leading receivers with 10 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown.

Former Tennessee Titan Bobby Wade is Minnesota’s leading receiver, with 18 catches for 203 yards. Two former South Carolina Gamecocks are in Minnesota’s receiver rotation, in third-year receiver Troy Williamson (8 catches, 134, TD) and rookie Sidney Rice (11 catches, 119 yards, TD).

Defense

Where they Rank

Points Allowed Per Game: 18.0 (13th)
Yards Allowed Per Game: 370.8 (26th)
Pass Yards Allowed Per Game: 304.6 (32nd)
Rush Yards Allowed Per Game: 66.2 (1st)

Personnel

The Vikings play a 4-3 defense, and up front, start Kenechi Udeze and Ray Edwards on the ends, with Kevin and Pat Williams (no relation) stuffing the middle at tackle. Rookie end Brian Robison sees regular time and leads the team in sacks with three.

The starting linebackers from left to right are Ben Leber, E.J. Henderson, and Chad Greenway. Henderson is the team’s leading tackler with 39, while Greenway is second with 35.

In the secondary, the Vikes will have won starter missing, as veteran free safety Dwight Smith will miss today’s game with an ankle injury. In his place, Tank Williams will likely start.

As for the rest of the secondary, veteran Antoine Winfield starts at left corner, with Cedric Griffin on the other side. At strong safety, it’s another veteran back there in Darren Sharper. The three-time Pro Bowler has two interceptions this season, and now has 51 in his 11-year career.

Special Teams

Ryan Longwell has long been one of the NFL’s top kickers, and he showed why last week, nailing a career-long 55-yard field goal as time ran out to give the Vikings a win over the Bears. On the season, Longwell is 8 of 9 on field goals and 11 of 11 on extra points. Longwell, in his 11th year in the league and second with the Vikings, is 255 of 311 on field goals (82%) and 414 of 419 on extra points.

Chris Kluwe is averaging 43.8 yards per punt and has punt more than half (15 of 29) kicks inside the 20.

Peterson, Williams, and rookie receiver Aundrae Allison are the kick returners, and collectively average nearly 30 yards per return. All three have returns for over 50 yards this season.

Wade is the primary punt returner, and hasn’t fared as well, as he’s averaging only 5.8 yards per return on eight returns.

The Vikings punt coverage is 27th in the league, one place above Dallas, giving up 13.4 yards per return. The kick coverage team, however, has done a much better job, giving up only 20.5 yards per return, which is fifth in the league.