No more second chances, it all comes down to this. The Dallas Cowboys will duke it out against the Washington Redskins for the NFC East title and a spot in the playoffs Sunday at 8:20 p.m. EST (NBC).
Much of the Cowboys' success rides on star running back DeMarco Murray. Lucky for Dallas, unlike last year and much of the 2012-13 season, Murray is healthy and motivated to be the difference the team needs to capture victory in this winner-take-all match up. When the Cowboys were in a similar scenario in 2011, the playmaker was sitting at home with his leg elevated watching along with everyone else. Murray was forced to miss the final three games of his rookie season with a fractured right ankle.
"It's always stressful not being out there with your teammates and not playing, no matter if it's preseason, practice or anything," said Murray, the Dallas Morning News reported. "For me as a competitor and how much I love this team and love football, it's hard to watch. Just being out here, I'm blessed and thankful."
The Cowboys are on pace to tie the team's franchise record for fewest carries in a 16-game season (355) and to set a new team record for fewest rushing yards in a 16-game season, according to the Dallas Morning News. With Murray absent for six games in the middle of the season with a sprained foot, the Cowboys have largely been forced to rely on Felix Jones with diminishing returns.
In the first match up between the Redskins and Cowboys earlier this season, Dallas fell behind the Redskins 28-3 in the second quarter and ran the ball only 11 times in the 38-31 loss, tying the team record for second-fewest attempts in a game, only one more than the franchise low.
In his last two games, Murray has 25 carries for 121 yards and one touchdown. With a healthy Murray back, the Dallas playmaker could have a career game if he's firing on all cylinders, and that could spell trouble for the Redskin defense. Of course, if he fumbles like he did in the Cowboys game against the Saints, everything is up for grabs.
"I think this helps everybody being back and having a rhythm and having consistency," Cowboys offensive coordinator Bill Callahan said. "I think it's obviously an advantage and is a little bit better than what we were going into [the first Redskins game]."
Murray's focused on his game, trying to learn from his mistakes, and dedicated to being a game-changing catalyst Sunday, teammates say, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported.
"To be successful, I think you've got to be able to run the ball," Murray said. "You don't want to be one-dimensional. You want to open up the passing game, help with the play-action pass and things like that.
"We're not worried about anything else or trying to keep them off the field. We're just trying to help the offense make plays, play good situational football. Running the football is going to be a key for this game."
If Dallas can get its running game working smoothly early on, that should open up the team's most dangerous receivers, like starter Dez Bryant who has been positively electric for the Cowboys offense this season. Bryant has posted 11 touchdowns in the last six games alone and is coming off a career day against New Orleans last week with 224 yards on nine catches and two touchdowns.
Either way, the Redskins are no cakewalk; the game should be one of the most exciting match ups of the regular season. QB Robert Griffin III is hungry enough to make any doubters eat their words and wash them down with his record-breaking performances. The rookie recorded more than 300 passing yards and executed the play-action game to perfection in his first career matchup against America's Team. Griffin plays with a confidence well beyond his years. The young QB has thrown eight touchdowns in the last four games and just two interceptions.
For their part, the Cowboys remain confident their star running back Murray will break open the field against the Redskins.
"We have a tremendous amount of confidence in DeMarco," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "He's done a lot of really good things for us. We're going to hand him the ball and give him every opportunity. He knows more than anybody else the importance of ball security. He's had a couple [of fumbles] the last couple weeks.... That really led to points and took points away from us. He knows that better than anybody else.
"He's carried the ball a lot in his life, and he understands the importance of securing it and making sure he can be a reliable guy that way. We'll give him some chances, though. There's no doubt about that."
Murray says his foot is in good condition and that he isn't worried about fumbling.
"I just try to play hard, try to play fast," Murray said, the Star-Telegram reported.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
