Cowboys vs. Steelers
With Barber Out, December Becomes More Difficult
http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/ne...E41E1E39285DE4
GAME SET WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
WHEN: Sunday, 3:15 p.m. (CST)
WHERE: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
TELEVISION: Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver)
BIG ISSUE: The Cowboys already were in for a long, tough December, but that four-game bumpy road immediately became more difficult Saturday morning when the Cowboys decided starting running back Marion Barber would not make the trip on the team's charter flight to Pittsburgh later that day. While the Cowboys had at least listed Barber "questionable" on Friday after he did not practice all week because of the dislocated right little toe he suffered on Thanksgiving Day, they decided after the Saturday morning walk-through he had not improved enough to play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That means rookie Tashard Choice will make his NFL starting debut against not only the top-ranked defense in the NFL but also the league's top defense against the run and the pass. There is no word yet if Barber might be ready to go next Sunday against the Giants at Texas Stadium, and that has to be a concern for the Cowboys since the four teams they must face in December not only have a combined 34-13-1 record, but also go into Sunday's games as the No. 1, 2, 3 and 7 defenses in the NFL - definitely a daunting task for a team which has faded down the stretch in recent years. Nevertheless, the Cowboys still need to win to keep pace in the NFC wild-card race, and could take the lead depending on the outcome of a few NFC South games. Currently, the Cowboys trail two NFC South teams - Carolina (9-3) and Atlanta (8-4) - for the two wild-card playoff spots. But, if Carolina beats Tampa Bay (9-3) on Monday night to take over first place in the NFC South and the Cowboys win, the Cowboys would then move into the tiebreaker spot since they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bucs. And the Cowboys could pick up some help if Atlanta loses to the Saints (6-6) on Sunday in New Orleans.
The Steelers' postseason positioning isn't exactly sewn up either. Home-field advantage is edging closer and closer to the 11-1 Tennessee Titans at the top of the AFC, but the Steelers are still playing for a first-round bye. To get that bye, the Steelers need to have the second-best record in the conference at season's end. Pittsburgh is currently second in the AFC, but AFC North rival Baltimore is holding onto a wild-card spot at 8-4 and right on the Steelers' heels. If Baltimore ends up with the better record, the Ravens win the division, and Pittsburgh would be scrambling for a wild-card spot. Beating the Cowboys would go a long way toward securing that first-round bye.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: Since the Steelers have limited all 12 opponents to less than 300 total yards offense, many experts are quick to count out the Cowboys, questioning whether they can produce enough offense against such a defense. But in the two losses the Cowboys have suffered with quarterback Tony Romo under center, moving the football has not been an issue, Romo eclipsing the 300-yard mark by himself against Washington in Week 4 (300 yards passing) and against Arizona in Week 6 (321 yards passing).
The Steelers' defense is a dominant one, ranking No. 1 in the NFL in 10 team categories. Most impressive, along with stopping 12 consecutive opponents for less than 300 yards - two short of matching the NFL record of 14 set by the Los Angeles Rams in 1973 - is holding opponents to a league-best 3.9 yards a play. And while the Steelers have 20 takeaways, only once have they taken one of those turnovers back for a touchdown.
ONE-ON-ONE: The Cowboys have to be overjoyed DeMarcus Ware, the NFL's leader in sacks (15), will be able to play Sunday. Ware hyper-extended his knee on Thanksgiving against Seattle and only returned to practice this Thursday wearing a brace. Ware, coming off a three-sack game, will draw a lot of attention from Pittsburgh blockers, who have given up the sixth-most sacks in the league (36). Ware will likely be doubled most of the time, but on the rare occasion he does end up one-on-one against fifth-year tackle Max Starks, starting in place of the injured Marvel Smith, expect him to make the Steelers pay.
The Cowboys showed on Thanksgiving Jason Witten is still a relevant part of their passing game, and the Cowboys will need another productive day from Witten to beat the vaunted Steelers defense. Witten will find himself working against Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu a lot. Polamalu is a defensive enforcer who flies all over the field, so the Cowboys would like to limit his effect on the game by at least keeping him occupied in coverage. To do that, they'll make sure to work Witten against him in the passing game, drawing coverage away from wide receivers Roy Williams and Terrell Owens.
SUPPORTING ROLE: With Barber already declared out of this game, Choice will make the first start of his NFL career. Choice played well in relief of Barber in the second half of the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day win against Seattle when their Pro Bowl running back suffered the dislocation, rushing for 57 yards on 11 carries, and the Cowboys will need a productive day from him to keep the Steelers defense honest. Certainly running the ball effectively will be important for Choice, but equally important will be knowing his blitz pickups along with making good decisions on when to release out of the backfield to become a receiver in the passing game. The Cowboys also made a good decision on Friday to sign first-year running back Alonzo Coleman off their practice squad just in case Barber couldn't go, ensuring they would have at least two healthy running backs on game day. Coleman, who spent all last year on the Cowboys practice and should know the playbook well enough, must be ready if Choice needs a breathier.
With Steelers starting defensive end Brett Keisel set to miss his second straight game with a knee injury, veteran Travis Kirschke, in his 12th year in the league, is set to receive his second consecutive start. Kirschke has started three other games this season when Keisel was injured. In his four starts this season, Kirschke has recorded 18 total tackles, although he doesn't have much starting experience throughout his career. Lining up at right end, Kirschke will butt helmets with another fill-in, Cowboys left guard Montrae Holland, who will start his second consecutive game in place of starter Kyle Kosier, recently placed on injured-reserve and who had surgery on Friday to repair ligament damage in his foot. He may also at times work against Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams when the Cowboys bring a tight end to the left side to block, allowing Holland and Cowboys center Andre Gurode to double team Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton.
HEADSET GAMES: The Steelers haven't allowed a team to gain 300 yards of total offense all season, but don't expect the Cowboys not to try. Dallas lives and dies by the big play, and despite the opposing defense and the probably cruddy weather and field conditions on Sunday, the Cowboys will still take their shots. The last thing they want is to turn this into a grind-it-out, ball-control game. If Barber was available, the Cowboys might have had a chance in that type of contest. So without him and knowing Choice has never had more than 11 carries in an NFL game, most of the offensive burden will fall on Romo. The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback must play mistake-free football and spread the ball around to Owens, Williams and Witten to keep the Steelers honest. In two of the Steelers' three losses this year, they did not record a takeaway.
The Steelers' offense hasn't blown anyone away recently, but the way their defense is playing, they receive a lot of help. So the Cowboys' defense can't be giving up a bunch of points. The Cowboys must first make sure they control the struggling Steelers running attack, forcing Roethlisberger to make plays down the field. The Steelers quarterback has struggled some this year without a strong rushing attack, having thrown 13 touchdown passes and been intercepted 12 times. Plus, he's been getting sacked much too often, so it will be imperative the Cowboys continue to get pressure on Roethlisberger as the game wears on.
HEALTH WATCH:
Cowboys
The injury misfortune simply continues for the Cowboys, first having to play three games without Romo, then six without Terence Newman, now a 10th without Kyle Kosier (foot surgery on Friday) and safety Roy Williams, and on top of all that, the first without Barber (toe). And it must be troubling for the Cowboys that this injury occurred 10 days ago, and he's still not ready to play. Thankfully, Ware was able to get back into practice on Thursday after hyper-extending his left knee against Seattle and is listed as probable and will start Sunday. The Cowboys still will be without backup wide receiver Miles Austin and rookie corner Mike Jenkins, neither practicing all week and already ruled out of this game. Somewhat troubling was Roy Williams' absence from practice on Friday with a foot problem, but he is being listed as probable, along with backup wide receiver Isaiah Stanback (shoulder).
Steelers
The Steelers already know they'll be without the services of starting left tackle Marvel Smith (back) and starting defensive end Brett Keisel (knee) since both are listed as out. The rest of the players on the injury report are listed as probable - backup defensive end Travis Kirschke (back), backup corner Bryant McFadden (forearm), starting running back Willie Parker (shoulder, knee), starting strong safety Troy Polamalu (calf), starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (knee), and starting defensive end Aaron Smith (knee).