[Underdog]

Cowboys vs. Rams
No Matter What, Beating Rams Is A Must For Cowboys


GAME SET
WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (4-2) at St. Louis Rams (1-4)
WHEN: Sunday, Noon (CDT)
WHERE: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
TELEVISION: Fox (Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa)

BIG ISSUE: And you thought last week was a busy one for the Cowboys. This week, with cornerback Adam Jones getting suspended, trading for wide receiver Roy Williams and playing the what-if game with quarterback Tony Romo's pinkie finger, the Cowboys must be careful as ever to not lose focus of the task at hand - beating the Rams. While the previous week's distractions didn't seem to affect the actual play (they played poorly, but not because of the Pacman circus), that doesn't mean the Cowboys will be equally immune this week. The Rams just upset the Washington Redskins on the road, so their 1-4 record really doesn't matter Sunday. Again, with every NFC East team losing last Sunday except for the Eagles, the Cowboys have a chance to snatch the division lead by beating the Rams if both the Redskins and Giants lose again. At any rate, they need to win to keep pace.

Since firing Scott Linehan and replacing him with Jim Haslett as interim head coach, the Rams are playing a lot better than they did during their 0-4 start. Getting back into the division race is a tough task, but not impossible, especially in the weak NFC West, where only one team is above .500 (the Cardinals). St. Louis took advantage of key Washington mistakes last Sunday, and against a Cowboys team that has so many ifs going into Sunday's match-up, such opportunistic play could mean a second-straight win for the Rams.

NUMBERS, PLEASE: With Cowboys backup quarterback Brad Johnson likely to start Sunday (assuming the Cowboys don't deem it necessary to risk further injury to Romo against a one-win team), it makes sense to take a look at the 40-year-old statistically. Johnson's career stats: 28,627 passing yards, 164 touchdowns, 117 interceptions, 171 yards a game, 61.8 completion percentage, and an 83.1 quarterback rating. Johnson won't blow the top off statistically (he's never had a quarterback rating more than 93.0 for an entire season), but he won't throw it away either (he's only had a completion percentage below 60 once, and that was 59.5 during his first year of limited play in 1994).

The Rams offense has its share of problems, but the defense may be more to blame for the team's poor performance. The Rams defense ranks dead last in scoring (32.8 points per game), 30th against the run (169 yards per game), 25th against the pass (234 yards per game), and 31st in total yards allowed (403 per game).

ONE-ON-ONE: The Rams offense lives and dies by the production of running back Steven Jackson. While Jackson's production so far this season has been mere shades of the numbers he's put up in previous years, he is still a dynamic threat both running and catching the football. Since Jackson can make plays all over the field, the Cowboy who will be there at the end of them most often will be linebacker Zach Thomas. Thomas has a team-leading 71 tackles, and is flying around the field like he did during his heyday with the Miami Dolphins. If he and the Cowboys can limit Jackson's yardage, the Rams will be hard-pressed to find other ways to move the chains.

Rams rookie right defensive end Chris Long has by far been the most productive of St. Louis' defensive linemen this season. He leads the defensive line with 27 tackles, and has two sacks through five games. It will be up to Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams to stymie Long, who will do his best to get to whoever is playing quarterback on Sunday. Last Sunday against the Cardinals, pass rushers were consistently getting by the Cowboys' tackles, using mainly speed to get around the edge, hitting quarterback Tony Romo from behind far too many times. Long, at 6-3, 263 pounds, is light on his feet as far as defensive linemen go, and will try and use his quickness to get by Adams in a similar fashion. Adams, in his 11th season, does have the advantage of experience, and is unlikely to have two bad games in a row.

SUPPORTING ROLE: Who isn't playing in a supporting role this week for the Cowboys? Backup quarterback Brad Johnson, at 40, will likely start his first game since 2006 in place of Romo, although the Cowboys don't plan on announcing who is starting until Sunday. Johnson is not as mobile nor does he have the arm strength Romo has, but he can still manage a game well and will make few mistakes.

Newly acquired wide receiver Roy Williams said he only expects to see spot duty this week, although receivers coach Ray Sherman expects him to be involved early, especially in the red zone. Williams is a Pro-Bowl caliber receiver and should draw coverage away from Cowboys go-to receiver Terrell Owens. Rookie corners Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick will receive much more playing time, Jenkins starting at left corner, with starter Terence Newman still recovering from abdominal surgery and Adam Jones serving a minimum four-game suspension. Rookie running back Tashard Choice will get more involved in the offense in relief of starter Marion Barber, since rookie Felix Jones is out at least two weeks with a partially torn hamstring. Of course, with both Joneses out (Felix and Adam), the Cowboys will use receivers Patrick Crayton to field punts and Miles Austin to return kickoffs. Is that it?

With wide receiver Drew Bennett still out with a foot injury, the Rams will rely more and more on rookie receiver Donnie Avery. Avery has only started once this season, in the Rams' Week 4 loss to Buffalo, but has been putting up better numbers each week. In the win over the Redskins last week, Avery caught four balls for 73 yards, although he is yet to score this season through the air (he ran for a touchdown against the Bills). Avery has tremendous speed, but is only 5-11 and is considered raw in terms of talent. Still, against young, inexperienced Cowboys cornerbacks, raw talent may be enough to make a difference in the game.

HEADSET GAMES: No matter who starts at quarterback, the Cowboys will be running the ball. Johnson's strength is managing the game, and while he can handle all the plays in the playbook, it's a safe bet to assume Barber and Choice will be heavily involved any time the offense is on the field. Last Sunday, Barber did most of his damage as a receiver, and while he will get a steady diet of dump-off passes from Johnson, he will also have a chance to work his magic between the tackles. Once the Cowboys get the Rams defense to sell out on stopping the run, then they'll take a couple shots downfield to Owens or Williams.

If the Cowboys want to make things easier on Jenkins and Scandrick, they'll concentrate on getting a strong pass rush against the Rams. Rams franchise offensive tackle Orlando Pace is listed as questionable for Sunday's game, and even if he plays, he won't be at 100 percent. Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware has recorded a sack in each of his last nine games, but the Cowboys will need a multiple-sack game from him and possibly fellow bookend Greg Ellis too. The more pressure applied to Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, the less Jenkins and Scandrick will be left on an island against the likes of Rams receiver Torry Holt.

HEALTH WATCH:

Cowboys
A slew of players are out for the Cowboys - backup wide receiver Sam Hurd (ankle, placed on IR), punter Mat McBriar (foot, placed on IR), change-of-pace running back Felix Jones (hamstring), starting left guard Kyle Kosier (foot), starting cornerback Terence Newman (abdomen), backup outside linebacker Anthony Spencer (hamstring) and backup safety Pat Watkins (neck). Watkins will sit despite having fully participated in practice all week. Nickel linebacker and special teams ace Kevin Burnett (calf) and starting quarterback Tony Romo (right pinkie finger) are listed as questionable. Those two questions will not be answered until game time. Backup safety Keith Davis (thumb), backup nose tackle Tank Johnson (ankle) and starting safety Roy Williams (forearm) are all listed as probable, as is Marcus Spears, who failed to practice on Friday because of an illness.

Rams
Three players are out for the Rams - backup wide receiver Drew Bennett (foot), backup cornerback Tye Hill (knee), and backup running back Antonio Pittman (lower leg). Starting left tackle Orlando Pace (thigh) is listed as questionable. Starting quarterback Marc Bulger (right finger), and rookie backup wide receiver Keenan Burton (knee) are listed as probable.