The Cowboys will have some interesting games-- starting with their Week 10 contest against the second-place Giants.

Dallas Cowboys (7-1) vs. New York Giants (6-2) – Week  10
This match-up could decide whether the Giants spend the second half of the season fighting for the division title or for a wildcard spot. If the Giants win, the standings of these two teams would be incredibly close. With the same record, a head-to-head push, and the same winning percentage in common games, first place would fall to the Cowboys with a half-game lead over the G-Men within the NFC. This would also force Dallas into a must-win situation next week against the Redskins, as a loss to them would give New York the nod in the East, giving the Giants the edge in common games, the preceding tiebreaker. QB Tony Romo and the second-ranked Cowboy offense are going to have a tough day against DE Osi Umenyiora and the vaunted pass rush of the Giants seventh-ranked defense. The other side of ball does not look to inviting either as the Giants may not be able to turn to their sixth-ranked running assault against a sturdy Cowboys D that is only letting up 84.4 yards per game on the ground. Look for New York to turn to Kid Manning and his 6’5” target, WR Plaxico Burress. Expect Plax to break his two-game mini-streak without a touchdown this Sunday.

Cleveland Browns (5-3) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) – Week  10
It’s time for the Dawg Pound to shake off the cobwebs and get ready to wake up the rivalry.  For as long as I can remember, the Browns have sucked. The once great Turnpike Rivalry has been reduced to an annual beating that Pittsburgh is expected to hand to Cleveland. Like that weird uncle everyone had that insisted on giving you birthday punches, no matter how old it got. Well now Cleveland’s finally got a team to be proud of once again, and might be ready to strike back. As a Steelers fan, I am happy that they are on the rise, hopefully it can bring the intensity back to this series. I know it’s there, I’ve been to Cleveland and heard the relentless chants of four-lettered things they would like to tell Pittsburgh. It’s now to time to wake it up. QB Derek Anderson is leading a Cleveland offense that is completely different than the one Pittsburgh saw in Week 1. It’s now ranked fourth in the league in both total yards and scoring, averaging 24 points per game more than they did in their opener. They go up against a tough Steelers defense, ranked first in total yards, overall scoring, and passing yards, and fourth against the run. The difference in this game will most likely be the depressing Cleveland defense, ranked dead last in the league. If Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger can capitalize on opportunities like he did on Monday night, he should have no problem picking apart this Cleveland D. 

Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3) vs. Tennessee Titans (6-2) –  Week10
This game will decide second place in the AFC South, as the Jaguars would edge out Tennessee by one game in the common games tiebreaker, if they were to win. The first place Colts can only hope for that to happen, as it would give them an opportunity at a two-game lead were they to beat San Diego on Sunday. AFC teams on the cusp don’t have the luxury of their NFC counterparts. Team’s won’t make the playoffs on a .500 record in the AFC and the Titans would feel much more comfortable at 7-2, with teams like the Jaguars, Steelers (6-2), Browns (5-3), and the four teams currently at .500 (Bills, Ravens, Chiefs and Chargers). The Jaguars may need QB David Garrard back, who had been the star of steady consistency at the beginning of the season before becoming injured and missing the last 2½ games.  Jacksonville’s offense will be going up against the second-ranked defense in the league. The Titans top-of-the-league run defense may be the answer for Jaguars RBs Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, who are averaging a combined 113.6 ypg. The Titans’ own star RB, Lendale White, will be looking to break the centennial mark for the fourth straight week on Sunday against a Jacksonville defense that looked miserable last week against New Orleans, giving up 41 points. Tennessee QB Vince Young seems to be the latest victim of John Madden’s voodoo magic as he has a stunning QB rating of 61.5, throwing three touchdowns to eight interceptions.  The difference in this game will come down to the quarterbacks.

New England (9-0) against the world.
The constant hype over New England’s current match-up will not come to an end until the season does or they finally lose. It’s too tough to call whether they will run the table or not, something tells me that it won’t happen. Maybe it’s the fact that they still have to face the first- and third-ranked defenses, and 4 of the top 10 pass defenses. Maybe it’s because I am unwilling to accept that as possible in the league today or that my Steelers will save the day. Or maybe it’s just the fact that I can’t stand them, the cheating scandals, the lack of class, the hype, or the hoodie. I’m hoping beyond hope that Baltimore or the Giants can rally the home crowds to their side and take them. Or maybe that Pittsburgh can be as impressive as they’ve shown they can be, and grab a victory on the road in Week 14. Hell, I even hold hopes for Buffalo who might host New England at home while riding the momentum of a four-game win streak, were they to beat winless Miami this Sunday.  All I know is I hope someone beats them.

Detroit (6-2) vs. New York Giants (6-2) – Week 11
This is the second of the formidable obstacles in the Giants way for the rest of this season, followed by rookie phenom Adrian Peterson the following week, a Sunday night game against Washington and the season-ender against the seemingly unstoppable Patriots. The Lions have their work cut out for them as well, and will need all the help they can get to fulfill QB Jon Kitna’s prophecy and squeeze themselves into the playoffs. This game will have serious playoff implications, and may be what separates these two organizations at the end, as head-to-head performance will come into effect in the likely event they are tied.  The difference in this game may come in the turnover battle, as the Lions hold a +6 turnover differential, compared to just +1 for the Giants.  It all counts on the Lions D, if they can compose themselves well enough for a turnover or two, expect to see Kitna capitalize and lead Detroit to victory.

Green Bay (7-1) vs. Dallas (7-1) – Week 13
I expect both teams to be tied at 8-2 coming into this week and will be in a tight four-team dash for first place in the conference. The winner of this game is likely to come away with home field advantage in the playoffs, with rivals within their divisions securing the wild card spots. This will be a battle between two very balanced teams, with closely comparable offenses and defenses. Expect a high-scoring game however, and look for key mistakes by Dallas that offer up good field position to Green Bay.  The Cowboys hold the fifth-best defense in total yards but only the 20^th in actual scoring and you can be certain that Packers QB Brett Favre will capitalize on any Cowboys mistakes.  The Thanksgiving Day time slot may be more familiar to the Cowboys, but expect Favre to shine in the big game, and find a way to win.

New Orleans (4-4) vs. Tampa Bay (5-4) – Week 13
The Saints team has really seen a turnaround this season, and Week 13 might be when they take total control of the NFC South and never look back. They are on a four game win-streak right now, which could easily be seven as the Saints face three teams without winning records leading into this game, including the Rams. The Saints will also have home-field advantage in this game, and will be up against a Tampa Bay team coming off a tough match against the Redskins. The Buccaneers have the secondary to match-up with the Saints fourth-ranked aerial assault however, which may force New Orleans to rely heavily on their disappointing run game. Still, Saints RB Reggie Bush should be able to handle the extra load and propel the Saints to victory. If he can, I see no reason why his team won’t win-out, making a bid for the top of the NFC as their remaining four games are all scheduled against losing teams. 

St. Louis (0-8) vs. Atlanta (2-6) – Week 13
You might be thinking, why on Earth would this game be interesting? It won’t be. What will be note-worthy about this game is that it may be the Rams last chance at a win, as they would finish their season with the Packers and Green Bay at home and on the road against the Bengals and Cardinals. Yes the Bengals and Cardinals are sub-par teams, and you might be thinking that the Rams will have a chance against them. Well just like the Patriots and Colts are on another level greatness in the NFL, teams like these two (along with the Dolphins, 49ers, and others) are on another level of sucking. If St. Louis remains winless coming into Week 13 and are unable to find a way to stop Atlanta’s terrifying offense, coming in at 27^th in the league, then I am unable to find any team left that they can beat and we may witness the first team to ever go  0-16.