Cowboys:
There's a glass-half-full or half-empty approach to the Cowboys' Week 1 loss to the Giants.
On one the hand, starting a pair of rookies in the backfield, including quarterback Dak Prescott, could be scary enough, but the Cowboys had a shot to win the game in the fourth quarter. Prescott was rather solid in his NFL debut as he wasn't sacked and never turned the ball over. Then again, he didn't throw any touchdowns, but he had a couple that were in the hands of his receivers that should've resulted in scores.
But on the other hand, the Cowboys probably should've won the game, just judging off the stats. Any team that outgains its opponents, dominated time of possession and wins the turnover battle usually comes away the win. Instead, the Cowboys couldn't outlast the Giants, losing a fourth-quarter lead and falling to 0-1 in the division.
From an injury standpoint, the Cowboys were without All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith for a few plays in the second half with a stinger injury, something he battled through during training camp. Smith was able to return to the game on the final drive. Other injuries include wide receiver Cole Beasley (neck) and cornerback Orlando Scandrick (hamstring), but head coach Jason Garrett said he expects all three to be able to play on Sunday.
Former Redskins running back Alfred Morris, who played four years in Washington with two Pro Bowl seasons, returns to face his former team.
The star of last week's game was kicker Dan Bailey, who hit four field goals, including a career-high tying 56-yarder and another from 54 yards. Bailey made the game-winning field goal against the Redskins last year in Washington and is a perfect 22-of-22 on field goal attempts against the 'Skins.
Redskins:
The Redskins have a short week to prepare for the Cowboys, but at least they will be at home, starting off the season with a pair of games at FedExField to open the 2016 season.
Washington is looking to avoid a 0-2 start after losing a Monday Night Football game to the Steelers, 38-16.
The Redskins will look to get their running game back on track after rushing for just 55 yards in Week 1 against Pittsburgh. Matt Jones was battling injuries all week and only had seven carries for 24 yards. Washington did find itself trailing most of the second half and had to abandon the run at times.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins was 30 of 43 for 329 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions. His favorite weapon was tight end Jordan Reed, who had seven catches for 64 yards, while DeSean Jackson had six catches for 102 yards.[embeddedad0]
Defensively, linebacker Mason Foster had a big night for the Redskins, totaling 14 tackles, including two for loss.
The Redskins brought in free-agent defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins for a visit Tuesday night, but would have to make a roster move if they decide to add him to the team, head coach Jay Gruden announced.
Gruden also answered the question of cornerback Josh Norman potentially shadowing Dez Bryant around for the entire game.
"It could be. The issue is you like to not show your hand in man-to-man all the time and so every time he travels, it's man-to-man," Gruden said. "Then you have issues with pick plays and all that stuff. That's something that we can look at, but we still feel like [Bashaud] Breeland can cover a lot of people in the league."
