Cowboys:
On the one hand, nothing really changed for the Cowboys, who still trail in the NFC East by two games, with now five to go.
On the other hand, everything has changed for this team that has now lost its starting quarterback for the second time this year. And this time, Tony Romo won't be coming back after suffering a second fracture in his left collarbone.
The Cowboys are 0-7 without Romo in the lineup and 3-1 when he starts. Simple math suggests the Cowboys have no legitimate shot to get back in the NFC East race with Romo sidelined for the rest of the year.
But with the Cowboys traveling to Washington this weekend, they'll face the team currently tied for the division lead. In fact, two of the final five games of the regular season will be against these Redskins.
Other than Romo, the Cowboys are starting to get rather healthy in other spots. Defensively, cornerback Morris Claiborne is expected to practice this week after missing two games with a hamstring injury. Linebacker Sean Lee played last week after sustaining a concussion two games before and seemed to have no issues moving forward.
Dez Bryant remains banged up with a knee/ankle injury that keeps him out of practice for the most part. But with the extra layoff, he should be ready to go for next Monday night's matchup.
And tight end Jason Witten is finally closing in on 1,000 career catches. He needs to reach the milestone and pad onto his franchise record. With three catches, Witten would have 1,001 and move past Hines Ward for 10th place in NFL history among all receivers.
Redskins:
The Redskins moved into a first-place tie for the NFC East last week with a 20-14 win over the Giants at FedExField. Quarterback Kirk Cousins seems to be an entirely different quarterback at home this year versus road games.
In six games at FedExField, Cousins not only has a 5-1 record, but has thrown 11 touchdowns to just two picks, with a quarterback rating of 113.0. Cousins became the first passer in the Redskins' storied history to compile four straight 300-yard passing games at home.
But on the road, Cousins and the Redskins are 0-5 and the quarterback has thrown just five touchdowns to eight picks for a rating of 69.8.
The simple logic here is that Cousins will light it up Sunday against the Cowboys, but could struggle mightily in the Jan. 3 rematch at AT&T Stadium. But the Cowboys certainly can't wait that long as time is running out on their season.
The Redskins, though, aren't just a passing team. Former Cowboys' offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Bill Callahan now leads the line in Washington. When the Redskins reach 100 yards rushing as a team, they've got a 4-1 record. The attack is led by both Alfred Morris and Matt Jones, who is dangerous out of the backfield. Last week, Jones had a 45-yard screen pass against the Giants.
Big-play receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon have both been a nemesis to the Cowboys in the past. Jackson's only 200-yard receiving game occurred in 2010 as a member of the Eagles when he torched Dallas for 210 yards on just four catches. Garcon tied a career-high with 11 catches in a 2013 loss to the Cowboys.
Defensively, former Cowboys Pro Bowler Jason Hatcher is a key member of the Redskins' line, however, defensive end Ryan Kerrigan leads the team with 6.5 sacks, while Chris Baker has five from the other side.
