The Dallas Cowboys (8-1) can, for all intents and purposes, basically clinch the NFC East with a win Sunday over the Washington Redskins (5-4); Dallas is -11 on WagerWeb.com.
Dallas has beaten NFC East foes in its past two games and can move to 4-0 in the division by beating their oldest rivals, the Redskins.
"We haven't accomplished anything yet," Dallas coach Wade Phillips said. "We're not in the playoffs. We haven't won our division. We haven't secured anything."
It all starts on offense for Dallas, with the Cowboys averaging 32.9 points per game and 396.8 yards, both second in the NFL. QB Tony Romo has thrown for 2,555 yards -- third-most in the NFL -- and leads the NFC in quarterback rating (103.3) and touchdown passes (23).
"If you want to call it swagger, yes we have the confidence that we know we can go out and beat teams,” said Dallas WR Terrell Owens, has had three straight 100-yard receiving games and who leads the NFC with 855 receiving yards and tied for the conference lead with eight touchdowns.
Washington, meanwhile, is 12th overall in defense but allows 218.3 passing yards per game, 22nd in the league. (However, eliminate Washington's rout against the Patriots, and they allow an average of only 1.25 touchdowns per game, along with grabbing one interception every contest.) And the Skins will be without star safety Sean Taylor on Sunday, as he will miss at least two weeks with a sprained knee.However, one former Miami Hurricane that Washington should have back is receiver Santana Moss. Moss missed last week's game because of a bruised heel but returned to practice on Friday and said: "From doing what I did in practice, I should be able to play."
Washington needs all the receivers it can get with James Thrash out this week and likely longer and Brandon Lloyd done for the year. Dallas' pass defense allows only 211.8 yards per game, and Washington QB completes only 59.8 percent of his passes. Jason Campbell (1,735 passing yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs) is coming off one of his best games, throwing a career-high three touchdown passes without an interception and 215 passing yards in a loss to Philly last week.
Washington will no doubt run the ball heavily with Clinton Portis, who is third in the league with 766 rushing yards; the Redskins are No. 8 in the league in rushing offense (132.1 ypg). However, the Cowboys have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher and rank fifth in the NFL vs. the run (86.8 ypg).
The lowdown: The Cowboys are 9-1 at home against Washington in the past decade. The Cowboys lead the all-time regular season series with Washington, 55-35-2, including a split of last year's series. .
Look for Campbell to make big use of tight end Chris Cooley, who has caught five of Washington's nine touchdown passes in 2007. . Dallas has picked off 14 passes this season, third in the league, and will grab at least a couple of Campbell passes. Four of the last six games in this series have been decided by three or fewer points. Dallas wins, but the Skins cover.
Betting trends
The Redskins are 2-5 ATS.
The Redskins are 1-2 ATS away.
The Redskins are 1-1 ATS as the underdog.
The Redskins are 1-1 ATS as an away underdog.
The Cowboys are 7-2 ATS.
The Cowboys are 3-1 ATS at home.
The Cowboys are 6-1 ATS as the favorite.
The Cowboys are 3-0 ATS as a home favorite.
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