December Swoon or No?

Well, Dallas plays Carolina tomorrow night on the NFL Network and to be honest I’m not sure where this thing sits. I have gone back and forth in my head about how I think this could go. And make no mistake…even though Carolina is 6-8, they will bring it tomorrow night. For those that think this will be a walk in the park, I would say to remember what happened to Seattle last week. Seattle, which was in the midst of a 5 game win streak and playing some good football, got beat 13-10 by Carolina. Carolina may have some issues at QB but they still have a pretty stout defense and considering Dallas will be playing without their starting center this week, Carolina’s defensive line could wreak some havoc.

As far as Carolina’s offense goes, they are rolling with Matt Moore at QB this week, which is their 4th starting QB this season. Matt Moore was actually in training camp with Dallas and when he got into a couple of preseason games, he did quite well. Dallas didn’t have room for Moore on the team but wanted to sign him to the practice squad. However, Carolina picked him up and signed him to their team before Dallas could sign him back to their practice squad. Even though Moore is a rookie, it should be noted that he has some skills (as evidenced by the win last week vs. Seattle) and shouldn’t be dismissed as simply a “rookie replacement” QB. In fact, in the few preseason games he got in, Moore looked a little like Romo. If Dallas’ defense treats Moore the way they treated Aaron Rogers a few weeks ago when Dallas played Green Bay, Moore will do some damage. Carolina has a few potent offensive weapons and since Dallas is missing Roy Williams this week, Carolina’s offense could get rolling if the Cowboys defense falls asleep.

The Cowboys really need to rebound from the loss to the Eagles last week for several reasons. First and foremost, Dallas has to get home field advantage. To do that, they must win their last two games. Romo has been raked over the coals this week being portrayed as someone easily distracted by blond bombshells (bogus!) so it would behoove him to bounce back and have a solid game. And it would do the team good to bounce back and have a solid game to prove to themselves that December is NOT their enemy (Dallas has not had a winning record in December since 1997). Last season, Dallas was rolling and was seen as a probable Super Bowl team until December hit. They lost 3 of their final 4 games and limped into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. So, not only do the Cowboys need to prove to their fan base there will be no December swoon but they also need to prove it to themselves.

However, I think Dallas is going to do what it takes to win this game. The game may not be easy and it could even be close throughout. But, in the end, Dallas is still 12-2 for a reason, is the better team and I think will have too much for Carolina to hang. I believe Dallas will probably win by 7-10 points although I won’t be surprised if it’s less than a 7 point difference. Prediction: Dallas 24, Carolina 14.