InSpin

Dallas -2 vs. Tampa Bay

If a Dallas Cowboys‘ fan woke up in August dreaming of their 13 win team from 2007 falling to a pedestrian 4-3 in 2008 after losing to a lousy St. Louis team, whom they decimated 35-7 one year ago, and saw an injured Tony Romo riding the pine and Adam Pacman Jones mysteriously missing, they would have brushed away the cold sweat from their brow consoling themselves it was only a nightmare. Sorry to tell you this Tex, but it is really late October and your gridiron heroes have indeed done exactly what you feared.

The Cowboys have experienced more scandals and setbacks than they have victories this season.  Sandwiched between their losses to Arizona and St. Louis, the Cowboys’ lost their starting Pro-Bowl quarterback, their best cornerback and continue to sputter in the hotly contested NFC East standings. Since starting the season perfect in three games and looking as good as last year’s team which stormed through the regular season, Dallas has lost three out of four and two straight. In fact the Cowboys are just a touchdown against the winless Bengals away from losing four straight and having a losing record.

Even though Romo flirted with coming back for the Rams game, which Dallas (4-3) lost 34-14, it appears the team will have to come to terms with the fact that he will not be back until at least the middle of November.

Things do not get easier for the Brad Johnson-led Cowboys as they play host to the NFC South’s number one team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and attempt to avoid a three game losing streak for the first time since 2004. Johnson appeared rusty in his first start since 2006, throwing for three interceptions. Johnson personally knows it will be a tough test going up against a solid Bucs defense since he was the quarterback who propelled the Bucs to their Super Bowl title in 2002. The Bucs (5-2) are second in the league with 12 interceptions and eighth in total defense.

Tampa Bay continues to impress after winning 27-3 win over division rival Carolina in Week 6 and then beating the visiting Seahawks 20-10 in a solid Sunday night outing last week. The Bucs held Seattle to 176 yards and 7 first downs.

The Bucs had a 402-176 advantage over the Seahawks in total yards, and limited Seattle to seven first downs. One thing Dallas may have going for them is while Tampa Bay has dominated at Raymond James Stadium going undefeated in four game, they have struggled to a 1-2 road record thus far and needed a late rally to get by the Bears in overtime at Soldier Field on September 21.

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Vikes -3½ vs Panthers.

The Minnesota Vikings entered this season with Super Bowl aspirations but sit at the bottom of the NFC North with a 0-2 record.

That start certainly isn’t the fault of running back Adrian Peterson, who has been excellent in his second season. But even with the threat of Peterson, the Vikings’ offense has sputtered because of the inconsistent play of QB Tarvaris Jackson, and there are whispers coming out of the Twin Cities that Jackson’s days as the starter could be numbered.

Jackson was 14-for-24 passing for just 130 yards and no touchdowns in Sunday’s loss to the Colts, and he had similar-type numbers in the season-opening loss at Green Bay.

Vikings coach Brad Childress said immediately after the game Sunday that Jackson will definitely start against Carolina this week, but on Monday Childress left open the possibility that he would make a change at some point if he felt someone else gives the team a better chance to win.

“I’m always looking at what’s giving us the best opportunity to win,” he said. “If it’s Tarvaris, it’s Tarvaris. If it’s Gus Frerotte, it’s Gus Frerotte. J.D. Booty, it’s J.D. Booty. I know I was asked a question (Sunday), is that the guy who’s going to be the quarterback at the end of the week? That’s something that is ongoing. You don’t crown a guy king and then the king doesn’t have any clothes on and you say, ‘Hey, he’s still the king.’ You just need to make sure you’re doing the right thing there. We’re chewing on a bunch of things right now and making sure he’s the best guy for us to go forward.”

Childress also said he thinks Jackson has showed progress this season despite his QB’s 64.8 passer rating.

“I don’t think there’s any question that he’s showed progress,” he said. “Has it manifested itself in terms of wins? No. Has he been able to throw more accurately? He makes some throws where you say, that’s an unbelievable throw that he just stuck in there.”

Still, something may need to change. Against the Colts, the Vikings got only five catches for 79 yards from wide receivers - including zero receptions from their starters. Signed this offseason to a six-year contract that calls for $16 million in guarantees, former Chicago Bear Bernard Berrian has done hardly anything. He caught three passes for 38 yards in the opener at Green Bay. On Sunday, he dropped a pass on the first possession and then tripped on a deep throw on third-and-5 late in the fourth quarter.

Fellow starting WR Sidney Rice suffered a strained posterior cruciate ligament against the Colts but says he will receive treatment all week and is "hopeful" he can play this weekend against Carolina.

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