Buccaneers at Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a couple of things in common, the most concerning being disappointing Week 2 performances. The Cowboys seemed to announce themselves as playoff contenders with a season-opening win over the New York Giants but fell flat last week in a 27-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Greg Schiano’s tenure got off to a nice start with a win over Carolina, but the Buccaneers squandered a big lead to the Giants in Week 2 as holes in the defensive secondary were exposed. Dallas, which had no luck running the ball against the Seahawks and fumbled four times, could try to exploit Tampa Bay’s secondary again. Tony Romo has had success against the Bucs in the past and will have the crowd on his side in the Cowboys’ home opener Sunday afternoon.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Cowboys -9, O/U 49.5
ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS (1-1): Tampa Bay’s secondary looked great in intercepting Eli Manning three times in the first half of last Sunday’s game but absolutely fell apart after the break. The Bucs allowed Manning to pass for 510 yards as cornerback Aqib Talib and Eric Wright struggled with the speed of New York’s wide receivers. Schiano also got a lesson in the ethics of the NFL after the game, when he was chastised on-field by Giants coach Tom Coughlin for going after the ball as New York was running out the clock. Schiano has vowed to keep that aggressive attitude in spite of the criticism. Defensively, the Bucs are likely to keep a second safety in coverage to close some of the holes while relying on emerging defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to stop the run. Josh Freeman has found a new favorite target in Vincent Jackson, who has nine catches and a touchdown through the first two games.
ABOUT THE COWBOYS (1-1): Romo threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns against New York but completed only 23 of 40 passes for 251 yards and one score against the Seahawks. The big difference was the running game, which failed to open things up for Romo over the top. Defensively, Dallas could do nothing to stop the run in the setback. That run defense could be a problem again with linebacker Sean Lee (hip), defensive end Marcus Spears (knee) and nose tackle Jay Ratliff (ankle) all fighting injuries. Cornerback Brandon Carr will likely get the assignment against Jackson, who he knows well from their days together in the AFC West.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Dallas is 10-3 against Tampa Bay all-time and Romo has been outstanding in his three starts in the series, passing for 11 touchdowns without an interception.
2. In addition to Ratliff, Spears and Lee, the Cowboys could also be without S Gerald Sensabaugh (calf), DE Kenyon Coleman (knee) and C Phil Costa (back).
3. Tampa Bay rookie RB Doug Martin has piled up 161 yards through two games and has pushed LeGarrette Blount down the depth chart.