Dallas (8-6) at Carolina (10-4)

 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

• EA Sports Preview: Cowboys vs. Panthers

SCOUTING REPORT

Dallas' hopes hinge on run gameDallas QB Drew Bledsoe has looked shaky in his last two starts on the road. With this being must-win game for the Cowboys, they want to run early and often. The hope is giving RB Julius Jones 20-plus carries keeps Carolina's talented front four on its heels and sets up the play-action package, effectively taking some pressure off Bledsoe. However, Jones will be working against one of the stoutest run defenses in the league, so establishing the ground game is a lot easier said than done. The Panthers tweaked their offense in terms of formations and personnel groupings last week, but they still showed a strong commitment to the run. Look for them to get RB DeShaun Foster 20-plus carries again. It's no secret that QB Jake Delhomme will look to get the ball in the hands of playmaking WR Steve Smith every time he drops back to pass. Smith has the speed to get open downfield and the elusiveness to turn a catch underneath into a long gain. As a result, a Dallas secondary that has been plagued by mistakes must do a better job of communicating.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
DAL	9-7	325	308	5-3	4-4	3-3	7-5
CAR	11-5	391	259	5-3	6-2	4-2	8-4
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

Dallas Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Romo 60.0 2624 15 7

Carolina Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Delhom... 57.1 1885 8 14 Moore 50.0 63 0 1

Dallas Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Barber 123 572 4.7 4 Jones 54 353 6.5 1

Carolina Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Willia... 181 982 5.4 7 Stewar... 110 509 4.6 6

Dallas Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Austin 35 679 19.4 7 Witten 54 481 8.9 1

Carolina Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Smith 45 599 13.3 4 Muhamm... 33 337 10.2 0

Full Player Stats: Dallas | Carolina

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	DAL	325.0
	CAR	309.0
Yards Passing	DAL	208.8
	CAR	204.4
Yards Rushing	DAL	116.3
	CAR	104.9
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	DAL	300.9
	CAR	282.6
Pass Yds Allowed	DAL	192.7
	CAR	191.1
Rush Yds Allowed	DAL	108.2
	CAR	91.6

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
Dallas leads 3-1
Jan 3, 2004	DAL 10, CAR 29
Nov 23, 2003	DAL 24, @CAR 20
Oct 13, 2002	DAL 14, @CAR 13

Dallas (8-6) at Carolina (10-4) Saturday 1:00 pm EDT

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- John Fox is closing in on his second playoff berth in the last three years. Bill Parcells may be on the outside looking in for the second straight season.

Fox and the Carolina Panthers host Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. The Panthers can clinch a playoff spot with a win and seal the NFC South title with a win coupled with a loss by Tampa Bay, which now sits in the first wild-card spot and hosts Atlanta on Saturday.

The Cowboys need help to make the postseason. They are tied with Washington, Minnesota and Atlanta for the second NFC wild-card spot, but the tiebreaker advantage belongs to Washington, which hosts the New York Giants on Saturday.

Dallas made the playoffs in Parcells' first year in 2003, but lost to the Panthers, 29-10, in the wild-card round as Jake Delhomme threw for 273 yards and Steve Smith caught five passes for 135 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown. Carolina went on to beat St. Louis and Philadelphia before losing to New England, 32-29, in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

After a plethora of injuries doomed the Panthers to a 7-9 finish last season, they appear to be headed to the playoffs again under Fox.

The Cowboys looked like anything but a playoff team last week, losing at Washington, 35-7. They allowed Mark Brunell to pass for four touchdowns and yielded 171 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Dallas' Drew Bledsoe was sacked seven times and committed four turnovers - three interceptions and a fumble.

Keeping Carolina ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker, who have combined for 16 sacks, away from Bledsoe will be a major problem for Dallas tackles Rob Petitti and Torrin Tucker. Last week, Tucker couldn't handle Washington right end Philip Daniels, who tied a franchise record with four sacks.

However, Rucker has missed the last two games with a sprained ankle. Parcells can only hope that Rucker will miss this weekend's contest as well. Veteran Al Wallace has filled in for Rucker.

Fox's successful formula in Carolina revolves around a ball-control offense and a defense that ranks third in the NFL against the run. The Panthers rushed for 161 yards in a 27-10 win over New Orleans last week.

With veteran running back Stephen Davis out for the rest of the season with knee soreness, Fox gave DeShaun Foster 21 carries and Nick Goings 16 last week. Foster produced 75 yards and Goings added 52.

But Carolina's biggest weapon is Smith, who scored on a 20-yard end-around and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in the win over New Orleans. He leads the NFL with 93 catches for a franchise-record 1,414 yards. Muhsin Muhammad holds the club record with 102 catches in 2000.

The Panthers forced six turnovers and intercepted Todd Bouman four times last week. Cornerback Ken Lucas recorded his team-leading fifth interception of the season.

Lucas and Chris Gamble will match up against Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn, who has 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 1999.

Matchup to watch: Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who has 61 catches for 698 yards and five touchdowns, faces strong safety Marlon McCree.

Series: The Cowboys lead, 4-3, but lost the last meeting in the 2003 playoffs.

Next week: Dallas hosts St. Louis, January 1 Carolina visits Atlanta, January 1

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