On Deck will be here all season to provide you with everything you need to know (and a few things you don't) about every Cowboys game during the 2013 season.
The Opponent: After a run through teams like San Diego and Kansas City, and last week arguably the best team in football, the Cowboys return to the manure pile that is the NFC East. The Redskins come to town following a bye week and are coming off their first win of the season when they beat Oakland heading into the off-week.
Past Meeting: Cowboys fans will want to forget the last time these teams met on the regular season's final day last season in D.C. The Cowboys and Tony Romo choked in a key game once again, losing what basically amounted to an NFC East championship game. The Redskins went to the playoffs and the Cowboys went home.
Key Matchup: WAS QB Robert Griffin III vs. DAL Front Seven: RG3 isn't the RG3 of last season. He suffered a pretty serious knee injury in that regular-season finale last year and was rendered ineffective in the Redskins' playoff game. It's clear the knee injury is still affecting his play, but he is playing, and he's still capable of making dangerous plays — moreso with his arm than his legs. If the Cowboys' pass rush can get to RG3 and force him out of the pocket, and the Cowboys' linebackers can annoy and pester him, it could be a long day for the second-year quarterback.
Who's Hot: Terrance Williams, RG3's old target at Baylor, has emerged as a legitimate No. 2 receiver after the injury to Miles Austin. Williams went well over 100 yards in last week's passing game exhibition against the Broncos and should be in line for another big night as Dez Bryant will be drawing the lion's share of attention from Washington's under-manned secondary. Tony Romo had a bad interception late in Sunday's game, we all know that. But Romo had the best game of his career in the shootout loss, throwing for more than 500 yards and five touchdowns while looking to be in complete control of the offense. Denver's defense is nothing special, but it looks like the Steel Curtain compared to Washington's.
In that last game for the Redskins, a 24-14 win over Oakland, the Redskins rallied from a 14-0 deficit behind some good play from running back Alfred Morris and wideout Pierre Garcon. Those are the two biggest playmakers RG3 has at his disposal, and they'll have to be good again on Sunday night to give Washington a chance.
Who's Not: Well, this is easy. That Cowboys secondary, how 'bout 'em? It's not news that Peyton Manning and the Denver offense torches a defense. But even still, that defensive performance was awful as Denver's punter never saw the field. The Redskins are nothing like the Broncos, but they have weapons and the Cowboys' secondary will be looking to bounce back from one of the worst defensive performances in recent history.
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For the Redskins, it's all relative, but as we mentioned before, RG3 has been just a shell of his former self this year. That's to be expected in some regard after the injury he suffered at the end of the 2012 season. It's not fair to compare, but when you do and you see what Adrian Peterson did last year after suffering a similar injury at the end of the 2011 season, it's pretty remarkable. RG3 hasn't been bad, but he needs to be great for the Redskins to compete, which is why they're 1-3.
