Take 2: Packers vs. Cowboys from espn insider

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Take 2: Packers vs. Cowboys

By Scouts Inc
Insider

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

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Earlier this week, our scouts filed their advance scouting report on this week's matchup between the Packers and Cowboys. Now they're back with a second look.

Matchup to watch
Dallas WR Terrell Owens vs. Green Bay CB Al Harris
Owens is having a better season than any wide receiver in the league outside of Randy Moss. He is nearly uncoverable and is scoring touchdowns in bunches. Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has done a superb job of moving Owens around the formation to best utilize his extreme talents. Owens is big, extremely strong and possesses rare body control. He runs every route in the tree well and is capable of turning a quick slant or dig route into a long gain with his run-after-the-catch abilities. He is the focus of this great offense and makes everyone's job around him -- including Romo's -- much easier. That being said, Harris is a physical man-to-man cornerback who is one of the best in the business. He usually draws the assignment of doing battle with the opponent's No. 1 receiver, which is exactly what we expect once again Thursday. Harris locked down Roy Williams in Week 12, limiting him to a measly 32 receiving yards on three catches with Williams' first catch not coming until about three minutes remaining in the first half. Amazingly, Harris has never gone to the Pro Bowl, but is an elite cornerback. This matchup is about as good as it gets.

Which team will establish the running game?
Both offenses would love to control the clock on the ground and keep the opposing offense on the sidelines, but they go about it very differently. The Cowboys are massive up front and pound opposing defenses into submission throughout the course of the game with two very good running backs. Marion Barber and Julius Jones combined for 167 rushing yards on 32 carries against the Jets on Thanksgiving. On the other hand, Green Bay controls the clock with a short precise passing game and now a developing zone-rushing attack with Ryan Grant carrying the ball. Grant is still battling an ankle injury, but looked great Thursday when he was called on to finish off the Lions in the fourth quarter. He runs behind a smaller, more athletic line that is very technically sound. Jones is the most elusive of these three runners and Barber is the most physical, but Grant is a big, strong runner who is quick to get downhill and deliver a blow to opposing tacklers. The defensive fronts that both rushing attacks will be facing are very athletic, but not particularly massive. Both the Cowboys' and Packers' defensive lines have good depth and do a nice job of rotating players in to stay fresh, while the linebackers are loaded with playmakers on both squads. Like just about everything else in this great matchup, choosing a winner in this facet of the game is very difficult, but we give the slight edge to Dallas due to it having two quality runners and a powerful offensive line. The Cowboys controlled the football for nearly 38 minutes against New York while Green Bay held it for under 26 minutes in Detroit.

Will the Packers be able to get to Tony Romo?
Romo is very difficult to sack for numerous reasons. He is a very good athlete who can avoid the rush while keeping his eyes downfield to scan for open receivers. He uses his light feet to set up passing plays and isn't looking to run. He also has a very good pocket presence and quick release, getting rid of the ball on time and with great confidence in his throw. Dallas' pass protection is top notch as well and the Cowboys offensive line features several very good pass blockers. However, Dallas did allow the Jets' sub-standard pass rush to put Romo on the ground three times. LDE Aaron Kampman had two of the Packers' four sacks against Detroit and is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. His matchup against RT Marc Colombo might be the Packers' best one-on-one matchup in this any area of this game. A former washout first round pick, Colombo has resurrected his career in Dallas but he is overmatched against Kampman. Kampman is quick off the ball and simply relentless. His technique and hand usage is exceptional and he has the ability to bend his knees, get his pads down and drive through opposing right tackles. Colombo can play too high and demonstrates noticeable stiffness. The Cowboys will have to roll their protection schemes in Kampman's direction, but he isn't the only Packer who is capable of getting to and disrupting Romo. On throwing downs, Green Bay usually moves RDE Cullen Jenkins inside and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila replaces him on the edge. Both are excellent pass rushers in their own right.

In what should be a close game, which QB steps up and wins the game in the clutch?
Wow. This is a tough one. Brett Favre's track record is impeccable, but Romo is 16-5 as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. Neither quarterback ever flinches in the face of pressure and their teammates have all the faith in the world in their respective signal caller for very good reason. Favre's and Romo's pure passing numbers are exceptional and it has become clear that these are the best two quarterbacks that the NFC has to offer. Both offenses seem to get better as the game goes along and these quarterbacks are a major reason why. They thrive in the clutch. If this game turns into a back and forth battle between both offenses, we give a very slight advantage to Favre as he has been performing his heroics much longer than Romo. However, the best bet if that scenario comes into play would be to bet on the man who has the ball last. It is that even.

Scouts' Edge

The Scouts Inc. Position Advantage
QB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach



Choosing the Scouts, Inc. Advantage was a difficult chore. How do you choose between Romo and Favre? We chose Favre just based on his pedigree, but both quarterbacks are playing at an extremely high level and are clearly the top two signal callers in the NFC. The winner of this game is likely to have home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and neither team wants to play in the other's building for the right to advance to the Super Bowl, which is the likely scenario. Both teams have impressive winning streaks and are getting better as the season goes along. This has all the makings of being an exceptional football game that could easily go either way, but we are giving the nod to the Cowboys because the Packers sustained a few potentially substantial injuries and the game is being played in Dallas. Still, do not be surprised if Green Bay spreads the field and attacks the Cowboys successfully much the same way as the Patriots did when they handed Dallas its only loss. Expect these powerhouses to meet again with the honor of advancing to Super Bowl XLII on the line.
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Packers 24