The Dallas Cowboys host the Washington Redskins tonight for NBC Sunday Night Football, a matchup of two teams with losing records whose quarterbacks both have something to prove. The Redskins have won the past two times they’ve faced Dallas, but one of those came when Washington QB Robert Griffin III (RG3) was playing out of his mind. Meanwhile, Dallas QB Tony Romo has played well this year but is recently struggling with some demons, so this should be a good proving ground for both tonight. Sunday Night Football is on TV on NBC, and you can also watch Redskins vs Cowboys online free streaming using one of several different methods. This preview outlines what to look for with kickoff slated for 8:30 EDT / 5:30 PDT.
Late last season, the Redskins were expected to do well for years to come. Then RG3 went down with a playoff leg injury that required off-season surgery, and he didn’t make it back into Washington’s lineup until the first game of the 2013 NFL season. RG3 is a changed quarterback after the surgery, having gone 106-170 in the air for 1,202 yards and six touchdowns — but more tellingly, has had just 18 carries for 72 yards and zero TDs, a far cry from his running-happy performance from last year.
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo by comparison has done far better, going 135-188 for 1,523 yards and 13 TDs. The oft-maligned QB had an incredible game last week against the Denver Broncos, playing the record-setting Peyton Manning to a virtual stalemate. In what “haters” would call typical Romo fashion, however, it all fell apart on a last-minute interception that gave the Broncos the ball back and led to their victory. Seeing which Romo shows up today against the Redskins — the play-Peyton-man-to-man Romo or the lose-another-one-for-the-team Romo — could go a large way toward deciding the Week 6 Sunday Night Football victor. Of course, the same could be said for RG3.
The Cowboys and Redskins each have porous defenses this year, which should certainly open up the QB potential for each opposing team. Through five weeks, the Cowboys have the 28th-ranked defense in the NFL, while the Redskins have the 32nd-ranked defense. Both teams are also giving up more than 400 yards per game — 440.5 for the Redskins and 409.2 for the Cowboys — and they’re both allowing more than 27 points. If the defenses have any impact, it may be more on Dallas’ side. When you watch Redskins vs Cowboys online free streaming or on NBC tonight, you’ll see a Cowboys defense that allows an average of just 82.8 yards on the ground, 60 fewer yards than the Redskins allow. That may force RG3 to rely strictly on his new-found focus on passing to move the Redskins downfield.
Listen to the pundits, and it’s clear that nobody expects that movement to happen. The Redskins are expected by every ESPN analyst to lose, and while the Cowboys opened as four-point favorites for the game, the line has moved even further in their favor, with some books listing them as favorites by as many as six points.
Certainly the Cowboys could use a win in tonight’s live Sunday Night Football game. After a heartbreaking Week 5 loss, going home victorious after Week 6 would be huge. Jerry Jones wanted to take moral victories after the loss to the Broncos, but he’s a man who’ll only take moral victories so many times. To see the action unfold, you can catch the game on NBC or watch Redskins vs Cowboys online free streaming on DirecTV with the NFL Sunday Ticket package. The package costs money, but a free online stream is included for subscribers. Hopefully this game preview shed some light on what to expect.
