Spotlight Game of the Week: Dallas vs. New England

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I hope you enjoyed last week’s Spotlight Game, which proved to be exciting right down to the finish, culminating in Steve Smith’s game-winning touchdown catch. Let’s keep right on going with the second installment of this weekly project.

Now that we’re all ready…

This week, the spotlight is on Dallas @ New England. This game will have a huge impact on the NFL playoff picture. Both teams have risen from miserable to the top of their game over the past year. The rollercoaster ride that the Patriots have gone through after winning the Super Bowl two years ago is phenomenal. This year, they are out to prove that their 2001 season was no fluke and that they again have to be considered a legitimate contender. The Cowboys … well, to put it bluntly, they’ve been awful in the last few years. They haven’t won more than five games in a season since the turn of the millenium, but Jerry Jones went out and bought himself Bill Parcells. The Tuna has worked his magic quicker than expected and has this team on the right track.

Dallas

Anybody who can honestly say that they picked Dallas to be the top team in the NFC at the beginning of the season is either lying or residing in a psychiatric ward right now. But after all the smoke has cleared from this season, that’s exactly where they are. Right now, the Boys are ranked 12th in offense and amazingly have the league’s top-rated defense.

Bill Parcells is going to have to win this game through the air even though he’d presumably rather take a conservative aproach on offense. But to accomplish this, the Cowboys must first establish the run against a top ten run defense. Also look for Parcells to exploit the middle of the field with the slot WR and the TE. Belichick is notorious for taking a star WR out of the game, so look for Terry Glenn to under-produce. Obviously Parcells knows Belichick – heck, he taught him everything he knows over the ten years they coached together.

New England

From inspirational heroes to fluke of the decade and back to contender. Sound familiar? Well, it should if you’re a Patriots fan. Bill Belicheck knows what he is doing, point blank, and he’s got this team on a roll. Due to an abundance of injuries, New England has started more players than any other team this year, which is usually a recipe for a 2-7 record, not 7-2. However, this team has risen above all that to become one of the elite AFC teams this season.

The Patriots will have to try and take the passing game away from the Cowboys and make Troy Hambrick and the running game beat them. Belichick has the ability to morph his defenses into whatever scheme he needs, so that shouldn’t be too difficult a task. Getting around the league’s top ranked defense, #1 vs. the pass and #3 vs. the run, will be the difficult part. There isn’t much to exploit here but the Pats must run the ball, considering David Patten is out and Troy Brown is gimpy. If they let Dallas sit back and play their pass defense all day, they will fall right into Parcells’ trap and soon find themselves in a hole.

Overview

Both of these teams need this win badly to help solidify their spot in the playoff picture. Neither team has much of a running game; however both teams have very solid WR corps, although New England’s is hurting right now. Look for this game to chug along slowly at first without too much flair. But expect the action to pick up in the second half after Bill B. and Bill P. have had the chance to get a feel for their opponents’ game plans.

I look for the big plays to be key factors on Sunday. Each coach and quarterback will have to take advantage of mismatches when they come, because neither team will give you many chances. Whoever breaks the first big play in the second half should be able to carry that momentum through the rest of the game for the win. I think that key play will come from New England, but Antonio Bryant also shouldn’t be counted out (see below). I think Belicheck will be able to disrupt Quincy Carter’s rhythm enough to give him trouble, and Hambrick won’t have enough juice to pick up the slack. Fantasywise, there aren’t many guys I would start in this game, but I think the Patriots will pull this one off. Then again, maybe that’s just because I’m a Giants fan.

Fantasy Impact

Good starts: Tom Brady

Bad starts: Troy Hambrick, Kevin Faulk

Sleeper pick of the week: Antonio Bryant. I can picture Bryant getting a lot of looks over the middle on crossing routes, but more importantly, he has the ability and the match-ups to come through with a long play. My intuition tells me that if Dallas has a big play, it’ll come from Bryant on a mismatch on an OLB or safety.

 
Nick Trione’s Spotlight Game of the Week is a weekly feature at the Cafe. You can catch up with Nick in the forums, where he shares his fantasy knowledge under the name of kashikis.