Daily Madden: Cowboys Look Best Of This Weekend's Bunch
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The Cincinnati Bengals haven't won an NFL playoff game since January 6, 1990. They beat the Houston Oilers—right there, that tells you it was a long time ago—by a 41-14 score in the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs. Since then, the Bengals have lost all five postseason contests they've played in. That needs to change this weekend.
The Green Bay Packers do not have many holes in their game as they enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the NFC. However, one is their blocking in the kicking game. They allowed more combined blocked field goals, extra point attempts and punts than they had in the previous five seasons combined.
The Green Bay Packers do not have to play this Sunday. That is a good thing as quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be able to get some extra rest before the Packers begin their run toward the Super Bowl. They will host one of three teams in the Divisional Round. Their opponent will be determined by the outcome of the Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys game.
Playing in the weakest division in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints were eliminated from the playoffs Sunday as they lost their fifth straight at home. The Falcons beat them 30-14. What happened to the Saints and their star quarterback Drew Brees?
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Chicago Bears last night 41-28. Chicago scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make it look respectable, but a 21-0 third quarter for Dallas essentially sealed this one.
These two teams meet tonight at Soldier Field in what should be a high-scoring game. There are plenty of fantasy points on the board here.
The Cowboys are 8-4, but if the season ended today they would not be in the playoffs. After Thursday's visit to Chicago, they go to Philadelphia, host Indianapolis, and finish at Washington.
Rumors are flying that the San Francisco 49ers might trade Head Coach Jim Harbaugh to the Oakland Raiders, and that's just the icing on the cake for this Bay Area rivalry. The 49ers need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, and the Silver & Black just need something to forget that beating they just took from the St. Louis Rams. The Sunday game at the Coliseum promises to be quite interesting.
Right now, the Oakland Raiders are 1-10, and if the season ended today, they'd get the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. There's not a clear-cut stud or even a lot of depth at the top of the draft next year, so the Silver & Black need to be very smart about their next draft.
The 4-7 St. Louis Rams may seem to be weak at first glance, but as coached by long-time NFL man Jeff Fisher, the team once referred to as the "Lambs" is anything but right now. Remember, St. Louis has wins over Denver, San Francisco and Seattle this year—and they almost beat San Diego last weekend with a third-string quarterback. They're still good.
From players to referees to fans, everyone is getting in on the Week 9 action...but maybe not in the way they imagined. Here's 5 people who were in the right (or wrong) place at the right time...
Quarterback Colt McCoy led Washington to a 20-17 overtime upset over the Cowboys in Arlington Monday night.
The 0-7 Oakland Raiders travel to Seattle this weekend to take on the defending Super Bowl champions. And while the 4-3 Seahawks have already lost as many games as they did all of last year, they still are an opponent never to be taken lightly on their home field. Of course, the winless Silver & Black can't take any team lightly these days as they look to snap a 13-game losing streak dating back to last season.
The Dallas Cowboys, at 6-1, once again look like America's Team. Will they continue their run, and do they deserve the title?
In the modern NFL, only four teams have gone through a winless season: the 1960 Dallas Cowboys, the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 1982 Baltimore Colts and the 2008 Detroit Lions. If the Raiders can't win this weekend in Cleveland, they could be looking at an 0-11 start—and that's when the pressure will start to mount. Avoiding membership in this exclusive club will be paramount for the Silver & Black.
With his coach's backing, C.J. Spillman returned to the Cowboys practice field Thursday as he awaits the results of a police investigation into his role in an alleged sexual assault last month at a suburban Dallas hotel.
The San Francisco 49ers won their first game of the 2014 season, but they didn't generate enough offense consistently on their own. Gifted four turnovers by the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers didn't score at all in the second half of the game. They'll need to make sure they create their own opportunities in Week Two against the Chicago Bears at the Levi's Stadium opener.
Move over Tebowing and Kaepernicking. During Sunday's NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys and brand new verb began to emerge – "to Romo."
All the problems that seemed to be facing the 49ers were worked out on the field. The offense looked fine, the defense stepped up and the result was a road win, that was far from a lock. f the 49ers can continue to improve, they will be back in the thick of things at the end of the season.
While the teams' star players and memorable contests have been well-documented, here are some lesser-known facts about this rivalry.
While there will be a lot of new faces on the 49ers defensive side of the ball this Sunday, none will be due to injuries—or at least injuries that have surprised San Francisco.
The 49ers open their season against the Cowboys in Dallas Sunday. John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew he expects San Francisco to win, but is concerned they'll be giving up more points this season.
Michael Sam's second chance will be with the Dallas Cowboys. Coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday that the league's first openly gay player will be added to the practice roster.
The San Francisco 49ers haven't yet said whether defensive lineman Ray McDonald will play in the season opener against Dallas Sunday.
