Turkey Day Special: Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints

Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints, 4:20 P.M. ET

Spread: New Orleans by 3
Total: 51

As far as auditions go, Jason Garrett is acing his, as the Cowboys are now looking more like the team we expected them to be coming into this season. Not only is Jon Kitna all of a sudd4en playing like he’s 28 and not 38, but Dallas has found themselves a real game-changer in rookie cornerback Bryan McCann, who followed up his momentum-shifting 101-yard pick-six against the Giants with a similarly significant 97-yard punt return score in Sunday’s 35-19 win over Detroit.

It might be a wise idea for the Saints to try to keep McCann away from the ball, and all the same, if I were Garrett, I’d think about getting the kid some touches on offense, because it seems that when the ball is in his hands, magic happens.

It might be far, far too late for the Cowboys to make a serious run at a postseason berth, because they’re four games out of a playoff position, but not only can a strong finish put Garrett in position to have that interim label shed (pending interviews and all of that necessary stuff, but if this were to keep up, then I foresee some five-minute, ‘we’ll call you, don’t call us’ interviews), they can certainly have a say in the race, starting with tomorrow afternoon’s showdown with the defending champs, who come in a game behind Atlanta in the NFC South.

The Cowboys haven’t exactly turned the corner defensively, and Drew Brees should be able to make it seven games in a row with two or more touchdown passes against a defense that’s next to last in the league in touchdown passes allowed with 22.

The Saints have been a solid defensive team overall this season, and they rank a respectable 13th in the league against the run and near the top of the league in the major pass defense categories, save for interceptions. But the Cowboys are heading in the right direction offensively, and I see Brees, who has 12 interceptions in his last six games and 14 overall this season, running into trouble at least a time or two, which could lead to some short fields for Dallas…or another long return touchdown for Mr. McCann.

The Cowboys have won each of their last four Turkey Day games, and with the way that they’re playing right now, I like them to make it five in a row on Turkey Day and three in a row under their new head coach.

SPREAD PICK: DALLAS +3 (Strength Rating: 7/10) - If only they’d been playing like this all season…

TOTAL PICK: OVER 51 (Strength Rating: 9/10) - I’m not really looking for there to be much defense in this one, but that’s a good thing, because after inhaling a plate, or two, or maybe three of delicious home cooking (and a slice or two of pie), the last thing I want to see – if I’m awake, which is no certainty — is a defensive slugfest.

• Fantasy Football Preview: NFC Wide Receivers (0)
• Fantasy Football Preview: NFC Quarterbacks (0)
• No Freakin’ Clue: NFC had a different meaning in 2007 (1)
• Which NFL coaches could be feeling the heat in ‘09? (0)
• Ranking the NFL’s Head Coaches: The Top 16 (2)

Original Story: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRed...