A big week

It's gonna be one heckuva football week, in my opinion. I'm excited because the Cowboys play the early game... and it will be shown here! I haven't been able to watch the team play in weeks (which, if I were superstitious, might mean that they'll finally play well) and I'm really excited. I'm under no delusions about Dallas' chances in this game. I've got to say that probably for the first time this season I do not expect a win. There is, of course, still that little place somewhere inside me that hopes Peter King is right and that the 'Boys will have a fire lit under themselves this week and come out fighting, but like I said, that's a pretty little place somewhere inside me. The rational me picks Tampa Bay by two touchdowns.

I do have to mention that a Cowboys loss is going to put them in a nearly impossible situation to try to make the playoffs. The next two games after Tampa Bay are the Giants and the Redskins, and their last four games of the season are against Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York Giants, and Philadelphia -- not the stretch you want to have when you need to WIN THEM ALL to make a wild card spot.

The biggest game of the week for non-Cowboys fans is Giants-Steelers -- two of the best three teams in football right now. Both teams have one loss, and have been playing pretty great lately. That game is also being shown, so it'll be two straight great games for me to watch.

Finally, the Falcons play the Eagles this week, and it could be a very interesting matchup. Matt Ryan has looked spectacular in his still-young rookie season, but the Iggles have a very tough defense and an even tougher secondary that Ryan will have to try to outsmart. I won't get to see this game, but I'll be following it very closely.

The only bad thing, football-wise, about this week is that there is no Sunday Night Football, so for the second straight week we won't get to hear John Madden being his usual senile Mr. Obvious self (he had last week off and Cris Collinsworth took his place in the announcer's booth). Oh well, the other games will make up for it.