Dallas Cowboys Favored Over Carolina Panthers Leads Week's Headlines
By Shawn S. Lealos
The Dallas Cowboys have a tough game this Thanksgiving as they welcome the undefeated Carolina Panthers to town. With Tony Romo back, the Cowboys still feel that they have a chance to make the playoffs and they have to win this game to even consider that. Here is a look at the week's top Cowboys headlines for the week.
Vegas Likes the Cowboys
One of the worst things that could have happened to the Dallas Cowboys happened in Las Vegas when the week started. The Carolina Panthers won their 10th game of the season on Sunday and are one of only two undefeated teams in the NFL. They are playing a Dallas Cowboys team that has only won three games this season. However, thanks to the fact that Tony Romo is back and the game is in Dallas, Vegas opened the season with the odds in the Cowboys favor. Dallas was favored to beat Carolina by one point, according to odds-makers. That can only fire up the Panthers. Head coach Ron Rivera called the odds "a little disrespectful" and will have his team ready to win.
Cowboys Fighting For Playoff Lives>
When a team has three wins after 10 games, there is little chance for a playoff run. Only two teams in the NFL have a worse record than Dallas, yet somehow the Cowboys are still in position to make the playoffs. If they win out, and that means wins against the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers, they can finish the season with a 9-7 record. Right now, the New York Giants have a 5-5 record to lead the NFC East, and they just need to lose two more games to allow Dallas to catch up and set up a tiebreaker scenario. "We believe," tight end Jason Witten said. "It's not my job to convince you or anybody else that we can do it.
Robert Turbin Gives Change of Pace to Cowboys
When the Dallas Cowboys let DeMarco Murray leave in the offseason, they figured they could live with a running back by committee approach, using Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar. However, they couldn't move the ball, Dunbar fell to a season ending injury and they released Randle. The Cowboys then moved on to Darren McFadden as a full-time back and needed a complimentary running back. Christine Michael couldn't pull his load, so Dallas let him go and signed four-year veteran Robert Turbin. He immediately paid dividends, running for 35 yards on seven carries and looked great. According to Turbin, it was just about straight memorization and his experience paid off.
Cam Newton Compliments Greg Hardy
Heading into this week's giant Thanksgiving Day game, one of the biggest stories will be Greg Hardy playing his old team. Last year, Hardy was arrested for allegedly assaulting an ex-girlfriend and was convicted by a judge and sentenced to community service. Wanting to clear his criminal record, Hardy appealed and the case was tossed out when the ex-girlfriend reached a settlement with Hardy and refused to testify. Carolina immediately waived him, with team owner Jerry Richardson saying he was not the type of person they wanted representing Carolina. With the game coming up this week, the man that Hardy will be trying to sack, Cam Newton, wanted no part of the controversy. He simply said that "Greg is a great teammate, contrary to popular belief" and then went on to say that he was "wishing him the best."
Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.