The New York Jets travel to AT&T Stadium in Arlington to face the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday Night Football. The Jets have won three straight, and first year head coach Todd Bowles currently has his team in the playoff picture with an 8-5 record. The Cowboys are still technically alive in a weak NFC East conference at 4-9, and head coach Jason Garrett will look for his team to bounce back after a crushing defeat to the Green Bay Packers last week.
Cowboys quarterback Matt Cassel will be starting his seventh game for Dallas, but he has only managed one win during that period. The Cowboys backup quarterback has had to step in for quarterback Tony Romo, who has been ruled out for the season after suffering another fracture in his collarbone. Cassel has thrown for 1,239 yards with five touchdowns to six interceptions. Garrett has likely spoken with Cassel on the importance of ball security after throwing another interception last weekend against the Packers. Many Dallas fans are wondering if quarterback Kellen Moore will get an opportunity in the final three games of this season, and it will be interesting to watch if Garrett plugs him in if Cassel is playing poorly Saturday.
It took the Cowboys more than a quarter of the season before they found their lead running back in Darren McFadden, and he has proven to be a legitimate commodity in Dallas in his first season with the Cowboys. McFadden leads the team with 798 rushing yards on the year, but he has struggled to find the endzone and has only scored three times. The Cowboys lead running back rushed for 111 yards last weekend on just nine carries but couldn't get a touchdown against Green Bay. Expect Garrett to give McFadden plenty of touches on Saturday night, as he can alleviate pressure on Cassel with a strong rushing attack.
The Cowboys will have a difficult challenge trying to move the ball on the ground Saturday, though, as the Jets currently have the best rush defense in the NFL and are allowing just 78.9 rush yards per game. Defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson has been an impact player on the Jets defense this season and has recorded 12 sacks. Wilkerson had three sacks this past Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, and look for the talented pass rusher to create havoc for Cassel and the Cowboys offensive line.
While the Jets defense is clearly the strength of this team, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is having a career year in his first season in New York. The Jets starting quarterback has thrown for 3,129 yards and has thrown 25 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. The Jets have been known for their defense, but under Fitzpatrick, they are currently 10th in the league in terms of yards per game.
The Jets have two dynamic receivers in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, and the Cowboys secondary will have their hands full trying to contain these two explosive receivers. Marshall leads the team with 1,187 receiving yards and has scored 11 touchdowns in his first season in New York. Marshall has caught a touchdown in every one of the Jets past six games and has recorded over a 100 yards receiving in three straight games. Decker has also been a huge impact player for New York's offense and has caught 66 passes for 875 yards with nine touchdowns.
It looks to be an interesting matchup Saturday night, and New York is currently in a tight race for one of the two final wildcard spots in the AFC. The game starts at 8:25 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Jets' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Cowboys' radio broadcast, go here.