It's now or never

It’s now or never for the Dallas Cowboys this week as they head to the Georgia Dome to fight for a playoff dream or break out their vacation plans against the undefeated Atlanta Falcons. After once again being hyped up during the off-season and vowing to stop being the same old Cowboys, they have not changed one bit. Well they have actually gotten worse. Instead of usually finding out on the last week of the season that the Cowboys didn't make the playoffs, we get to find out in Week 8.

Barley halfway into the season, Dallas is already in jeopardy of missing the playoffs. Since 2002 only three teams have made it into the playoffs after starting 3-5. Of course the last team to do it, was last year’s Denver Broncos who actually started 2-5. They went on to win six straight games with long forgotten Tim Tebow.

Are Cowboy fans really going to believe they’ll find tremendous luck like the Broncos had, to do that? Don’t count on it because they've had the worst luck in the NFL, blowing winnable games, making the poorest choices at the severest time, coming back inches short or should I say fingertips.

Fingertips?! Worst Luck! 

It’s been a train wreck so far for Dallas; Tony Romo is having the worst season of his career so far, throwing the ball to the wrong jersey colors and trying to force too much. Injuries have set back the running game. After a strong start to the season by DeMarco Murray, a sprained ankle has taken him out of playing the last three games and his replacement, Felix Jones, has had his own problems staying on the field with his own injury woes.

Dallas also lost their captain, defensive linebacker Sean Lee for the season, who was their play caller, leading tackler and turnover play-maker. Dez Bryant has been wildly inconsistent, showing flashes of huge good plays but always getting overtaken by vast frustrating plays.

The only kick Dan Bailey has missed this season was a 51-yard field goal attempt that could have won Dallas a game against Baltimore. No luck on this team.

Heck the Cowboys are 1-7 in their last eight games when Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth call their games. Guess whose calling Sunday night's game? They have no luck with sportscasting either!

The stat line that is in Dallas’s favor is, since 1991 the Cowboys have a 3-0 record against teams that were 7-0 or better. Romo has two of those wins. Their latest was in 2009 against the 13-0 New Orleans Saints.

Even with all the Cowboy's have to overcome, nothing says mediocre more than a 4-4 record and that's what I think the Cowboy's will be after Sundays game. Of course I'm not saying anything good will come out of it as they'll probably lose to a team their not suppose to lose to in the upcoming weeks, but Atlanta's offense has a bit of what the Giants have and do. Dallas' defense is built exactly to contain just that. You just replace Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz with Julio Jones and Roddy White. (It'll be more explosive though but that's why Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr are there.) Bradshaw and Turner are basically the same player. And Ryan and Eli like to fling it.

Not just because I'm a Cowboys fan, but this is the last hope I have for them. I didn't even budge or get caught up when they came back after being down 23 points. They were not pulling me back in because I knew they would eventually blow it again. (Which they did) But this is the game where I think they'll be at their best and make fans wonder why haven't they played like this all year.

Final Score: Cowboys 31 Falcons 27