When the Jets have the ball:The Jets have the advantage on the perimeter, as Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman has been ruled out with a groin injury and opposite corner Mike Jenkins is listed as questionable with a hyper-extended knee. Dallas’ backups don’t stand much of a chance against Jets receivers Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress. Plus, they’ll have to deal with Derrick Mason in the slot, as well as tight end Dustin Keller off the line. New York will try to establish the run with Shonn Greene, but offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer absolutely has to test out Dallas’ depleted secondary, especially since quarterback Mark Sanchez is looking to build some early-season chemistry with new teammates Burress and Mason.
When the Cowboys have the ball:
Again, New York has the advantage in the receiver/corner matchup with the best tandem in the NFL in Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie going up against Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. The key for the Jet corners will be stuffing the receivers up at the line and bouncing them off their routes before they even get started. It’s also hard to see Dallas getting anything going with the run, but tight end Jason Witten has a very favorable matchup against the middle of the Jets’ defense. The Jets’ linebackers and safeties aren’t very fast in coverage, and New York will probably have to double-team Witten on passing downs. Tony Romo will be looking for Witten very often.
Key matchup:
The matchup to watch Sunday night will be Schottenheimer vs. Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Ryan took over the Dallas defense this offseason, and some of the Jets offensive players have said this week that Rob’s defense has a lot of similarities to the Rex’s defense, which the Jets’ offense faces every day in practice. Rex said he wasn’t very involved in offensive gameplanning this week, but it’s obvious he had some involvement in the offense’s preparation. Playcalling and scheming on both sides of the ball will be key when the Jets are on offense.
How the Jets can win:
The Jets’ defense needs to take the next step in being an elite unit by consistently getting to the passer with four or fewer defenders on the rush. The Cowboys are a good team to start with in that regard, as they'll have three first-year starters on the offensive line if rookie tackle Tyron Smith, who is questionable with a knee injury, is ready to go. The Jets will win easily if they rattle Romo early.
How the Cowboys can win:
Because of personnel issues on both sides of the ball, Dallas shouldn't be able to keep up with the Jets. However, Rex Ryan's teams have a way of making games interesting, sometimes when they shouldn't be close. The Cowboys need to create turnovers on defense and give Romo a short field, and Romo will have to heavily rely on Witten to get into the end zone and not just settle for field goals.
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