Week 1 Preview - Dallas @ Washington

The defending Super Bowl Champion Saints continued their winning streak into this season with a 14-9 victory over Minnesota in the 2010 kick-off game. It was great to have real football back on, and it made me even more hype for Sunday night's match-up between Dallas and Washington.

Ah, Dallas and Washington... one of the most intense division rivalries in NFL history, and this year there is no shortage of story lines. Here are a few things to watch for on the Washington side of the field:

- Revenge. Washington got crushed in their last outing and didn't even manage to put a single point on the scoreboard. The Redskins are going to want blood. With this being a home opener and the first Sunday night game of the season, Washington wants more than anything to defeat the much hated 'Cowboys' in front of their fans and start off 2010 with a 'W'.

- New Coach. Mike Shannahan will be changing this team around for the better... I'm not confident that the transformation will be complete this year, next year or even the year after that, but regardless, Shannahan is a good coach with plenty of victories in his future and he will turn around this team at some point.

- New QB. We can't easily forget one of the bigger headlines of the off season and for this game... Donovan McNabb, the face of the Eagles for over a decade was released and has joined his division rivals, The Redskins. He will be playing with the determination to prove a lot of people wrong about him. He has been as tough of an opponent as they come and I don't expect that the color of his uniform will change that.

- Albert Haynesworth. He received one of the biggest contracts in NFL history when he went to the Redskins last year, but this off-season he has been quite the drama queen. When Mike Shannahan came into town and changed the defense to a 3-4, Haynesworth has done nothing but complain and bitch and now he is on the cusp of being traded because of it. He's still an amazingly talented player and he will play Sunday but will he perform well for a coach who he already despises... could be good for The Cowboys.

As for Dallas:

- Offensive Line Woes. Most likely, Kyle Kosier and Marc Columbo will both miss this game and possibly more. Their backups, Montrae Holland and Alex Barron should play well enough, but the missing pieces will definitely be felt. If the O-Line can't do a good job breaking open holes for the running backs or protecting Romo from blitzes, there will be trouble.

- Dez Bryant, Kevin Ogletree and no Patrick Crayton. Right after the final preseason game, Dallas parted ways with Crayton and now Ogletree will be filling his spot. He's young with potential, but there may be some growing pains. As for Bryant, he hasn't played any preseason games due to his ankle sprain, so it will be interesting to see what he can do now that he will finally be unleashed.

I'm sure there are some other subtle story lines that go along with this game but I think I highlighted the main ones. It's a division game, both teams hate each other and whenever they match-up, anything can happen. Dallas are already 3 1/2 point favorites and I think they have the talent to handle Washington nicely. I predict Dallas 27, Washington 10.

P.S.

In other Cowboys News... Miles Austin made a huge splash last year, breaking records and earning respect. Yesterday, to show his gratitude, Jerry Jones has given him a 6 year contract extension that is worth somewhere around $55 million. Nice. Did I mention that he's dating Kim Kardashian too? This is a lucky year so far for Mr. Austin, I'm hoping his luck continues on the field.