Round 2

All right. The Dallas Cowgirls are coming to town. Tony Blowmo is back. Clinton Portis probably won't play. It's a big divisional matchup for the 'Skins. Most importantly, I will be in attendance (screw you, UVa basketball, it's not every day you get to go to a 'Skins-'Girls game). Yes, I am skipping Virginia's season opener for basketball against Virginia Military Institute to go up to DC for this one. It's a prime-time showdown and a chance for Washington to sweep the season series.

Regarding my usual Nadkarni's CityView: I've already done one on Dallas, but didn't include pictures or demographics, so I'll put that here and you can refer back to the previous Cowgirls game preview for the rest.

Dallas, Texas





(That's the JFK Memorial)

Demographics: 50% White, 25.88% Black, 4.5% Asian, 1% Native American, .50% Pacific Islander, 20% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. 35% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Cowgirls at Redskins
When: Sunday, 8:15 pm
Where: FedEx Field
TV: NBC (Al Michaels, John Madden)
Line: Even
Breakdown: The Redskins lose a significant offensive player for this game, while Dallas gains one. We'll start with Washington. Star running back Clinton Portis is likely out for the game with a sprained knee (For chrissake, I guarantee that if he played for anyone but the Redskins then he'd never get injured). He will probably be replaced by the very capable Shaun Alexander, along with Rock Cartwright, who usually handles kickoff returns, and possibly Ladell Betts, who has a knee injury of his own (oh, please, not him). This will put more pressure on quarterback Jason Campbell to get the passing game going. Considering that Campbell should have all his reliable pass-catchers healthy and the fact that he torched the Cowgirls' secondary in the first meeting, it could happen. Expect a big game from Santana Moss.
Dallas quarterback Tony Blowmo returns to the lineup for the first time in nearly a month. He had been nursing a broken pinkie on his throwing hand and will take the field with a splint, making it difficult to throw deep. One might wonder if this may neutralize the effect of the ubiquitous (on and off the field) Terrible Blowens, who is believed by many to be a great receiver, but I know better. The Redskins are expected to regain the services of defensive end Jason Taylor, who succumbed to that inevitable Redskins injury bug a few weeks back, and cornerback Shawn Springs, who blanketed Blowens in the previous meeting. The 'Skins also added defensive back DeAngelo Hall, who was cut by Oakland last week. If the Cowgirls want to win, then they'll need to get Marion Barber involved on the ground. The Redskins stuffed Barber like a Thanksgiving turkey in the first matchup, to the tune of 26 yards on eight carries. Let's hope that they'll hold him to less this time.
Prediction: The last time I was in the stands at FedEx, we blew it and lost to the Rams. It won't happen again. 28-24, Redskins over the hated Cowgirls.