Week Five: Dallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Cowboys go into Arrowhead stadium on Sunday to face the lowly Kansas City Chiefs as they try to go over .500 before their bye week.

The Chiefs have yet to win a game this season, but they do play hard. However, they rank 31st in total offense and the defense has its holes too.

Matt Cassel is the quarterback for the Chiefs, and after being traded from the Patriots, he's learning that not having an offensive line can make life difficult.

Cassel has good numbers, completing 53-of-89 passes for 458 yards, but that's just a five yard average per completion, proving even more that he isn't given much time. If Cassel is able to get time in the pocket he has some good receivers to get the ball out to.

Dwayne Bowe has been in Head Coach Todd Haley's doghouse since training camp, but you can't argue with his production. He's second on the team in receptions and yards with 10 catches for 107 yards and tied for first in touchdowns with two. Mark Bradley also has 10 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown.

The running game hasn't been as fortunate this season. The Chiefs don't have a rushing touchdown this season, and Larry Johnson is averaging just 2.6 yards per carry. Backup Jamaal Charles is averaging 5.7 yards per carry, but has just 12 carries on the season.

Running the ball so poorly makes it hard to keep their offense on the field and directly impacts their defense.

Things don't get much better on defense as the Chiefs are ranked 28th in the NFL in total defense, and they give up an average of 4.1 yards per rush on defense. They'll have to buckle down if they want to stop the Cowboys' third-ranked rushing offense.

Mike Brown and Mike Vrabel are veterans on a young defense and are in the top three on the team in tackles, but the Chiefs just aren't very good against the run. Marion Barber and Tashard Choice are waiting for this game, so the Chiefs will bring eight guys on first down and hope it's enough.

Cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr have two years experience each, and it's shown as they've been beaten because of missed assignments and tackles. The Chiefs are giving up 250 pass yards per game, which means this is the game for Romo to get some swagger back and find his rhythm with his receivers.

However the Chiefs were very good on defense to start the game against the Giants last week, but they just got tired because their offense doesn't make long drives down the field. So don't be surprised if the Chiefs make some plays early in the game.

Although the Cowboys are the favorite, some analysts are calling for an upset; therefore the Cowboys have to take the Chiefs out of the game early so they don't get any momentum.

It's been two tough weeks for Tony Romo, so he needs to have a good game, and this is who he'd want to see. The run game will be there, so Romo needs to use that to open up the passing game. He'll be without his top receiver Roy Williams, who is out with a rib injury.

Miles Austin will take Williams' place, and he needs to produce. Austin has been non-existent since week where he had a 41-yard touchdown reception. Patrick Crayton will also have to have a big game for Romo to be successful.

The ground game is where the Cowboys will attack primarily. Marion Barber is 100 percent and Tashard Choice has been playing great since Felix Jones has been on the injured list. Expect these two to get a heavy load, especially because the Cowboys offensive line has a huge size advantage against the Chiefs front seven.

The Cowboys defense has done a better job of getting to the quarterback in the last two weeks, and with Matt Cassel and the Chiefs weak offensive line anything less than three sacks is underachieving.

DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer have no sacks between them, which has to change on Sunday.

Patrick Watkins will start in place of Gerald Sensabaugh, who is out with a broken thumb, but it's Ken Hamlin who needs to stop up his game in the secondary. He's left his teammates out to dry a few times this season and has also missed some tackles that have led to big runs for the opponents.

Terence Newman will try to bounce back from the Denver game by covering Dwayne Bowe on Sunday. Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins will also have to bring their A-game, as every touchdown the Chiefs have on offense has been a passing touchdown.

The Cowboys should beat the Chiefs, but I'm not expecting a blowout considering the Buccaneers and Panthers stayed with them until the fourth quarter of both games.

The Chiefs will have at least one big play and their defense will confuse Tony Romo early, but eventually the Chiefs defense will get tired of being on the field, and Barber and Choice will take advantage.

Cowboys 24-14.