Redskins vs. Cowboys: 5 Halftime Adjustments Dallas Must Make

The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins have had a typical Monday Night Football performance so far, playing each other close through out the entirety of the first half.

Dallas heads into the half looking somewhat impressive against their longtime arch rival, but that doesn't mean there isn't a laundry list of improvements America's Team needs to make in order to walk out of their 2011 home opener with a victory.

Here are five halftime adjustments the Cowboys need to make if they want to take down the Redskins on national television tonight.

Shut Down the Notable Cowboy Killers

The Redskins have made it clear from their opening drive that they're going to go with what has worked in the past against the Cowboys, which is plenty of Chris Cooley and Santana Moss in the passing game.

Cooley has been used as an H-back at some points this game due to the 'Skins starting fullback being inactive tonight. A few years ago, the Redskins tight end pretty much beat the Cowboys all in his own while being used in this fashion, they can't let it happen again.

Moss on the other hand is Rex Grossman's clear No.1 receiver to go to, and it's going to take stellar play from Terence Newman all game long to keep the one-time New York Jet in place because he's created a highlight reel of plays against Dallas in the past.

Continue to Run the Ball

Throughout most of the first quarter, the Dallas running game was all but shut down. Felix Jones ended the first quarter of play with just five carries for nine yards and that's not going to keep the pressure off Tony Romo.

The Dallas quarterback has played admirably through the pain, but relied too much on tight end Jason Witten. Jones and Tashard Choice have to make an impact in this game and get the ball rolling on the ground.

The Cowboys' offense works the best when there's a solid balance of running and passing plays, and tonight more than ever in the 2011 season, they'll need to have that balance if they want to keep the offensive game plan working and keep their quarterback in the game.

Continue to Keep Tim Hightower in Check

Dallas shut down the Washington running attack, with Tim Hightower looking nothing short of unimpressive in his debut rivalry game.

The Redskins offensive attack shied away from the rushing game through much of the second quarter due to the ineffectiveness of their former Arizona Cardinal, with the most explosive run so far coming from Roy Helu. 

The Cowboys need to keep their rivals one dimensional; despite the hot start to the season from Grossman, their best chance to win is to keep the ball in his hands and force the passing game to beat them.

It may be more difficult to do so with Mike Jenkins back in the locker room, but they played much of the Jets game without him and have signed depth at the position, in case this kind of situation arose again.

Defense Must Continue to Impress

The Cowboys were able to hold the Redskins offensive attack to just six points in the first quarter, not allowing a touchdown after the Kevin Ogletree fumble.

They've allowed just two catches for Santana Mos and have made Rex Grossman feel the pressure on more than a few occasions through the first half of play.

They need to continue to confuse and pressure the former Chicago Bear and continue to keep Tim Hightower ineffective.

With an interception already to their name courtesy of Sean Lee, the Cowboys are beginning to get in the head of Rexy, and that, they hope, will bring the age old "Bad Rex" out in the second half.

Pass Protection Must Keep Romo Upright

Through the first handful of possessions for the Cowboys, their young offensive line has kept Romo upright for the most part, allowing their quarterback time to read the defense and make throws.

While No .9 has keyed in on Witten too much for the majority of the first half, he's still had the time necessary to make the right reads, which is all you can ask for from the big men up front.

Despite the handful of penalties, coach Jason Garrett has to like what he's seen from the highly questioned O-line heading into their Monday night matchup.

Tyron Smith and company will have to continue to play the way they have so far in order in to have the best chance at winning tonight.