Miles Austin Injury: Star WR's Return Won't Power Dallas Cowboys to Victory

Miles Austin is 100 percent, according to DallasCowboys.com. Even so, their star receiver's return isn't going to be enough to rescue Tony Romo and take the Cowboys to victory over Tom Brady's Patriots.

The Cowboys are 2-2 thus far. They've had a bye week to get healthy and prepare for the Patriots, but Dallas is still grossly outmatched. To add salt to the wound, this game is being played at Foxboro.

The Cowboys are the best run-stopping team in the league. Luckily for the Patriots, they happen to have the best quarterback in the game under center. The Patriots throw for an absurd 366.6 yards per game.

Rob Ryan has seen success against Brady before, and while his personnel has drastically improved from his days in Cleveland, the Cowboys' defense is going to be victimized by Brady's aerial assault.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Cowboys field a decent passing game as well. With the third-ranked passing attack in the league, it's hard to believe the Cowboys are 2-2. Unfortunately for Dallas, Romo checks out when the game matters most.

Austin's presence wouldn't have saved Romo from imploding and literally throwing away the game against the Lions. Romo proves time and time again that he can't get it done when the lights are brightest. Going into Foxboro in a must-win game doesn't exactly encourage his success.

The Romo-to-Austin connection is lethally effective when nothing is at stake—in Week 2, the first quarter or preseason. While the tandem will likely shine in fantasy football this week, it wouldn't matter if Jerry Rice were on the field; there is no way Romo can take down Brady in Foxboro in a shootout.

Romo-to-Austin is good; Brady-to-Welker is elite. This is going to be a high-scoring affair, and it's not hard to see which team is going to struggle keeping up down the stretch.

Next week vs St. Louis at home, Romo is probably going to look like Joe Montana. Austin's return will be a huge factor in that game, and the Cowboys will jump out to a 3-3 record.

This isn't the week they right the ship, though. It's going to be a long afternoon for Romo and a frustrating one for a newly healthy Austin.