Dallas Cowboys: 5 Trends We Could See Against the Dolphins

The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins will face off for just the fourth time since 1996 tomorrow on Thanksgiving Day, with both teams on an upward trend as of late.

Miami has gone from winless, to a three-game winning streak in the past three weeks, while Dallas has come back strong with three straight wins after their blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles almost a month ago.

With both teams playing some of their best football heading into this game, here are some recent trends from both teams that you can expect to continue when these two battle it out tomorrow.

Dallas' Defense Shuts Down Reggie Bush

It's true that Reggie Bush has been a productive part of the Dolphins offense since the winning streak began in Miami, but aside from racking up 92 yards and a touchdown on the Kansas City Chiefs three weeks ago, No. 22 has been trending downward in yards per game.

It must be said that Bush has found the end zone in each win for his team so far this year, but while the Dallas run defense has been suspect at times this season, it had no problem shutting down Tashard Choice, Roy Helu and Ryan Torain last weekend.

The former New Orleans Saint has been held in check by both the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills in the past two weeks, which aren't the most intimidating of running defenses and certainly not on par with the Cowboys, who rank 11th against the run.

Tony Romo Continues to Shine in November

For whatever reason, Tony Romo is close to unbeatable in the month of November over his career, with just two losses to his name in the 11th month of the year.

Since Dallas has been on this three-game winning streak, Romo has thrown close to 300 yards in each of their wins, along with eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

As impressive as that stat line, the most important has been Romo's ability to limit his turnovers, which plagued him during the early part of 2011.

The Dolphins defense ranks 25th against the pass in all the NFL, which should mean more big numbers from the Cowboys' quarterback on Turkey Day.

Matt Moore Continues to Be Effective

When opposing fans hear the name "Matt Moore" as the starting quarterback for the Dolphins, they don't exactly become afraid of the matchup. But that doesn't mean he's a slouch.

From what I've seen out of Moore during his time with the Carolina Panthers and now in Miami, he strikes me as an above average NFL quarterback with the potential to become one of the better 15 or so at his position.

He's thrown for three touchdowns in two of the three wins for the Dolphins this season, and he has shown the ability to get the ball down the field to Brandon Marshall, who is without questions the Dolphins' greatest threat on offense.

The Cowboys do rank 12th against the pass, and I don't expect Moore to throw all over Dallas like Michael Vick did awhile back, but I do think he'll move the chains and give the 'Phins chances to put points on the board.

DeMarco Murray Gives the Miami Defense Headaches

Not since Julius Jones first burst onto the scene in Dallas have I seen a rookie running back that has looked so developed during his first year as a professional running back.

Now, we all know how he Jones' story ended, but DeMarco Murray has done things in his first few starts the guys like Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith were unable to do their whole careers.

There's something special about Murray, but he'll have his work cut out for him tomorrow. The Oklahoma alum is coming off a somewhat frustrating game against the Redskins where he logged just 73 yards on 25 carries, and he now faces the seventh-best run defense in the NFL.

The Dolphins have been very effective against the run this year, but if you look at their schedule, the top running backs they've faced come down to Willis McGahee, Fred Jackson and Arian Foster.

Foster and Jackson were both ineffective for their respective teams, but it should be noted that it was Week 1 when Foster and the Texans faced Miami, while Jackson saw his Bills fall down early and abandon the running game altogether.

I don't see Murray going off for more than 100 yards on the ground, but I think his presence in the short passing game, along with the fact you have to respect the run whenever he's in the backfield, will prove to be troublesome for the 'Phins defense.

Dallas Brings Their Winning Streak to Four Games

Only one of these teams can go home to their families and brag about at four-game winning streak, but since it's Thanksgiving, I can't bet against the Cowboys.

The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are as apart of Thanksgiving as turkey and gravy, and both teams always play their hearts out on national television instead of sitting with their loved ones like many of us get to do.

The 'Boys have struggled at times on Turkey Day in recent memory, with the Denver and Chicago game coming to mind from several years ago. The difference in those games compared to the game tomorrow is that Dallas is on the cusp of reaching that upper tier as far as best teams in the league go.

While their winning streak has come against teams that aren't exactly Super Bowl contenders, as a team, you have to win the games you're expected to. That's what Dallas has done the past three weeks, and I don't expect that to be derailed tomorrow afternoon.