Dolphins vs. Cowboys: 10 Reasons Game Will Be a Holiday Massacre

The word Thanksgiving invokes thoughts of turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, family and, of course, Dallas Cowboys football. Watching the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day after stuffing yourself silly has become an American tradition, right up there with fireworks on the Fourth of July and parades on Memorial Day.

This year in their annual home game on Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys play host to the Miami Dolphins. This isn't the first time the two teams have met on Thanksgiving. Who can forget their memorable meeting in 1993, famous (or infamous, depending on your rooting interest) for Leon Lett's boneheaded play to give the Dolphins another shot at the go-ahead field goal with only three seconds left?

While that game was close and exciting, this season's version will memorable for a different reason. When, in the future, fans discuss the 2011 Thanksgiving Classic, they will be discussing how badly the Cowboys beat up on the Dolphins. Here are 10 reasons tomorrow's game between the Cowboys and Dolphins will be a Thanksgiving Day massacre at the hands of the Cowboys.

DeMarco Murray

Since taking over the starting role for an injured Felix Jones in Week 7, DeMarco Murray has been a force to be reckoned with.

After failing to rush for more than 35 yards in the Cowboys' first five games of the season, Murray has rushed for nearly 700 in the last five. The best part for Cowboys fans is that Murray is only going to improve, as evidenced by his increased presence in the passing game over the last three games, in which he has had 16 receptions.

The Dolphins will not have an answer for the speed Murray brings to the field. Look for him to ring up over 100 yards on the ground and 50 more through the air.

Laurent Robinson

Laurent Robinson has also been a revelation for Cowboys fans this season.

Since joining the team in Week 3 as the result of a rash of injuries to the Cowboys receiving corps, Robinson has racked up 475 yards on 31 receptions and, most importantly, five TDs, all of which coming in the last four games.

The Dolphins' weak secondary will have their hands full with Robinson and his teammate Dez Bryant on Thursday, and likely won't be able to stop either one. Look for Robinson to build on his four-game touchdown streak.

Dez Bryant

Dez Bryant has come on strong in recent weeks as it seems the hamstring issues which severely hampered him early in the season are completely behind him. With Miles Austin sitting out again against the Dolphins, Dez Bryant will take the field as the Cowboys' clear go-to guy at receiver.

Bryant has scored in two straight games for the Cowboys and, more importantly, he has developed a chemistry with QB Tony Romo over the course of 2011 that hadn't been there before. Last week in overtime against the Redskins, his big catch that helped set up the winning field goal was evidence of such a development.

With a thin secondary, the Dolphins will struggle to contain Bryant, who is good for at least a few long catches in Thursday's game. With the entire country looking on, Bryant will insert his name into the discussion of the most explosive receivers in the game.

Jason Witten

Jason Witten, who had fallen off a bit in recent years due to injury, has again asserted himself as one of the best tight ends in the NFL.

Witten's 52 receptions and 670 yards lead the Cowboys in 2011, and he is tied for second on the team with five touchdown receptions. Witten's combination of speed, power and soft hands make him one of Tony Romo's favorite targets.

The Dolphins, who already will be spread thin in trying to defend against Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and DeMarco Murray, will be completely broken by Witten, who has made a career in salvaging plays by finding holes in the middle of the field and getting open while Romo scrambles from the pocket. Thursday will be no different—look for Witten to put up big numbers against the Dolphins.

The Cowboys Defense

The Dallas Cowboys defense has long been considered one of the best in the NFL at getting pressure on the quarterback.

The Dolphins, whose passing game is weak and running game even weaker, stand almost no chance at keeping QB Matt Moore clean on Thursday. Led by DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys pass-rush will have a field day on Thursday.

The Cowboys defense is certainly fast enough to contain Reggie Bush out of the backfield, and Terrence Newman will look to take Brandon Marshall out of the picture, leaving Moore with few options. Look for Rob Ryan to blitz early and often in an attempt to force Moore into bad decisions. Moore, who actually looked good against the Buffalo Bills last week, will oblige and find Cowboys defenders with at least two of his passes Thursday afternoon.

Given the circumstances, it would be shocking if the Dolphins score more than 13 points on Thursday afternoon.

Matt Moore

You may be asking, why is the Dolphins QB a reason for why the Cowboys will destroy the Dolphins on Thanksgiving? The reason is simple: Matt Moore just doesn't have the tools to beat the Cowboys on the road and on Thanksgiving Day.

Moore, who NFL fans may remember from his forgettable time as the Carolina Panthers' starting QB in 2010, is the consummate backup quarterback. He doesn't complain, he plays hard and he is always ready to play, but he also simply lacks a ton of talent. 

It doesn't help that he is surrounded with even less talent on the Dolphins offense.

With the focal point of the Cowboys' defensive scheme being pressure on the quarterback, the Cowboys will be coming hard at Moore. With less time than normal to find open receivers, Moore will feel the heat all day on Thursday and likely be forced into quick decisions. Lacking the mobility of a Michael Vick or the arm strength and accuracy of a Tom Brady, Moore stands little chance to turn many of those quick decisions into positive yards.

The Dolphins' Receiving Corps

Led by Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess, two highly regarded receivers, the Dolphins' receiving corps has severely underperformed and done almost nothing to help whomever is under center, whether it be Matt Moore or Chad Henne.

Plagued by egotism, lazy route-running and the occasional desire to simply take a play off, the Dolphins receivers have struggled to get open for their quarterback all season. That is unlikely to change against an aggressive Cowboys defense.

Unfortunately for Dolphins fans, given their team's lack of production out of the backfield this season, their only real chance to contend on Thursday depends on their receivers getting open and making big plays. Facing a Cowboys team that loves to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage, it is much more likely that Dolphins receivers will rack up a lot of frustration rather than a lot of yards.

Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas

The Dolphins backfield of Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas was supposed to be their main strength heading into this season.

Owing to both injuries and the lack of a threat at wide receiver, the Dolphins' running game has been largely held in check this season. In fact, teams have been so successful at stopping the run against the Dolphins that each back has only cracked the 100-yard mark only once this season.

With no threat to bring the defense closer to the line of scrimmage, it is difficult for a team led by a suspect QB to gain positive yardage.

The Dolphins Defense

In order to beat the Cowboys, or even keep the game close, the Dolphins will need to keep the Cowboys out of the end zone.

Their best chance of doing that relies on getting pressure on Tony Romo early and often, forcing him to be a decision maker, and setting the table for him to self-destruct, as he often does. Unfortunately for Dolphins fans, their defense lacks the talent upfront to apply that sort of pressure.

The Dolphins leader in sacks, Cameron Wake, has accumulated just 5.5 sacks on the season. While Wake has demonstrated in the past that he is capable of applying pressure on the QB, he has been unable to get there this season, mostly because the Dolphins' defensive line has been unable to attract the attention they were able to get in the past, failing to open lanes for their linebackers to get to the QB.

Without pressure on Romo, there is little chance the Dolphins can keep the game close.

Dan Bailey

Suppose the game does end up being close by some odd miracle. If that ends up being the case, and it is highly unlikely, Dan Bailey will be the difference maker in favor of the Cowboys.

The Cowboys kicker has nailed 25 of his 26 field-goal attempts this season, and he is perfect beyond 40 yards in nine tries.

Even if the Dolphins can score the moral victory of keeping the game close until the end, look for Bailey to end all hope for the Fins.