‘Monday Night Football,’ Washington vs. Cowboys 2014: Can Washington stop red-hot Dallas?

The Dallas Cowboys host Washington in a matchup of NFC East foes on Monday Night Football, a rivalry that was once must-see television but has lost some of its luster in recent years.

While these two teams are at opposite ends of the power rankings this season, it is hard to match the historic nature of this game. It is the 16th time that the two teams have met on Monday night, the second-most frequent matchup in MNF's 45-year history, behind the 17 meetings between the Raiders and Broncos. The Cowboys own an 8-7 advantage heading into Monday's game, including wins in four of the last five such matchups.

Washington snapped its four-game losing streak with a win last week against the Tennessee Titans, but still enters this game at 2-5 and in the basement of the NFC East. Its only wins have come against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Titans, teams that entered Week 8 with a combined 3-11 record.

Washington's schedule doesn't get any easier the rest of the season either, with upcoming road games at the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts, followed by games against each of its division rivals in the final three weeks. Its remaining opponents have a combined win percentage of .567, the third-hardest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL entering this week.

Although the playoffs appear to be a near-lock at this point, there is always doubt surrounding this team in Dallas. You have to look no further than the 2012 Chicago Bears to find a team that missed the postseason after winning six of its first seven games. It is also hard to ignore the Cowboys' soft schedule so far; the combined record of their first seven opponents was .413, the third-easiest schedule of games played entering Week 8.

DeMarco Murray is the focal point of a Dallas offense that has fully embraced the run for the first time under head coach Jason Garrett. Murray is off to a historic start, becoming the only player in NFL history to begin a season with seven straight 100-yard rushing games. He is halfway to the record of 14 for the longest all-time streak, set by Barry Sanders in 1997. His 913 rushing yards are the sixth-most in league history through seven games and are almost 300 more than any other player this season entering Week 8 (Arian Foster is second with 615). He has more rushing yards than all but three other teams (besides the Cowboys) and is on pace for 2,087 yards this season, which would put him at No. 3 on the NFL's single-season rushing list. However, the worry in Big D is whether Murray can stay healthy despite his heavy workload. He is also on pace to carry the ball 427 times, which would be an NFL single-season record.

Another key to the Cowboys' success on offense this season has been their ability to extend drives, both on the ground and in the air. Tony Romo is completing 70.6 percent of his passes on third down, the second-highest mark in the league, and no quarterback has more passing first downs on third-down attempts than Romo (40) entering this week. Murray has converted an NFL-best 10 of his 14 third-down rushes into first downs. This combo has led the Cowboys to an overall third-down conversion rate of 57.4 percent, which easily leads the league.

If Washington is going to pull off the upset, it needs to fix an offense that is averaging just 17.5 points per game over its last four games, the fifth-fewest in that span entering this week. One of its main problems is a meager rushing attack that is averaging fewer than 100 yards per game this season. Alfred Morris has gotten the majority of the carries but is putting up a career-worst 3.8 yards per rush, and he has just 124 rushing yards in his last three games combined. Perhaps a matchup with a Cowboys defense that is allowing the third-highest yards per carry this season will help Morris and the rest of Washington's ground game get back on track.

Washington lost one of its key players on defense when Brian Orakpo went down with a season-ending injury last week. Even though he was having a disappointing season with just a half sack and 24 tackles in seven games, his leadership and toughness will be hard to replace on the right side of the defense. Rookie Trent Murphy will step into the starting role at right outside linebacker and will immediately face a huge challenge in trying to contain Dallas' prolific offense. He has played just 182 of the team's 472 defensive snaps, and his job has been mostly as a pass rusher in the nickel set. While he certainly can't be expected to replace Orakpo's productivity by himself, he will have to prove himself capable of playing both the run and in coverage if he is going to help Washington's defense this season.

Radio: Washington Radio Network, Cowboys Radio Network

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Dallas is a 10-point favorite over Washington at home, with the over/under set at 49.5, per OddsShark.

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To keep up on Washington, head over to Hogs Haven.