Written by Thomas Moore

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The Cleveland Browns come off the bye and head to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys.

With seven games left in the season, and some potential wins there for the taking, how will the players and coaches respond as they are under the continued microscope of owner James Haslam and CEO Joe Banner?

Can the Browns also earn their first road win since Week 2 of last year?

Let’s see if we can find some answers.

The Opposition

Dallas’ record: 4-2
Offensive rank: 9th overall/6th passing/29th rushing
Defensive rank: 8th overall/8th passing/13th rushing
All-time record: Browns lead, 17-12
Last meeting: Cowboys won, 28-10, in Week 1 of 2008
The line: Browns (+7.5)

What to Watch For

Statistically, the Cowboys appear to be better than their record indicates. Their defense should present a test for the Browns, especially in the passing game where they rank eighth, giving up just 213 yards per game.

After a three-game stretch where quarterback Brandon Weeden only turned the ball over once, the rookie was picked off twice against the Ravens. Weeden needs to stay aggressive, especially as the Browns continue to struggle in the red zone where they are currently 31st in the NFL, having scored just one touchdown in their last nine quarters.

“Brandon, he’s every bit of the quarterback you need in a situation like this,” running back Trent Richardson said. “He’s a vet in my eyes because he’s been a professional already, but Brandon’s taken more of a role of speaking in the huddle, trying to be a team leader and he’s doing everything he can to make sure he’s got everybody’s attention and let everybody know that he’s here to lead the team and he’s doing whatever it takes to lead the team.”

Weeden taking a greater role in the offense and speaking up, especially if it is about game plans and play calling, can only be a good thing for the Browns. More input from Weeden means less input from coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Brad Childress can only be a good thing – especially in light of the ongoing problems with getting the plays called and communicated to Weeden.

The ongoing problem with getting the play in on time is something the Browns worked on during the bye week.

“I just think we had communication issues, whether it is indecision or whether I wasn’t speaking clearly, or Pat (Shurmur) wasn’t speaking clearly, or we were caught on the last play, which you can do sometimes,” Childress said. “Sometimes you’re irritated about what happened on the last play or what happened officiating wise. We just talked about the tempo it’s got to get in, at what point it’s got to get in and how we’re going about doing that. Who is talking on the line and when they’re talking on the line, those kinds of things.”

Richardson should be able to take some of the pressure off of Weeden now that he has had a week off to rest his injured ribs. Even though he has been hurt the past two games, Richardson still rushed for 227 yards and a touchdown. And while the Cowboys are still strong against the run, they are giving up 105 yards a game and have lost two of their best run defenders, linebacker Sean Lee and defensive end Kenyon Coleman to injury.

One major key to the game will be who wins the matchup between Browns left tackle Joe Thomas and Dallas’ pass rusher DeMarcus Ware.

According to Pro Football Focus, while the Cowboys move Ware around, 69 percent of his pass rushes have come from the right side, which puts him right over Thomas. Ware ranks second in the site’s Pass Rush Productivity stats, totaling 37 pressures and 11 sacks this year.

Thomas counters by allowing just one sack and 10 total pressures in 357 pass blocking snaps.

“The guy does everything great,” Thomas said of Ware. “You’d be hard pressed to find a better outside linebacker in the NFL in the last 15-plus years. He stops the run (and) he’s a fantastic pass rusher. I don’t know what his sack numbers are since he’s been in the league, but I don’t know if anybody has had more. I’m sure he’s right at the top and when you average one sack a game it’s pretty impressive. Everything he does is phenomenal. He’s the type of guy that you try to keep quiet, but you can’t shut him down no matter what you do for a whole game.”

On defense, it may be one step forward, two steps back for the Browns.

For the first time all season, Phil Taylor and Ahtyba Rubin should line up together on the defensive line, which should help a run defense that is ranked 27th in the NFL.

“It’s good to have them all back and healthy,” said defensive coordinator Dick Jauron. “It gives us some flexibility and it certainly gives us more depth. That’s the thing. It’s really good to have them back.”

Please contain your enthusiasm there, coach.

The Cowboys are right at the bottom of the league in rushing offense, gaining just 85 yards per game, and may be without running back DeMarco Murray, who is doubtful with a foot injury.

“He’s another very talented guy, but they have a number of running backs that can get it done,” Jauron said. “He was having an outstanding year obviously before he suffered the injury. I don’t see them changing a lot of their scheme though for their guys. They are very capable.”

While Taylor and Rubin are back, the Browns may be without cornerback Joe Haden, who injured an oblique muscle in practice and the Browns won’t know if Haden can play until game time.

The Browns were 0-4 without Haden earlier this year and gave up 10 touchdown passes (they’ve given up 16 all year).

“When anyone’s down, especially a starter, it hurts,” T.J. Ward said. “Not having Joe will hurt us but the next guy just has to step up. That’s how it's been all year. We haven’t had our complete defense on the field at any point this (season).”

This is a tough week for the Browns to possibly lose Haden, as the Cowboys are sixth in the league in passing, averaging 287 yards per game. If Haden is out, Buster Skrine moves to cornerback and rookie Trevin Wade becomes the third down back.

While moving Skrine away from having to cover the slot receiver actually works in the Browns favor – Pro Football Focus ranks Skrine last in the league among cornerbacks in slot performance – there is little doubt that Dallas quarterback Tony Romo will want to take advantage of a rookie like Wade.

Dallas wide receiver Miles Austin has more than half of his receptions from the slot this year (according to Pro Football Focus) and tight end Jason Witten is still a major target (especially against a team that can’t cover tight ends like the Browns). It seems likely that Romo will want to exploit those advantages.

“It really stresses any defense,” Jauron said. “Between them, I think Witten’s got 66 and the other two (Austin and Dez Bryant) are in the mid 40s in terms of catches. They are all outstanding. They’re all really talented people. You have to make decisions - if you’re going to double somebody who’s it going to be? They are really good. They are a very talented football team.”

A Few Trends That May Favor the Browns

The Cowboys have committed 14 turnovers in their three home games this year with Romo having 12 of them. Dallas, which beat Philadelphia last week, has not won consecutive games since Weeks 9-12 of last season – a stretch of 13 games. (h/t to @BaxFootballGuru)

The Last Time Cleveland Went To Dallas

The Browns haven’t played the Cowboys on the road since Week 2 of the 2004 season. Cleveland lost that day, 19-12, as four Phil Dawson field goals provided all of the scoring for the Browns (the more things change ...).

Jeff Garcia also posted a 0.0 quarterback rating and lost rookie tight end Kellen Winslow to a broken leg.

Good times.

The Prediction

This could be a winnable game for the Browns as weird as that sounds.

The Cowboys are an extremely unpredictable team that, while talented, may not be as good as some people believe them to be. Plus they are coached by Jason Garrett, possibly the only coach in NFL history who routinely ices his own field goal kicker.

But in the NFL you are what your record says you are, and the Browns are 2-7 for a reason.

“I think our guys play extremely hard, number one,” Shurmur said. “I think we’re becoming more efficient in all areas. I think in some situations we’re getting a little healthier. I want to see these guys improve from an efficiency standpoint, the way we operate. I want to see all the young players take another jump and we need to make improvements pointed to our winning football games.”

Shurmur’s right, the Browns do play hard, which is why we’re taking Cleveland and the points this week.

Record picking the Browns this season: 2-6-1

(Photo by DallasCowboys.com)