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Tampa Bay (at Dall.): At a glance this seems like a poor matchup for the Bucs, particularly considering they lost here two years ago by a 38-10 score. The Cowboys, however, have major problems on both sides of the ball. They just got blown out by a Rams team that spent the first month of the season getting crushed themselves. The Bucs’ defense should have some success getting after their former quarterback, and their offense should be able to move the ball against a defense that’s really slipped. In week 1 the Cowboys might have been a 10-point favorite; instead it’s a 2.5-point number, and a game where the visitors might have the superior team right now. ... We’ll call this an average matchup for the running game, maybe slightly above average. The Cowboys held their first three opponents (Cleveland, Philadelphia, Green Bay) to an average of just 84 rushing yards, and Cincinnati and Arizona combined for just 111 rushing yards in recent weeks. None of those teams, however, ranks higher than 22nd in rushing offense; they’re not running on anyone else, either. The best

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rushing offense Dallas has faced, Washington, rolled up 161 yards against them, and Steven Jackson led the Rams to a 180-yard performance last week. The Bucs are 9th; no reason why they can’t put up at least average numbers here. It would likely be a committee of Warrick Dunn and Earnest Graham, but Dunn has a pinched nerve in his back and was limited in practice on Wednesday. Dunn’s availability will need to be confirmed later in the week; if he plays, Graham might spend most of his snaps at fullback (as he did last week) and have limited carries. If Dunn sits out, Graham would be close to a full-time player at the position. The team also has Michael Bennett; he’d probably get a few carries. Cadillac Williams returned to practice on Wednesday, but he’s several weeks (at least) from appearing in a game; the team has 21 days to activate him or place him on injured reserve, either of which is possible. ... Injuries also complicate the passing game. Joey Galloway (foot) practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday, but he’s not certain to play or have a full-time role even if he does, and he’s not going to get his old job back regardless. Antonio Bryant has played very well in Galloway’s split end position, including 115 yards and a TD in the most recent game, and Jon Gruden says, “I’m not going to move him at this point in time.” Galloway used to play for the Cowboys, but it’s risky to start him this week even if he’s active. Odds are he’ll have a limited role, possibly splitting snaps with Michael Clayton and Ike Hilliard. (Hilliard, however, probably will sit out after suffering a concussion last week; he didn’t practice Wednesday.) Bryant, in contrast, looks like a very safe play against a banged-up secondary that will definitely be without Terence Newman and Roy Williams (injured) and Pacman Jones (suspended). The Cowboys have given up 7 passing touchdowns in their last four games, and all of those plays went to wide receivers. And Bryant benefits if Hilliard sits out -- makes him more likely to get targeted inside the red zone. Great matchup for Bryant (who’s also a former Cowboy), while Galloway is worth the gamble only if he’s practicing fully later in the week and Hilliard is ruled out. Jerramy Stevens also has value; he’s a capable pass-catching tight end, and he’s also seen some snaps at wide receiver lately. As for the guy throwing them the ball, Jeff Garcia, he’s completed 75 percent of his passes and thrown a TD in each of the last three weeks, and comes off a 310-yard game against Seattle. Until St. Louis dominated the Cowboys with the ground game a week ago, Dallas had allowed 217-290 passing yards to five straight opponents. ... The Bucs’ defense hasn’t been anything special on the road, but this is a pretty good matchup. Brad Johnson took 3 sacks, threw 3 interceptions, and fumbled at St. Louis last week. Dallas also has had some special teams breakdowns lately, most notably the blocked punt that ended their game two weeks ago.

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