Cowboys-Jets: Five things to watch

The Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets have met only 10 times.

No. 11 is Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.

Both are in playoff contention, but in totally different ways.

The Cowboys (4-9) are in a mathematical NFC East title or bust scenario. The Jets (8-5), under first-year coach Todd Bowles, are in the thick of an AFC wild-card berth.

Here are five storylines to watch:

1. Cassel’s last act?

Matt Cassel has gone 1-5 in the six starts he’s made for the Cowboys, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. But the coaching staff still feel that Cassel gives them the best chance to win and are sticking with him for at least one more start. If the Cowboys lose, though, will it be time to see what backup Kellen Moore can do? Owner Jerry Jones said Friday that Moore might play depending on how the game goes.

2. Running issues

Darren McFadden is only 202 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark, which would be quite a feat considering his limited time early on. And Robert Turbin has shown some promise. But the Jets boast the top-ranked run defense in the league.

3. Dez Bryant watch

Dez Bryant is in the midst of one of the worst stretches in his career, and is coming off a miserable game in Green Bay. The Cowboys have no plans to shut down Bryant the rest of the way. He must become a difference-maker if the Cowboys want to hang with the Jets.

4. Tackling 101

The Cowboys missed many tackles against the Packers, struggling to bring down big-bodied Eddie Lacy. Jets running back Chris Ivory is another big back. It’ll be easy to see if the Cowboys learned their lesson from last week. Arm tackles, quite simply, aren’t going to cut it.

5. Turnover nightmare

The Cowboys were one of the best teams at taking the ball away a year ago, but they are on pace this season for the fewest takeaways in NFL history. That is a dubious record the defense wants to avoid. The Cowboys have eight takeaways, and the record for fewest takeaways is 11 (2013 Houston, 1982 Baltimore in a strike-shorted eight-game season).

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Cowboys-Jets: Five things to watch."