Cowboys under intense pressure tonight

The city of Dallas was not a happy one after the Cowboys lost the first game ever to be played in the new Cowboys Stadium. Making matters worse was the fact that the loss came against the hated Giants. This past week, the team has received more than a fair share of criticism for the loss -- most of the blame has been placed on Tony Romo, who threw three interceptions. 

Tonight on Monday Night Football, the Cowboys get a chance to redeem themselves, against the Panthers. Frankly, this is one of the most important games in Romo's relatively young career. With a poor performance and another loss, the criticisms of Romo will only intensify. Jerry Jones surely won't be happy, and a loss likely will put coach Wade Phillips on the hot seat, if he's not on it already. 

When the Cowboys decided to release controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens, the move was largely applauded. The thinking was that by subtracting Owens, the Cowboys would have better chemistry and therefore be a better football team. Reportedly, the chemistry is much better than in the previous three seasons. The team, however, is having its struggles. 

While Romo now doesn't have to worry about who he is throwing to, he still is making the mistakes that have haunted him during his career. His decision-making is poor, and some of his throws have been awful. But why is Romo even getting so many opportunities to throw the ball? The Cowboys have the best trio of running backs in the league, and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett needs to use them more often. 

Getting back to Phillips, he needs his defense to play well for him tonight. Phillips calls the defensive plays, but his unit has been far from perfect this year. The front-seven looks solid, but the secondary has been vulnerable. 

A loss tonight, and the Cowboys will have answered the questions surrounding them in a negative fashion -- and that won't bode well for anyone. As usual, the lights will be shining on Big D tonight.