Bucs preparing for Cowboys squad that hasn't won since September

Bucs preparing for Cowboys squad that hasn't won since September1h ago    Andrew Astleford    ESPNHenry Melton is one of a handful of Bucs players who spent last season in Dallas. AP Photo/Phelan M. EbenhackTAMPA, Fla. -- Here are 10 things to know about the Dallas Cowboys (2-6), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' opponent Sunday at Raymond James Stadium:1. The offense is hurting without Tony Romo. Not much good has happened for the Cowboys since their quarterback suffered a broken left clavicle in Week 2; they have lost six consecutive games, with four of those defeats by seven points or fewer. Dallas is 26th in scoring, producing just 20 points per game. Romo is expected to return in Week 11.2. Matt Cassel is no Romo, but he's coming off his best game this year. The journeyman quarterback threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Philadelphia last Sunday. Those were season highs, and he finished with a 105.0 passer rating, his best since posting a 113.7 for Minnesota in the 2014 season opener. Still, an interception by Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks that was returned 67 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter proved costly.3. They can run the ball. They rank eighth in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging 128.6 yards per game. Darren McFadden leads Dallas with 462 yards on 113 carries. He has played well of late, running for 333 yards with one touchdown in the past three games.4. They have given up big point totals during their losing streak. Try 39 points to the Falcons and 26 against the Saints. How about 30 to the Patriots and 27 against the Giants? Last Sunday, the Eagles racked up 33. Without Romo, the Cowboys haven't shown the ability to win in a shootout.5. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli knows Bucs coach Lovie Smith well. The two spent time together with the Bucs in 1996-2000, when Smith was the linebackers coach under Tony Dungy and Marinelli the defensive-line coach. Then, in 2009-12, Marinelli was Chicago's defensive-line coach/defensive coordinator under Smith. Sunday's game will be a reunion of sorts.6. The offensive line doesn't allow the quarterback to be hit often. Dallas has surrendered just 33 quarterback hits this season, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. By comparison, the Bucs have allowed 49. Still, opponents have sacked Cowboys quarterbacks 17 times, while Tampa Bay has allowed Jameis Winston to be dropped on 14 occasions.7. Dez Bryant is making strides. The Pro Bowl receiver finished with 104 yards and one touchdown on five catches last Sunday, a breakout performance since returning from a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot. He had just seven catches for 60 yards in two games this season before Week 9.8. Former Cowboys defenders moved to Tampa Bay in free agency. The Bucs' most recent free-agent class had some Dallas flair, with defensive tackle Henry Melton, cornerback Sterling Moore and linebacker Bruce Carter all spending the 2014 season there before signing with Tampa Bay. Moore has 18 tackles and one interception this year, and Melton has 13 tackles and one sack with one forced fumble. Carter was expected to be the Bucs' starting middle linebacker, but rookie Kwon Alexander won the job in training camp.9. Tight end Jason Witten is a receiving threat. He leads Dallas with 403 yards and two touchdowns on 44 catches. He's also been targeted a team-high 57 times. After Witten, no other Cowboys player has more than wide receiver Cole Beasley's 31 receptions.10. The Cowboys haven't lost to the Bucs in a long time. The last time Tampa Bay beat Dallas was in 2003, when the Bucs won 16-0 at Raymond James Stadium. The Cowboys carry a five-game series winning streak into Sunday's matchup. The most recent game between the teams happened in 2012, when the Cowboys won 16-10 in Dallas.