Is this just another game on the NFL schedule as Tom Brady and many others have alluded to or is it as collosal and massive as media and fans claim?

This is not the easy way out, but —- it’s both.

On one hand, this game doesn’t mean anything when you look at the bigger picture which is always playoffs. These teams are in different conferences so home-field advantage is not an issue. A loss by Dallas and a Washington win in Green Bay will make the NFC East early race a tight one. Both teams still have to play each other twice. If the Skins lose, which is very possible, and Dallas is defeated, then Dallas is tied with Green Bay for the conference’s best record leading to an even bigger showdown November 29th when the Pack visit Texas Stadium.

A New England win or loss still doesn’t change anything for them. They are still atop their division no matter what they do and if everyone else wins Sunday. By the way, that is a huge IF. A loss will give the edge to Indy (5-0) in the AFC but they will both still be considered the top two forces in the conference and they face each other November 4th.

For Dallas, it’s a bigger game for them as this can be seen as a fantastic barometer to see how well Tony Romo has actually developed. This New England defense will be the best he’s ever faced, but then again, that’s what they said when he faced Chicago and we all know how that turned out. But, in all honesty, this will be different. Coach Bill Belichick is a genius when it comes with creating unique defensive schemes to thwart a QB. Everyone else has tried to demoralize Romo (just ask Buffalo) so let’s see what the Pats can do.

For New England, and this is going to sound insane, but we will know exactly how good they are as they take on the best defense they’ve seen so far this year. Brady has the most lethal arsenal he’s ever had, and the very weak defenses that he’s faced so far this year have been easy targets for Randy Moss and Co. Interesting side note: Randy Moss has only averaged 67.4 yards per game where he’s faced a Wade Phillips defense. If Dallas can take away the “Moss” factor, it will be huge in giving them the advantage.

You can spend an eternity breaking down this game to the nuts and bolts. You can bring up every stat in the book and dissect every player match-up to see who is going to win this game, but the deciding factor in this game comes down to two things.

Zeal and dedication.

Don’t get me wrong. This is going to be an all-out war. I expect this to be a high-scoring affair and I truly believe that NFL fans who see this game will be very entertained. But, the winner of this contest will have had the better effort and have been the most loyal to the things that got them here.

New England has manufactured a high-quality product on the field for about the last six to seven years but this year has been different as their talent level has increased mightily but has not distrupted the chemistry of this well-oiled machine that Belichick and Brady have spent many years building.

Dallas entered the season with high hopes having Wade Phillips as the general and Tony Romo as their field commander. With the addition of a brand new philosophy on offense and an upgrade on their 3-4 defensive style founded by Bill Parcells, the Cowboys were seen as a serious candidate to rise to the top of the NFC. It’s just that no one expected them to arrive to the party this early. Their enthusiasm, resiliency, and unity has quickly meshed into a battalion that, so far, has mastered every attack that they’ve experienced.

The team that sticks to their guns and wants it the most will rise victoriously.

Other notes and observations entering Game 6:

• Patriots coach Bill Belichick is Croatian.
• New England was Dallas’ very first opponent in Texas Stadium on October 24, 1971 and lost 44-21….and hasn’t won in Dallas since.
• Jerry Jones turns 65 Sunday and had dinner with New England owner Robert Kraft who is one of Jones’ closest friends.
• Tony Romo’s father has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Romo heard about it a couple of days after the victory over the Bears two weeks ago. Ramiro Romo will be at the game Sunday.
• The last time T.O. faced the Patriots, he caught 9 passes for 121 yards in Super Bowl XXXIX as a member of the Eagles.
• If Tom Brady wins Sunday, he’ll be 76-24 after his first 100 starts as an NFL quarterback. A record that he’ll share with Roger Staubach.
• Has anyone else thought about the fact that “Spygate” is all New England needed to provide a rallying point and motivating factor to turn up the gas for this season?
• CB Anthony Henry is out.
• QB Tom Brady has been on the injured list as “probable” with a shoulder injury for every game for the last four years as part of Belichick’s way to dispute the NFL’s policy on injury reports.
• Dallas 27   New England 24