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Sep. 27--IRVING -- When the NFL schedule came out in April, Greg Ellis did a quick scan to find out when he would see Clinton Portis because, "He's going to be a mess to deal with."
Portis comes to town Sunday, and the Redskins running back is another in a line of top backs the Cowboys have seen in the season's first month.
In the season opener, they had to contend with Cleveland's Jamal Lewis, who had 1,304 yards in 2007. The Cowboys limited him to 62 yards on 13 carries.
In Week 2, it was Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook, who ran for 1,333 yards last season. He was held to 63 yards on 18 carries.
Last week, it was Green Bay's Ryan Grant, who had 956 yards in 15 games (seven starts) in 2007. The Cowboys limited him to 54 yards on 13 carries.
Portis, who gained 1,262 yards last season, has 248 yards through the first three games and three touchdown runs in his last two games.
"Look at our goal board and the first one is 'Stop the run,' " Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said. "If you stop the run, then you have a chance to be successful."
Within the "Stop the run," goal is a subcategory of not allowing a team 100 yards rushing. Cleveland came closest with 91 yards, followed by Green Bay (84) and Philadelphia (78).
Part of the success, according to Stewart, is the solid work of the front seven and the Cowboys' explosive offense. The Cowboys have had double-digit leads in two of the first three games, forcing teams to throw the ball to play catch up.
The Cowboys are seventh against the run in the NFL, allowing 87 yards per game. Only five of their opponents' 62 carries against them have gone for 10 or more yards and only three have been by running backs.
The Cowboys know Portis will come at them. His 65 carries are tied for third-most in the NFL, behind Chicago's Matt Forte (73) and Pittsburgh's Willie Parker (66) and equal to Minnesota's Adrian Peterson.
"They're going to give it to [Portis] 30, 35 times, no doubt," defensive end Marcus Spears said.
