By Jon Machota
jonmachota32@yahoo.com | Bio
After making costly mistakes that led to an opening week loss, Tony Romo turned in a gutsy performance, leaving with a rib injury, but returning to lead the Cowboys to a come-from-behind overtime victory in San Francisco on Sunday.
Here are my five thoughts on the Cowboys' 27-24 win over the 49ers.
1.) Maybe Romo can produce when the game is on the line. After his fourth quarter errors against the Jets were heavily dissected by local and national media members, Romo said Wednesday that he couldn't wait to get back on the field. Understandably, the Cowboys franchise quarterback wanted to put his Week 1 collapse in the rear-view mirror, and he did that against San Francisco. Romo threw for 345 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Not only did he play through the rib pain, but he was effective when the offense needed him to be. Romo helped set up the game-tying field goal by completing five-of-six during the final 3:48 of regulation. Then in overtime, he hit Jesse Holley for a 77-yard gain, which set up the game-winning field goal.
2.) No Dez Bryant, no problem for Miles Austin. Former Cowboys standout receiver Drew Pearson said last week on a local radio show that Austin is the team's No.1 receiver. With Bryant nursing a quad injury, Austin sure made Pearson look like he was correct. The two-time Pro Bowl selection grabbed nine balls for 143 yards and three touchdowns. The most important aspect of his outing was that he kept the Cowboys in the game. He scored twice to tie the score at 14-14 while the third catch cut the Niners lead to 24-21. And it didn't matter which QB was tossing him the ball. Austin caught two scores from Romo and the other from Jon Kitna, who filled in while Romo received X-rays and treatment. Despite getting all of the attention from the San Francisco secondary, Austin turned in his best performance since catching nine balls during a Week 5 loss last season to the Titans.
3.) The Cowboys defense, which looked shaky at times in the first half, did it's job when the team needed it most. Led by DeMarcus Ware, who recorded two more sacks, Rob Ryan's group got stops late in the fourth quarter and in overtime, holding the 49ers to only three points in the final 17 minutes of play. A key moment in overtime came when nose tackle Jay Ratliff barreled through the San Francisco offensive line and sacked Alex Smith on second-and-three. Smith lost eight yards on the play, forcing his unit into a third and long situation. Ryan's defensive philosophy is predicated on pressuring the quarterback and the Cowboys did that against the 49ers, sacking Smith six times. The defensive backfield is still the unit's weak spot. Alan Ball, who had an interception, and Mike Jenkins were beat on several plays, but the return of Orlando Scandrick and Terence Newman should strengthen the group.
4.) The running game is still non-existent. After rushing for 64 yards against New York, the Cowboys managed only 45 on Sunday. Felix Jones was the team's leading rusher with 25 yards on nine carries. The inexperienced offensive linemen must find a way to create space for Murray and Jones because there has been little daylight for either back. Tashard Choice continued his struggles, running five times for five yards. Sunday's win was a positive building block for the new members up front, however, it will be difficult to add victories with a running game that is gaining about 2.3 yards per carry, the lowest average in the NFL.
5.) I think the Cowboys found their kicker. After the game's opening series, Dan Bailey looked like he might be in over his head as the team's starting kicker, but the rookie redeemed himself in a big way. Bailey drilled a 47-yarder to force overtime and made a 19-yarder to give the Cowboys their first win of the season. The final two kicks should go a long way in helping his confidence. A good sign for a team that has been in desperate need for a clutch player at his position. The former Lou Groza award-winner at Oklahoma State is now 3-for-4 on field goal tries with his lone miss coming from 21 yards away.
jonmachota32@yahoo.com | Bio
After making costly mistakes that led to an opening week loss, Tony Romo turned in a gutsy performance, leaving with a rib injury, but returning to lead the Cowboys to a come-from-behind overtime victory in San Francisco on Sunday.
Here are my five thoughts on the Cowboys' 27-24 win over the 49ers.
1.) Maybe Romo can produce when the game is on the line. After his fourth quarter errors against the Jets were heavily dissected by local and national media members, Romo said Wednesday that he couldn't wait to get back on the field. Understandably, the Cowboys franchise quarterback wanted to put his Week 1 collapse in the rear-view mirror, and he did that against San Francisco. Romo threw for 345 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Not only did he play through the rib pain, but he was effective when the offense needed him to be. Romo helped set up the game-tying field goal by completing five-of-six during the final 3:48 of regulation. Then in overtime, he hit Jesse Holley for a 77-yard gain, which set up the game-winning field goal.
2.) No Dez Bryant, no problem for Miles Austin. Former Cowboys standout receiver Drew Pearson said last week on a local radio show that Austin is the team's No.1 receiver. With Bryant nursing a quad injury, Austin sure made Pearson look like he was correct. The two-time Pro Bowl selection grabbed nine balls for 143 yards and three touchdowns. The most important aspect of his outing was that he kept the Cowboys in the game. He scored twice to tie the score at 14-14 while the third catch cut the Niners lead to 24-21. And it didn't matter which QB was tossing him the ball. Austin caught two scores from Romo and the other from Jon Kitna, who filled in while Romo received X-rays and treatment. Despite getting all of the attention from the San Francisco secondary, Austin turned in his best performance since catching nine balls during a Week 5 loss last season to the Titans.
3.) The Cowboys defense, which looked shaky at times in the first half, did it's job when the team needed it most. Led by DeMarcus Ware, who recorded two more sacks, Rob Ryan's group got stops late in the fourth quarter and in overtime, holding the 49ers to only three points in the final 17 minutes of play. A key moment in overtime came when nose tackle Jay Ratliff barreled through the San Francisco offensive line and sacked Alex Smith on second-and-three. Smith lost eight yards on the play, forcing his unit into a third and long situation. Ryan's defensive philosophy is predicated on pressuring the quarterback and the Cowboys did that against the 49ers, sacking Smith six times. The defensive backfield is still the unit's weak spot. Alan Ball, who had an interception, and Mike Jenkins were beat on several plays, but the return of Orlando Scandrick and Terence Newman should strengthen the group.
4.) The running game is still non-existent. After rushing for 64 yards against New York, the Cowboys managed only 45 on Sunday. Felix Jones was the team's leading rusher with 25 yards on nine carries. The inexperienced offensive linemen must find a way to create space for Murray and Jones because there has been little daylight for either back. Tashard Choice continued his struggles, running five times for five yards. Sunday's win was a positive building block for the new members up front, however, it will be difficult to add victories with a running game that is gaining about 2.3 yards per carry, the lowest average in the NFL.
5.) I think the Cowboys found their kicker. After the game's opening series, Dan Bailey looked like he might be in over his head as the team's starting kicker, but the rookie redeemed himself in a big way. Bailey drilled a 47-yarder to force overtime and made a 19-yarder to give the Cowboys their first win of the season. The final two kicks should go a long way in helping his confidence. A good sign for a team that has been in desperate need for a clutch player at his position. The former Lou Groza award-winner at Oklahoma State is now 3-for-4 on field goal tries with his lone miss coming from 21 yards away.