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Cowboys have a new look that's working
Matt Mosley started his career at the Dallas Morning News, where he covered the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first full-time NFL blogger at ESPN.com. Mosley can be heard weekdays as part of Galloway and Co. on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM. Follow Mosley on Twitter: @MattMosley
ARLINGTON, Texas – In a stretch of the season where the Dallas Cowboys had to stack wins to remain in the playoff conversation, the surprising Buffalo Bills were supposed to provide a major test. But former Cowboys head coach Chan Gailey and his players never had a chance in a 44-7 loss at Cowboys Stadium.
It was the most dominating performance of the Jason Garrett era, and it could be the impetus for a winning streak that could get the Cowboys to 8-4 heading into a Dec. 11 showdown with the NFC East-leading New York Giants. But first things first, quarterback Tony Romo sliced and diced the Bills for 270 yards and three touchdowns while completing 23 of 26 passes Sunday.
Rookie running back DeMarco Murray helped open up the passing game with 20 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter on Laurent Robinson's 58-yard touchdown catch, and the Bills never threatened to make it a game. The only drama Gailey's team provided was when wide receiver David Nelson caught a touchdown and then raced down the sideline to deliver the football to a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, who happens to be his girlfriend.
The Cowboys could've gone either way after being humiliated in Philadelphia two weeks ago, but it appears the loss caused them to re-focus on the fundamentals. The defense once again allowed a running back to surpass 100 yards, but most of those came after the game had been decided. The defense carried the Cowboys for the first six games, but on Sunday, the team excelled in all three areas.
"It was a big statement game for us," said tight end Jason Witten, who passed Ozzie Newsome on the NFL's all-time receptions list for tight ends. "We needed this type of game."
Owner Jerry Jones was quick to remind everyone following the debacle in Philly that it was simply something that happens from time to time in this league. Now, the Cowboys need to have that same perspective regarding Sunday's blowout win. They destroyed a Bills team that had been a pleasant surprise this season. But it's still premature to label the Cowboys a sure-fire playoff contender.
"The teams that make the playoffs and the team that do well in the playoffs are the teams that improve through the course of the season," said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. "I'm not here to stand up and say, 'This is where we are and this is where we aren't.' We live in a day-to-day type business. We think that's a good approach to take."
Another positive sign was the Cowboys offense thriving without starting wide receiver Miles Austin, who will miss at least another week with a hamstring injury. Several players told me after the game that second-year wide receiver Dez Bryant brought a sense of urgency to practice last week that had been missing at times. On the first drive of Sunday's game, Romo lofted a jump ball into the end zone that Bryant snatched away from Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin for a 34-yard touchdown. There are only a handful of receivers in the league capable of making that play, and that's why the Cowboys are willing to be patient with the immature player.
"He had that kind of week where you could tell he was more focused," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told FOXSportsSouthwest.com. "We knew when we took him there would be positives and negatives. But he's worth the maintenance."
The Cowboys' gift from the heavens (and Norv Turner), wide receiver Laurent Robinson, scored on two of his three catches. Romo quickly gained confidence in the former Charger earlier this season, and that's why the Cowboys should be able to survive another stretch without Austin.
"He was a guy that acclimated himself really well to our football team right away," said Garrett. "The quarterbacks love throwing to him and he had a good feel for the offense and understanding what we were going to ask him to do."
The Cowboys now face three consecutive teams with losing records before hosting the Giants. If they can get to 8-4, there's a decent chance that splitting the final four games would land them in the playoffs.
Romo has only thrown one interception in the past three games and he's being aided by one of the hottest running backs in the league. This looks like a completely different offense than the one that began the season, and that's a good thing.
Garrett will always be infatuated with the passing game, but he's recognized how a consistent running attack can make things easier on everyone. Murray and his backup Phillip Tanner had five carries apiece on a drive in the fourth quarter that trimmed more than seven minutes off the clock. It's a much more orthodox way of finishing a game than what the Cowboys attempted to do against the Detroit Lions last month.
"You get a lead and you can run the ball like that," said Romo. "Games get shortened very quickly."
A Cowboys team that was left for dead in Philadelphia appears to be finding an identity at the right time. And for the first time in weeks, the Giants have a division rival in their rear-view mirror.
Matt Mosley started his career at the Dallas Morning News, where he covered the Dallas Cowboys. He was the first full-time NFL blogger at ESPN.com. Mosley can be heard weekdays as part of Galloway and Co. on ESPN Radio 103.3 FM. Follow Mosley on Twitter: @MattMosley
ARLINGTON, Texas – In a stretch of the season where the Dallas Cowboys had to stack wins to remain in the playoff conversation, the surprising Buffalo Bills were supposed to provide a major test. But former Cowboys head coach Chan Gailey and his players never had a chance in a 44-7 loss at Cowboys Stadium.
It was the most dominating performance of the Jason Garrett era, and it could be the impetus for a winning streak that could get the Cowboys to 8-4 heading into a Dec. 11 showdown with the NFC East-leading New York Giants. But first things first, quarterback Tony Romo sliced and diced the Bills for 270 yards and three touchdowns while completing 23 of 26 passes Sunday.
Rookie running back DeMarco Murray helped open up the passing game with 20 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter on Laurent Robinson's 58-yard touchdown catch, and the Bills never threatened to make it a game. The only drama Gailey's team provided was when wide receiver David Nelson caught a touchdown and then raced down the sideline to deliver the football to a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, who happens to be his girlfriend.
The Cowboys could've gone either way after being humiliated in Philadelphia two weeks ago, but it appears the loss caused them to re-focus on the fundamentals. The defense once again allowed a running back to surpass 100 yards, but most of those came after the game had been decided. The defense carried the Cowboys for the first six games, but on Sunday, the team excelled in all three areas.
"It was a big statement game for us," said tight end Jason Witten, who passed Ozzie Newsome on the NFL's all-time receptions list for tight ends. "We needed this type of game."
Owner Jerry Jones was quick to remind everyone following the debacle in Philly that it was simply something that happens from time to time in this league. Now, the Cowboys need to have that same perspective regarding Sunday's blowout win. They destroyed a Bills team that had been a pleasant surprise this season. But it's still premature to label the Cowboys a sure-fire playoff contender.
"The teams that make the playoffs and the team that do well in the playoffs are the teams that improve through the course of the season," said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. "I'm not here to stand up and say, 'This is where we are and this is where we aren't.' We live in a day-to-day type business. We think that's a good approach to take."
Another positive sign was the Cowboys offense thriving without starting wide receiver Miles Austin, who will miss at least another week with a hamstring injury. Several players told me after the game that second-year wide receiver Dez Bryant brought a sense of urgency to practice last week that had been missing at times. On the first drive of Sunday's game, Romo lofted a jump ball into the end zone that Bryant snatched away from Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin for a 34-yard touchdown. There are only a handful of receivers in the league capable of making that play, and that's why the Cowboys are willing to be patient with the immature player.
"He had that kind of week where you could tell he was more focused," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told FOXSportsSouthwest.com. "We knew when we took him there would be positives and negatives. But he's worth the maintenance."
The Cowboys' gift from the heavens (and Norv Turner), wide receiver Laurent Robinson, scored on two of his three catches. Romo quickly gained confidence in the former Charger earlier this season, and that's why the Cowboys should be able to survive another stretch without Austin.
"He was a guy that acclimated himself really well to our football team right away," said Garrett. "The quarterbacks love throwing to him and he had a good feel for the offense and understanding what we were going to ask him to do."
The Cowboys now face three consecutive teams with losing records before hosting the Giants. If they can get to 8-4, there's a decent chance that splitting the final four games would land them in the playoffs.
Romo has only thrown one interception in the past three games and he's being aided by one of the hottest running backs in the league. This looks like a completely different offense than the one that began the season, and that's a good thing.
Garrett will always be infatuated with the passing game, but he's recognized how a consistent running attack can make things easier on everyone. Murray and his backup Phillip Tanner had five carries apiece on a drive in the fourth quarter that trimmed more than seven minutes off the clock. It's a much more orthodox way of finishing a game than what the Cowboys attempted to do against the Detroit Lions last month.
"You get a lead and you can run the ball like that," said Romo. "Games get shortened very quickly."
A Cowboys team that was left for dead in Philadelphia appears to be finding an identity at the right time. And for the first time in weeks, the Giants have a division rival in their rear-view mirror.
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