Cowboys win, and lose
By CLARENCE E. HILL JR.
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
IRVING -- There was no Deja vu or Deja Drew Sunday night at Texas Stadium.
And there will be no Terrell Owens for a while. The receiver broke the fourth metacarpal in his right hand in the Cowboys' 27-10 victory over Washington. He will have surgery today or Tuesday. A time frame for his return will be determined following surgery, but he is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks.
The Cowboys have a bye Sunday before playing at Tennessee on Oct. 1.
"It came at a good time," Owens said. "I got at least two weeks to heal."
Although the Cowboys made enough mistakes to make coach Bill Parcells "sick," they will head into the bye feeling better about themselves after the season opening loss to Jacksonville.
Credit the defense with a dominating performance against the Redskins. The Cowboys did not allow an offensive touchdown and recorded six sacks, including 1 1/2 by linebacker Greg Ellis. Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams recorded an interception for the second consecutive game.
And the Cowboys -- who watched the Redskins rally from a seemingly insurmountable lead with two late touchdowns in the final moments at Texas Stadium last season -- left no doubt this time.
Kicker Mike Vanderjagt gave the Cowboys a 17-point lead with a 50-yard field goal with 7 minutes, 43 seconds left. It was the second field goal of the day for Vanderjagt, who was kicking in his first game for the Cowboys after signing a three-year, $5.4 million free-agent contract in the off-season. He was inactive for the season opener.
But no Cowboys player needed the victory more than quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who was the source of controversy following a three-interception performance in the loss to the Jaguars.
Bledsoe completed 19 of 38 passes for 237 yards, including touchdowns of 4 yards to Patrick Crayton and 40 to Terry Glenn.
The Cowboys weren't perfect -- they committed nine penalties for 90 yards and allowed a 100-yard kickoff return to Rock Cartwright.
"I just want my team to play better," Parcells said. "It's hard on me. I'm telling you, it really is. I feel ill right now."
Parcells is feeling a lot better than he would have if the Cowboys had fallen to 0-2.
But there is no question the Cowboys must play better if they hope to realize their hopes of making a Super Bowl run in 2006.
But considering their tough early schedule -- and being on the brink of a locker room splitting quarterback controversy -- the win was critical.
Bledsoe said he probably silenced the critics, who were calling for backup Tony Romo for a week.
"That's the way it is in this league," Bledsoe said. "You step up and take it and try to play better the next week."
The Cowboys (1-1) avoided falling into the dreaded 0-2 hole. No team has made the playoffs the past two years after losing their first two games. Dallas is now tied atop the NFC East with Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, while the Redskins are the only 0-2 team.
The Cowboys, who play six of their first nine games on the road, including three of their first four, have a bye next week before playing the Tennessee Titans (Oct. 1) and the Eagles (Oct. 8).
By avoiding a repeat of last year's game against the Redskins, the Cowboys learned a lesson from the season opener when they jumped out to a 10-0 lead, only to watch the Jaguars scored 24 consecutive points.
Williams' interception late in the third quarter was crucial, since it stopped a Redskins scoring drive at the 1-yard line. The Cowboys then marched 99 yards to the end zone, ending with the Bledsoe toss to Glenn, who caught six passes for 94 yards. The 99-yard drive was the longest since 2002.
IN THE KNOW
BREAKDOWN
Why Dallas won: The defense limited the Redskins' offense to one field goal. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe had a nice bounce-back game from Week 1 with a pair of touchdown throws, overcoming eight dropped passes. The offense gained 138 yards on the ground and averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
Why Washington lost: Quarterback Mark Brunell was sacked six times and threw one interception. The Redskins' top two receivers -- Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El -- were never a factor. And their defense was shredded, giving up 367 yards.
Notable
The Cowboys' 99-yard touchdown drive was their longest since November 2002 against Jacksonville.
Before he suffered a broken finger on his right hand, Terrell Owens extended his consecutive games with a catch streak to 138, the third longest active streak in the NFL.
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
IRVING -- There was no Deja vu or Deja Drew Sunday night at Texas Stadium.
And there will be no Terrell Owens for a while. The receiver broke the fourth metacarpal in his right hand in the Cowboys' 27-10 victory over Washington. He will have surgery today or Tuesday. A time frame for his return will be determined following surgery, but he is expected to be sidelined two to four weeks.
The Cowboys have a bye Sunday before playing at Tennessee on Oct. 1.
"It came at a good time," Owens said. "I got at least two weeks to heal."
Although the Cowboys made enough mistakes to make coach Bill Parcells "sick," they will head into the bye feeling better about themselves after the season opening loss to Jacksonville.
Credit the defense with a dominating performance against the Redskins. The Cowboys did not allow an offensive touchdown and recorded six sacks, including 1 1/2 by linebacker Greg Ellis. Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams recorded an interception for the second consecutive game.
And the Cowboys -- who watched the Redskins rally from a seemingly insurmountable lead with two late touchdowns in the final moments at Texas Stadium last season -- left no doubt this time.
Kicker Mike Vanderjagt gave the Cowboys a 17-point lead with a 50-yard field goal with 7 minutes, 43 seconds left. It was the second field goal of the day for Vanderjagt, who was kicking in his first game for the Cowboys after signing a three-year, $5.4 million free-agent contract in the off-season. He was inactive for the season opener.
But no Cowboys player needed the victory more than quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who was the source of controversy following a three-interception performance in the loss to the Jaguars.
Bledsoe completed 19 of 38 passes for 237 yards, including touchdowns of 4 yards to Patrick Crayton and 40 to Terry Glenn.
The Cowboys weren't perfect -- they committed nine penalties for 90 yards and allowed a 100-yard kickoff return to Rock Cartwright.
"I just want my team to play better," Parcells said. "It's hard on me. I'm telling you, it really is. I feel ill right now."
Parcells is feeling a lot better than he would have if the Cowboys had fallen to 0-2.
But there is no question the Cowboys must play better if they hope to realize their hopes of making a Super Bowl run in 2006.
But considering their tough early schedule -- and being on the brink of a locker room splitting quarterback controversy -- the win was critical.
Bledsoe said he probably silenced the critics, who were calling for backup Tony Romo for a week.
"That's the way it is in this league," Bledsoe said. "You step up and take it and try to play better the next week."
The Cowboys (1-1) avoided falling into the dreaded 0-2 hole. No team has made the playoffs the past two years after losing their first two games. Dallas is now tied atop the NFC East with Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, while the Redskins are the only 0-2 team.
The Cowboys, who play six of their first nine games on the road, including three of their first four, have a bye next week before playing the Tennessee Titans (Oct. 1) and the Eagles (Oct. 8).
By avoiding a repeat of last year's game against the Redskins, the Cowboys learned a lesson from the season opener when they jumped out to a 10-0 lead, only to watch the Jaguars scored 24 consecutive points.
Williams' interception late in the third quarter was crucial, since it stopped a Redskins scoring drive at the 1-yard line. The Cowboys then marched 99 yards to the end zone, ending with the Bledsoe toss to Glenn, who caught six passes for 94 yards. The 99-yard drive was the longest since 2002.
IN THE KNOW
BREAKDOWN
Why Dallas won: The defense limited the Redskins' offense to one field goal. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe had a nice bounce-back game from Week 1 with a pair of touchdown throws, overcoming eight dropped passes. The offense gained 138 yards on the ground and averaged 4.5 yards per carry.
Why Washington lost: Quarterback Mark Brunell was sacked six times and threw one interception. The Redskins' top two receivers -- Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El -- were never a factor. And their defense was shredded, giving up 367 yards.
Notable
The Cowboys' 99-yard touchdown drive was their longest since November 2002 against Jacksonville.
Before he suffered a broken finger on his right hand, Terrell Owens extended his consecutive games with a catch streak to 138, the third longest active streak in the NFL.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:07 AM
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