Jaguars Rally Past Cowboys For 24-17 Victory
Nick Eatman - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
September 11, 2006 12:33 AM
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Teams that start fast and end fast usually win.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, there are exceptions to every rule. And Sunday was one of them.
Despite building a 10-point first-quarter lead, the Cowboys couldn't stop the Jaguars from scoring 24 unanswered points, which proved to be enough for a 24-17 win in Sunday's season-opener at a rainy Alltel Stadium.
For the first 20 minutes of play, the Cowboys looked every bit the team many so-called experts believe can wind up in Miami for Super Bowl XLI.
But not only is it a long season, it's a long game each week, too. Despite the Cowboys' fast start, enough time was left for the wheels to come off because of too many untimely penalties and turnovers.
And Jacksonville feasted.
The Cowboys turned the ball over three times, twice leading to Jacksonville touchdowns. They committed nine penalties for 93 yards, including one that wiped out a third-quarter touchdown.
"Too many mistakes today, fellas," head coach Bill Parcells said in his post-game news conference. "Untimely stuff, penalties. Gave points back. Gave yards back and penalties. We just didn't concentrate well enough at the right time."
Parcells had to like what he saw in the first quarter, when the offense was moving the ball and spreading it around, too. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe connected with all of his playmakers, including Terrell Owens, whose Cowboys debut was rather impressive (six catches for 80 yards and one touchdown). The offense zipped through the Jags' defense in two drives, quickly putting up 10 points.
But it didn't hold up. Jacksonville clawed back into the game by halftime and headed into the locker room with a 10-10 tie.
"We had our chances, several chances to put some distance between us in the first half but we couldn't quite do it," Parcells said.
After a scoreless third quarter for both teams, the Jags scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take a commanding 14-point lead. Bledsoe and Owens hooked up for a 21-yard touchdown with 1:54 remaining, but it was too late. The Cowboys could not recover Shaun Suisham's onside kick attempt and the Jaguars took over.
The Cowboys got ball back with less than a minute to play, but Bledsoe threw another interception - his third of the game - to linebacker Mike Peterson, ending a potential rally.
The Cowboys would like several do-overs from Sunday's loss, but five plays stand out the most.
While two were turnovers by the offense, two more were simply missed opportunities involving Owens, who caught Bledsoe's first pass of the game over the middle for a 13-yard gain.
But in the second quarter, with the Cowboys leading 10-0 and looking for more, Bledsoe lofted a deep pass to Owens, who had clearly beaten Jags cornerback Rashean Mathis on the play. A little more zip on Bledsoe's throw, and Owens likely would've raced in for an easy touchdown. Instead, the ball had too much air underneath, prompting Owens to stop and draw pass interference on Mathis, a 31-yard penalty.
With a first down on the Jags' 38, the Cowboys missed another potential scoring opportunity. On second-and-eight, Bledsoe overthrew a streaking Owens deep down the middle of the field that either would have been a touchdown or set up first-and-goal inside the 10.
However, the Cowboys didn't convert on third down and eventually punted the ball to the Jaguars, who kicked a field goal on the ensuing possession to make the score 10-3.
"That's the nature of the game," Owens said of the two missed chances. "We had some missed opportunities. It's something we're going to work on. We left a lot of yards and a lot of points off the board."
The Jags were driving on their next series until Cowboys safety Roy Williams intercepted Byron Leftwich at the Dallas 28 with 3:17 to play.
The Cowboys took over, looking to extend their seven-point lead. But on second-and-20 from their 36, Bledsoe threw his first pick of the day, forcing a pass to Jason Witten that was picked off by Mathis and returned to the 32.
In just four plays, Leftwich drove the Jags into the end zone, lofting a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Reggie Williams with only seven seconds left in the half.
While neither team scored in the third quarter, the Cowboys had a chance. Witten caught a pass in the end zone from Bledsoe, but officials flagged him for pushing off on a Jaguars defender.
Then Suisham failed to give the Cowboys the lead, missing a 36-yard field goal that banged high off the right upright.
Suisham, who replaced veteran Mike Vanderjagt (groin), handled all of the kicking duties and had two touchbacks. He was 1-of-2 on field goals, including that costly third-quarter miss.
"If you take points off the board against a good team like Jacksonville," Bledsoe said, "you're going to have a hard time winning the game. That (penalty on Witten) was a big play for us."
Taking over from the 26 after the missed kick, the Jaguars conducted their longest scoring drive of the game. Leftwich led the Jags on an 11-play, 74-yard drive that ended with his own three-yard scoring run, giving Jacksonville a 17-10 lead.
After the teams traded punts, time was starting to become a factor for the Cowboys, who were pinned back on their own 13 with 7:58 remaining. After getting one first down, the Cowboys turned the ball over again. Bledsoe never saw Jags linebacker Nick Greisen, who stepped in front of Glenn for an interception he returned to the Cowboys' 40.
The Jags needed just five plays to score again, running back Fred Taylor plunging in for a five-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys didn't quit. Bledsoe connected with Glenn on a 51-yard bomb before his touchdown pass to Owens, who had to readjust to the ball in the air and make an over-the-shoulder grab.
But it wasn't enough. Simply too late; simply too many missed chances.
"I told the players, it's a long season," Parcells said. "But we're just going to have to learn from what we did (Sunday) and try to get better."
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
September 11, 2006 12:33 AM
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Teams that start fast and end fast usually win.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, there are exceptions to every rule. And Sunday was one of them.
Despite building a 10-point first-quarter lead, the Cowboys couldn't stop the Jaguars from scoring 24 unanswered points, which proved to be enough for a 24-17 win in Sunday's season-opener at a rainy Alltel Stadium.
For the first 20 minutes of play, the Cowboys looked every bit the team many so-called experts believe can wind up in Miami for Super Bowl XLI.
But not only is it a long season, it's a long game each week, too. Despite the Cowboys' fast start, enough time was left for the wheels to come off because of too many untimely penalties and turnovers.
And Jacksonville feasted.
The Cowboys turned the ball over three times, twice leading to Jacksonville touchdowns. They committed nine penalties for 93 yards, including one that wiped out a third-quarter touchdown.
"Too many mistakes today, fellas," head coach Bill Parcells said in his post-game news conference. "Untimely stuff, penalties. Gave points back. Gave yards back and penalties. We just didn't concentrate well enough at the right time."
Parcells had to like what he saw in the first quarter, when the offense was moving the ball and spreading it around, too. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe connected with all of his playmakers, including Terrell Owens, whose Cowboys debut was rather impressive (six catches for 80 yards and one touchdown). The offense zipped through the Jags' defense in two drives, quickly putting up 10 points.
But it didn't hold up. Jacksonville clawed back into the game by halftime and headed into the locker room with a 10-10 tie.
"We had our chances, several chances to put some distance between us in the first half but we couldn't quite do it," Parcells said.
After a scoreless third quarter for both teams, the Jags scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take a commanding 14-point lead. Bledsoe and Owens hooked up for a 21-yard touchdown with 1:54 remaining, but it was too late. The Cowboys could not recover Shaun Suisham's onside kick attempt and the Jaguars took over.
The Cowboys got ball back with less than a minute to play, but Bledsoe threw another interception - his third of the game - to linebacker Mike Peterson, ending a potential rally.
The Cowboys would like several do-overs from Sunday's loss, but five plays stand out the most.
While two were turnovers by the offense, two more were simply missed opportunities involving Owens, who caught Bledsoe's first pass of the game over the middle for a 13-yard gain.
But in the second quarter, with the Cowboys leading 10-0 and looking for more, Bledsoe lofted a deep pass to Owens, who had clearly beaten Jags cornerback Rashean Mathis on the play. A little more zip on Bledsoe's throw, and Owens likely would've raced in for an easy touchdown. Instead, the ball had too much air underneath, prompting Owens to stop and draw pass interference on Mathis, a 31-yard penalty.
With a first down on the Jags' 38, the Cowboys missed another potential scoring opportunity. On second-and-eight, Bledsoe overthrew a streaking Owens deep down the middle of the field that either would have been a touchdown or set up first-and-goal inside the 10.
However, the Cowboys didn't convert on third down and eventually punted the ball to the Jaguars, who kicked a field goal on the ensuing possession to make the score 10-3.
"That's the nature of the game," Owens said of the two missed chances. "We had some missed opportunities. It's something we're going to work on. We left a lot of yards and a lot of points off the board."
The Jags were driving on their next series until Cowboys safety Roy Williams intercepted Byron Leftwich at the Dallas 28 with 3:17 to play.
The Cowboys took over, looking to extend their seven-point lead. But on second-and-20 from their 36, Bledsoe threw his first pick of the day, forcing a pass to Jason Witten that was picked off by Mathis and returned to the 32.
In just four plays, Leftwich drove the Jags into the end zone, lofting a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Reggie Williams with only seven seconds left in the half.
While neither team scored in the third quarter, the Cowboys had a chance. Witten caught a pass in the end zone from Bledsoe, but officials flagged him for pushing off on a Jaguars defender.
Then Suisham failed to give the Cowboys the lead, missing a 36-yard field goal that banged high off the right upright.
Suisham, who replaced veteran Mike Vanderjagt (groin), handled all of the kicking duties and had two touchbacks. He was 1-of-2 on field goals, including that costly third-quarter miss.
"If you take points off the board against a good team like Jacksonville," Bledsoe said, "you're going to have a hard time winning the game. That (penalty on Witten) was a big play for us."
Taking over from the 26 after the missed kick, the Jaguars conducted their longest scoring drive of the game. Leftwich led the Jags on an 11-play, 74-yard drive that ended with his own three-yard scoring run, giving Jacksonville a 17-10 lead.
After the teams traded punts, time was starting to become a factor for the Cowboys, who were pinned back on their own 13 with 7:58 remaining. After getting one first down, the Cowboys turned the ball over again. Bledsoe never saw Jags linebacker Nick Greisen, who stepped in front of Glenn for an interception he returned to the Cowboys' 40.
The Jags needed just five plays to score again, running back Fred Taylor plunging in for a five-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys didn't quit. Bledsoe connected with Glenn on a 51-yard bomb before his touchdown pass to Owens, who had to readjust to the ball in the air and make an over-the-shoulder grab.
But it wasn't enough. Simply too late; simply too many missed chances.
"I told the players, it's a long season," Parcells said. "But we're just going to have to learn from what we did (Sunday) and try to get better."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:25 AM
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