2014 Dallas Cowboys season

2014 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coach	Jason Garrett
General manager	Jerry Jones
Owner	Jerry Jones
Home field	AT&T Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st NFC East
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (Lions) 24–20 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Packers) 21–26
Pro Bowlers	Dez Bryant WR, Travis Frederick C, L. P. Ladouceur LS, Zack Martin G, DeMarco Murray RB, Tony Romo QB, Tyron Smith LT, Jason Witten TE
Uniform

The 2014 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 55th season in the National Football League, the sixth playing their home games at AT&T Stadium and the fourth full season under head coach Jason Garrett.

After the departure of long time Cowboy favorites DE/LB DeMarcus Ware and DT Jason Hatcher to free agency, coupled with a season ending knee injury to MLB Sean Lee during Organized Team Activity in late May, the Dallas Cowboys, were one of the most heavily admonished, and second guessed NFL franchises through the entire preseason, and half-way into the 2014 regular season. Much of the criticism was in response to the Cowboys selecting Notre Dame offensive guard Zack Martin over the perceived Cowboys savior (Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel) in the first round of the NFL draft. Even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was uncharacteristically down playing expectations for the upcoming season during spring training, emphasizing to the media and fans, that it might take a little more time for the Cowboys young players to mature into a NFL championship caliber team.

Adding injury to the many insults hurled at Jerry Jones, Tony Romo and the Cowboys organization in general, Tony Romo did not play well during two preseason starts after receiving only a small percentage of snaps throughout training camp, due to continuing recovery from off-season surgery to repair a herniated intervertebral disc in his lower back. For these reasons, Romo and the Cowboys passing offense struggled mightily for the first two games of the regular season, causing many fans and media to declare the Dallas Cowboys as the absolute worst team in the league after their week 1 loss to the 49ers at AT&T Stadium. A humiliating turn over plagued defeat for Dallas, which appeared to prove all the Cowboy critics right, that Jerry Jones should have selected QB Johnny "Football" Manziel in the first round of the NFL 2014 draft to eventually replace Tony Romo.

However, Romo and the Cowboys would quickly bounce back in a big way, and after a surprising week 4 dominating win over the Saints at home, the Cowboys quickly followed it up with an even more shocking victory 2 weeks later over the Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Seattle. A dominating victory of the Seahawks, both offensively and defensively, that left a majority of the same critics, who had written-off Romo and the Cowboys so early in the season, to suddenly change their opinion and declare the Cowboys as mid-season favorites to win the Super Bowl. By seasons end, not only would Tony Romo have the highest quarterback rating (113.2) in the NFL for the 2014 regular season but, first round pick (OG Zack Martin) would have a well deserved All-Pro season while establishing himself as a critical piece in the development of what many now consider to be, the best offensive line in the entire NFL.

Following a win against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 (and after the Philadelphia Eagles loss to the Washington Redskins), the Cowboys won the NFC East. This also guaranteed making the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Cowboys improved on their 8–8 record from 2013 after finishing 12–4. For the season, the team was 8–0 on the road. Plenty of milestones were established by the 2014 Cowboys team, topped by DeMarco Murray’s record-setting rushing season. The Cowboys defeated the Detroit Lions at home 24-20 in the Wild Card round and advanced to the Divisional Playoffs. However, the Green Bay Packers defeated them 26-21, handing the Cowboys their first road loss and ending their season.

2014 draft class

2014 Dallas Cowboys Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	College
1	16	Zack Martin	Offensive tackle	Notre Dame
2	34	DeMarcus Lawrence	Defensive end	Boise State
3	None — see draft trades below
4	119	Anthony Hitchens	Linebacker	Iowa
5	146	Devin Street	Wide Receiver	Pittsburgh
6	None — see draft trades below
7	231	Ben Gardner	Defensive end	Stanford
	238	Will Smith	Linebacker	Texas Tech
	248	Ahmad Dixon	Safety	Baylor
	251	Ken Bishop	Defensive tackle	Northern Illinois
	254	Terrance Mitchell	Cornerback	Oregon

Compensatory selection

Draft trades

• The Cowboys finished with the 2013 season with the same record and strength of schedule as the Baltimore Ravens. The tiebreaker was determined by way of a coin flip at the NFL Scouting Combine, with the Cowboys selecting 16th in the first round and the Ravens selecting 17th.
• The Cowboys traded their second- (No. 47 overall) and third- (No. 78 overall) round selections to the Washington Redskins in exchange for the Redskins' second-round selection (No. 34 overall).
• The Cowboys traded their fifth- and one of their seventh-round selections — Nos. 158 and 229 overall, respectively — to the Detroit Lions in exchange for the Lions' fifth-round selection (No. 146 overall). The No. 229 overall selection was previously acquired in a trade that sent tight end Dante Rosario to the Chicago Bears.
• The Cowboys traded their sixth-round selection (No. 193 overall) to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for linebacker Edgar Jones and the Chiefs' seventh-round selection (No. 238 overall).

Staff

2014 Dallas Cowboys staff
	Front office Owner/President/General Manager – Jerry Jones COO/Executive Vice President/Director of Player Personnel – Stephen Jones Assistant Director of Player Personnel – Will McClay Director of Football Administration – Todd Williams Assistant Director of Pro Scouting – Judd Garrett Head coaches Head Coach – Jason Garrett Assistant Head Coach/Defense – Rod Marinelli Senior Coaching Consultant/Offensive Consultant – Scott Linehan Offensive coaches Passing Game Coordinator – Scott Linehan Offensive Line/Running Game Coordinator – Bill Callahan Quarterbacks – Wade Wilson Running Backs – Gary Brown Wide Receivers – Derek Dooley Assistant Wide Receivers – Kyle Valero Tight Ends – Mike Pope Assistant Offensive Line – Frank Pollack Offensive Assistant – Kevin Carberry			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line – Rod Marinelli Linebackers – Matt Eberflus Secondary – Jerome Henderson Assistant Secondary – Joe Baker Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line – Leon Lett Defensive Quality Control/Linebackers – Ben Bloom Defensive Assistant – Turner West Special teams coaches Special Teams Coordinator – Rich Bisaccia Assistant Special Teams/Kickers – Keith O'Quinn Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Mike Woicik Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Brett Bech Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Kendall Smith

Rosters

Opening preseason roster

2014 Dallas Cowboys opening preseason roster
Quarterbacks  7 Caleb Hanie  9 Tony Romo 10 Dustin Vaughan  3 Brandon Weeden Running Backs 44 Tyler Clutts FB 48 J. C. Copeland FB 25 Lance Dunbar 28 Ben Malena 29 DeMarco Murray 21 Joseph Randle 34 Ryan Williams Wide Receivers 11 Cole Beasley 16 Tim Benford 14 Chris Boyd 81 Dezmon Briscoe 88 Dez Bryant 80 LaRon Byrd 17 Dwayne Harris 85 Jamar Newsome 15 Devin Street 83 Terrance Williams Tight Ends 89 Gavin Escobar 84 James Hanna 87 Jordan Najvar 86 Dallas Walker 82 Jason Witten		Offensive Linemen 62 Josh AladenoyeT 73 Mackenzy Bernadeau G 64 Andre Cureton G 72 Travis Frederick C 68 Doug Free T 65 Ronald Leary G 70 Zack Martin G 74 Uche Nwaneri G 78 Jermey Parnell T 67 Ronald Patrick C 77 Tyron Smith T 71 Wayne Tribue G 75 Darrion Weems T 61 John Wetzel T Defensive Linemen 79 Ben Bass DT 66 Ken Bishop DT 91 Kenneth Boatright DE 70 Dartwan Bush 60 Davon Coleman DT 98 Tyrone Crawford DE 71 Ben Gardner DE 96 Nick Hayden DT 90 DeMarcus Lawrence DE 97 Terrell McClain DT 69 Henry Melton DT 92 Jeremy Mincey DE 63 Adewale Ojomo DE 95 Caesar Rayford DE 99 George Selvie DE 56 Martez Wilson DE		Linebackers 54 Bruce Carter OLB 52 Justin Durant OLB 59 Anthony Hitchens LB 57 DeVonte Holloman LB 53 Cameron Lawrence OLB 58 Orie Lemon OLB 55 Rolando McClain MLB 45 Dontavis Sapp OLB 43 Keith Smith OLB 40 Will Smith OLB 51 Kyle Wilber OLB Defensive Backs 39 Brandon Carr CB 42 Barry Church FS 24 Morris Claiborne CB 36 Ahmad Dixon SS 23 Jakar Hamilton FS 38 Jeff Heath SS 37 Matt Johnson FS 41 Korey Lindsey CB 30 Terrance Mitchell CB 26 Sterling Moore CB 35 Tyler Patmon CB 32 Orlando Scandrick CB 33 Ryan Smith SS 47 Johnny Thomas FS 20 B. W. Webb CB 27 J. J. Wilcox SS Special Teams  5 Dan Bailey K  6 Chris Jones P 49 Casey Kreiter LS 91 L. P. Ladouceur LS  2 Cody Mandell P		Reserve Lists -- Brian Clarke G (Waived/Injured) 50 Sean Lee MLB (IR) -- Darius Morris T/G (IR) 76 Amobi Okoye DT (Active/NF-Inj.) 31 Dashaun Phillips CB (Waived/Injured) 93 Anthony Spencer DE (Active/PUP) -- Chris Whaley DT (NF-Inj.) 90 Active, 5 Inactive

Week one roster

2014 Dallas Cowboys week one roster
Quarterbacks  9 Tony Romo 10 Dustin Vaughan  3 Brandon Weeden Running Backs 44 Tyler Clutts FB 25 Lance Dunbar 29 DeMarco Murray 21 Joseph Randle Wide Receivers 11 Cole Beasley 88 Dez Bryant 17 Dwayne Harris 15 Devin Street 83 Terrance Williams Tight Ends 89 Gavin Escobar 84 James Hanna 82 Jason Witten		Offensive Linemen 73 Mackenzy Bernadeau G 72 Travis Frederick C 68 Doug Free T 71 Donald Hawkins T 65 Ronald Leary G 70 Zack Martin G 78 Jermey Parnell T 77 Tyron Smith T 75 Darrion Weems T Defensive Linemen 66 Ken Bishop DT 60 Davon Coleman DT 58 Jack Crawford DE 98 Tyrone Crawford DE 95 Lavar Edwards DE 96 Nick Hayden DT 97 Terrell McClain DT 69 Henry Melton DT 92 Jeremy Mincey DE 99 George Selvie DE 93 Anthony Spencer DE		Linebackers 54 Bruce Carter OLB 52 Justin Durant OLB 59 Anthony Hitchens LB 53 Cameron Lawrence OLB 55 Rolando McClain MLB 56 Korey Toomer LB 51 Kyle Wilber OLB Defensive Backs 39 Brandon Carr CB 42 Barry Church FS 24 Morris Claiborne CB 38 Jeff Heath SS 26 Sterling Moore CB 20 Tyler Patmon CB 37 C. J. Spillman FS 27 J. J. Wilcox SS Special Teams  5 Dan Bailey K  6 Chris Jones P 91 L. P. Ladouceur LS		Reserve Lists -- Josh Brent DT (Susp.) -- Brian Clarke G (IR) 63 Ben Gardner DE (IR) 23 Jakar Hamilton FS (Susp.) -- DeVonte Holloman MLB/OLB (IR) 90 DeMarcus Lawrence DE (IR-DFR) 50 Sean Lee MLB (IR) -- Orie Lemon OLB/MLB (IR) 87 Jordan Najvar TE (IR) 76 Amobi Okoye DT (NF-Inj.) 32 Orlando Scandrick CB (Susp.) 64 Chris Whaley DT (NF-Inj.) Practice squad 16 Tim Benford WR 79 Kenneth Boatright DE 67 Ronald Patrick C/G 31 Micah Pellerin CB 46 Michael Sam DE 57 Keith Smith OLB 28 Jemea Thomas FS/CB 61 John Wetzel T 47 Nikita Whitlock FB 34 Ryan Williams RB 53 Active, 12 Inactive, 10 Practice Squad

Final roster

2014 Dallas Cowboys final roster
Quarterbacks  9 Tony Romo 10 Dustin Vaughan  3 Brandon Weeden Running Backs 44 Tyler Clutts FB 25 Lance Dunbar 29 DeMarco Murray 21 Joseph Randle Wide Receivers 11 Cole Beasley 88 Dez Bryant 17 Dwayne Harris RS 15 Devin Street 83 Terrance Williams Tight Ends 89 Gavin Escobar 84 James Hanna 82 Jason Witten		Offensive Linemen 73 Mackenzy Bernadeau G 72 Travis Frederick C 68 Doug Free T 71 Donald Hawkins T 67 Tony Hills T 65 Ronald Leary G 70 Zack Martin G 78 Jermey Parnell T 77 Tyron Smith T Defensive Linemen 66 Ken Bishop DT 79 Kenneth Boatright DE 95 Josh Brent DT 98 Tyrone Crawford DE 96 Nick Hayden DT 90 DeMarcus Lawrence DE 97 Terrell McClain DT 92 Jeremy Mincey DE 99 George Selvie DE 93 Anthony Spencer DE		Linebackers 58 James Anderson OLB 54 Bruce Carter OLB 59 Anthony Hitchens MLB 53 Cameron Lawrence MLB 55 Rolando McClain MLB 57 Keith Smith OLB 56 Dekoda Watson OLB 51 Kyle Wilber OLB Defensive Backs 39 Brandon Carr CB 42 Barry Church SS 38 Jeff Heath SS 26 Sterling Moore CB 20 Tyler Patmon CB 32 Orlando Scandrick CB 37 C. J. Spillman FS 27 J. J. Wilcox FS Special Teams  5 Dan Bailey K  6 Chris Jones P 91 L. P. Ladouceur LS		Reserve Lists 24 Morris Claiborne CB (IR) -- Jack Crawford DE (IR) 52 Justin Durant OLB (IR) 63 Ben Gardner DE (IR) -- DeVonte Holloman MLB/OLB (IR) 50 Sean Lee MLB (IR) 69 Henry Melton DT (IR) 76 Amobi Okoye DT (NF-Inj.) 75 Darrion Weems T (IR) -- Chris Whaley DT (NF-Inj.) Practice squad 48 Mister Alexander OLB 16 Chris Boyd WR 60 Davon Coleman DT -- Troy Davis OLB (Injured) 14 Reggie Dunn WR 64 Lavar Edwards DE (Injured) 31 Micah Pellerin CB 40 Will Smith OLB 28 Robert Steeples CB 61 John Wetzel T 34 Ryan Williams RB 53 Active, 10 Inactive, 11 Practice Squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 7	at San Diego Chargers	L 7–27	0–1	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
2	August 16	Baltimore Ravens	L 30–37	0–2	AT&T Stadium	Recap
3	August 23	at Miami Dolphins	L 20–25	0–3	Sun Life Stadium	Recap
4	August 28	Denver Broncos	L 3–27	0–4	AT&T Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 7	San Francisco 49ers	L 17–28	0–1	AT&T Stadium	Recap
2	September 14	at Tennessee Titans	W 26–10	1–1	LP Field	Recap
3	September 21	at St. Louis Rams	W 34–31	2–1	Edward Jones Dome	Recap
4	September 28	New Orleans Saints	W 38–17	3–1	AT&T Stadium	Recap
5	October 5	Houston Texans	W 20–17 (OT)	4–1	AT&T Stadium	Recap
6	October 12	at Seattle Seahawks	W 30–23	5–1	CenturyLink Field	Recap
7	October 19	New York Giants	W 31–21	6–1	AT&T Stadium	Recap
8	October 27	Washington Redskins	L 17–20 (OT)	6–2	AT&T Stadium	Recap
9	November 2	Arizona Cardinals	L 17–28	6–3	AT&T Stadium	Recap
10	November 9	at Jacksonville Jaguars	W 31–17	7–3	Wembley Stadium (London, England)	Recap
11	Bye
12	November 23	at New York Giants	W 31–28	8–3	MetLife Stadium	Recap
13	November 27	Philadelphia Eagles	L 10–33	8–4	AT&T Stadium	Recap
14	December 4	at Chicago Bears	W 41–28	9–4	Soldier Field	Recap
15	December 14	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 38–27	10–4	Lincoln Financial Field	Recap
16	December 21	Indianapolis Colts	W 42–7	11–4	AT&T Stadium	Recap
17	December 28	at Washington Redskins	W 44–17	12–4	FedEx Field	Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Postseason

Playoff round	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
Wild Card	January 4, 2015	Detroit Lions (6)	W 24–20	1–0	AT&T Stadium	Recap
Divisional	January 11, 2015	at Green Bay Packers (2)	L 21–26	1–1	Lambeau Field	Recap

Game summaries

Regular season

Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week One: San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	21	7	0	0	28
Cowboys	3	0	7	7	17

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: September 7
• Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 91,174
• Referee: Terry McAulay
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter SF – Chris Culliver 35-yard DeMarco Murray fumble return, Phil Dawson kick, 14:17 (SF 7–0) DAL – Dan Bailey 29-yard field goal, 07:31 (SF 7–3) SF – Vernon Davis 29-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick, Phil Dawson kick, 06:03 (SF 14–3) SF – Vernon Davis 2-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick, Phil Dawson kick, 04:31 (SF 21–3) Second quarter SF – Carlos Hyde 4-yard run, Phil Dawson kick, 00:43 (SF 28–3) Third quarter DAL – DeMarco Murray 2-yard run, Dan Bailey kick, 00:33 (SF 28–10) Fourth quarter DAL – Terrance Williams 2-yard pass from Tony Romo, Dan Bailey kick, 01:55 (SF 28–17) Top passers SF – Colin Kaepernick, 16/23, 201 Yds, 2 TD DAL – Tony Romo, 23/37, 281 Yds, 1 TD, 3 INT Top rushers SF – Frank Gore, 16 Car, 63 Yds DAL – DeMarco Murray, 22 Car, 118 Yds, 1 TD Top receivers SF – Anquan Boldin, 8 Rec, 99 Yds DAL – Dwayne Harris, 1 Rec, 56 Yds Top tacklers SF – Antoine Bethea, 6 Solo DAL – Justin Durant, 7 Solo, 1 Ast

Synopsis

At the start of the 2014 season, the Cowboys were still considered an explosive offensive team (when QB Tony Romo was healthy) with possibly the worst defense in the entire league. Yet, due to some questions surrounding the 49ers own defense, the Dallas Cowboys were only a 4 and-a-half point underdog in their season opener at AT&T Stadium against their long time rival, the San Francisco 49ers and their vaunted offense. What turned out to be a bit of a surprise was how awful the Dallas offense played for most of the game while the Cowboys' beleaguered defense actually put up a valiant fight, despite being constantly put in tough defensive situations by Cowboys offensive turnovers. The Cowboys make shift defensive front four was able to get pressure on 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, holding him to just 201-yards on 16-of-23 passing, in a losing but admirable effort, 28-17 against the 49ers.

49ers Dominate Dallas in Jerry's World

A fumble, an interception, several untimely penalties, poor play selection and 21 points the Cowboys surrendered to the 49ers. And, that was just the first quarter. The Cowboys began their 2014 regular season at home against the 49ers in front of a sale out crowd of 91,174. However, as it turned out, the vast majority of the crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX was rooting for the 49ers instead of the Cowboys. This surprising turn of events became very apparent to the television audience shortly after the Cowboys received the opening kick-off, and the crowd erupted into a thunderous roar of cheers when 49ers DB Chris Culliver recovered a forced fumble from Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray on the second play from scrimmage, and returned it 35-yards for an early 7-0 San Francisco lead. The Murray fumble for a touchdown return was the first of 4 turnovers by the Cowboys, including 3 interceptions from Tony Romo, who was still struggling to recover from his offseason lower back surgery to repair a herniated disc that forced him to end the 2013 season with one game left to play.

Despite the difficulties the Cowboys offense had with their passing game, Murray did carry the ball for 95-yards on 16 carries in the first half alone, resulting in an impressive 5.9 yards-per-carry average. Unfortunately, the Cowboys had to abandon the running game early after falling behind 21-3 after the first quarter of play. From the start of the second quarter, the Cowboys were turned into a desperate one dimensional passing offense for the rest of the game, and didn't have a healthy quarterback to mount an effective passing attack with. As a result, the 49ers offense controlled the ball for 10:23 during the 2nd period, and added another 7-points after a 9-play, 64-yard drive ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by RB Carlos Hyde, putting the 49ers ahead at halftime 28-3.

It wasn't until late in the third quarter that the Dallas offense finally managed to give Cowboy fans a reason to cheer after WR Dwayne Harris out jumped 49ers CB Eric Reid to haul in a 56-yard pass completion that was thrown up for grabs the moment it left Romo's hand. The completed pass gave the Cowboys 1st-and-10 at the 49ers 11-yard line, and after completing a short pass over the middle on a 2nd-and-10, to rookie WR Devin Street for 9-yards, the Cowboys now had a 3rd-and-1 at the 49ers 2-yard line. After an incomplete pass attempt in the endzone to WR Terrance Williams, the Cowboys finally scored their first touchdown of the regular season after RB Murray plunged through the middle of the 49ers defense on a fourth-and-1 that made the score a 28-10 contest with an entire 4th quarter left to play. Unfortunately, for the Cowboys, Romo's throwing mechanics never improved, and the 49ers rushing attack maintained control of the ball for most of the final period.

It wasn't until late in the 4th quarter that the Cowboys would score their second touchdown of the season after completing a 2-yard pass in the endzone to WR Terrance Williams, making it a 28-17 game with just 1:55 left on the game clock. After 49ers WR Anquan Boldin recovered the Cowboys onside kick attempt at the Dallas 48-yard line, San Francisco's RB Frank Gore put the game away after carrying the ball 3 consecutive times for 12-yards and converting a 3rd-and-3 into a 1st down with just 1:42 left to play, and no time outs remaining for the Cowboys. Unable to stop the clock, the 49ers just simply took a couple of kneel downs at the Dallas 37-yard line to end the game. The Cowboys fell to (0-1) after dropping their home opener 28-17 at AT&T Stadium, and with two consecutive road games ahead them, many believed that the Dallas Cowboys 2014 season was already over with, before it really ever began.

Game Notes

Dallas Cowboys are now 16-17-1 against the San Francisco 49ers from 1960-2014.

Week 2: at Tennessee Titans

Week Two: Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	3	13	7	3	26
Titans	0	0	10	0	10

at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 69,143
• Referee: Walt Coleman
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 48-yard field goal, 0:18 (Dal 3-0) Second quarter DAL – DeMarco Murray 3-yard run, Dan Bailey kick, 13:02 (Dal 10-0) DAL – Dan Bailey 44-yard field goal, 01:07 (Dal 13-0) DAL – Dan Bailey 52-yard field goal, 0:09 (Dal 16-0) Third quarter Tenn – Ryan Succop 47-yard field goal, 11:02 (Dal 16-3) Tenn - Delanie Walker 61 yard pass from Jake Locker, Ryan Succop kick, 7:56 (Dal 16-10) DAL – Dez Bryant 3 yard pass from Tony Romo, Dan Bailey kick, 2:13 (Dal 23-10) Fourth quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 48-yard field goal, 8:20 (Dal 26-10) Top passers DAL – Tony Romo, 19/29, 176 Yds, 1 TD, 0 INT TEN – Jake Locker, 18/34, 234 Yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Top rushers DAL – DeMarco Murray, 29 Car, 167 Yds, 1 TD, 22 Lng TEN – Shonn Greene, 5 Car, 40 Yds, 0 TD Top receivers DAL –Dez Bryant, 10 Rec, 103 Yds, 1 TD, 22 Lng TEN –Delanie Walker, 10 Rec, 142 Yds, 1 TD, 61 Lng Top tacklers DAL – MLB Rolando McClain, 5 Solo, 2 Ast, 7 Comb, 1 SK TEN – SS Bernard Pollard, 10 Solo, 1 Ast, 11 Comb, 1 SK

Synopsis

The (0-1) Cowboys were a 3.5 point underdog against the (1-0) Titans after their embarrassing week 1 loss to the 49ers at home, which left many sports fans and pundits convinced that the 2014 Cowboys were one of the worst teams in the entire NFL. While the Titans, on the other hand, had a whole lot of momentum for their week 2 home opener at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee after upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. However, the Cowboys would rebound in a big way with a dominating performance by their offensive line that completely overwhelmed the Titans defense to the point that they eventually stopped competing by the 4th quarter. The Cowboys 26-10 decisive victory over the Titans in Tennessee not only evened their record at (1-1) on the season, it also began what would eventually become a new identity for the Cowboys in 2014, as a team that can control the game by running the ball behind their dominate offensive line.

Establishing A New Identity

The Cowboys dominated the Titans both on defense and offense for the entire first half despite QB Tony Romo continuing to have difficulty passing the ball for the second week in a row. The Cowboys offensive line didn't help their struggling quarterback very much by providing poor pass protection for the entire day. However, where the Cowboys were nearly perfect offensively was in their running game. Thanks in large part to the offensive line providing plenty of daylight for RB DeMarco Murray's 167-yard rushing performance, including a rushing touchdown in the 2nd quarter. The Titans - on the other hand - gained only 84 total rushing yards with no rushing touchdowns for the entire game.

While parts of the Cowboys offense struggled and other parts excelled, the entire Titans offense couldn't look much worse for the first 30 minutes if they tried. Four year QB Jake Locker and the Titans managed to gain only 29-yards - and only one first down - on their first 4 possessions, which included an interception to Cowboys safety Barry Church. The Titans offense managed to get as far as the 50 yard line only once in the first half, and that was after recovering a 1st quarter Murray fumble at their own 46. However, the Titans could only gain 4 yards in 3-plays off the Dallas turnover, and ended up punting at the 50 yard line. The Titans would never get as close to advancing past the 50 for the rest of the half, that ended with a seemingly insurmountable 16-0 Dallas lead.

At the start of the second half, the Titans scored an early field goal as the Cowboys defense continued to struggle with their pass rush and secondary coverage. Especially, when it came to covering the Titans TE Delanie Walker who ended the day with 10-receptions for 162-yards, including a 61-yard touchdown pass cutting the Dallas lead to just 16-10 early in the 3rd quarter. But, that was all the points the Titans would score for the rest of the game. And, on the Cowboys next possession, Romo's passing strength and accuracy improved enough to complete 6-out of-10 passing attempts in a 12-play 80 yard drive ending with a 3 yard Dez Bryant touchdown reception late in the third quarter, increasing the Dallas lead 23-10. Bryant caught 5-of the-6 completions for 57 yards during the Cowboys last touchdown drive, and concluded the day with 10 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown.

The Titans ended the third quarter driving the ball into Dallas territory to try and rally back for the win. But, the drive soon ended after Jake Locker threw his second interception at the Dallas 32 yard line to Cowboys LB Rolando McClain, who emerged as the teams defensive anchor at the middle linebacker position with seven combined tackles and an impressive interception to start the 4th quarter. After the turnover, the Cowboys offense kept control of the ball for the next 6:08 and 11-plays that ended with Dan Bailey kicking his fourth field goal from 48-yards, extending the Cowboys lead to 26-10. Then, after the Titans turned the ball over on downs at the Dallas 6-yard line with 6:27 left to play, the Titans never saw the ball again for the rest of the final period. Instead, the Cowboys kept the ball for another 11-play drive lasting 5:59 that featured both Murry and Lance Dunbar rushing behind a Cowboys offensive line against a tired and defeated Titans defense. In total, the Cowboys controlled the ball for 12:06 and 22 plays in a dominating 4th quarter performance by the offensive line and rushing game to easily hold on for the 26-10 victory over the Titans in Tennessee.

Game Notes

The Cowboys haven't started 0-2 since 2010 when Wade Phillips was fired midway through the season and Jason Garrett was promoted to head coach.

Week 3: at St. Louis Rams

Week Three: Dallas Cowboys at St. Louis Rams – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	10	10	14	34
Rams	7	14	0	10	31

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

• Date: September 21
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 58,739
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter Rams – Lance Kendricks 1 yard pass from Austin Davis, (Greg Zuerlein kick), 6:15 (Rams 7-0) Second quarter Rams – Brian Quick 51 yard pass from Austin Davis, (Greg Zuerlein kick), 15:00 (Rams 14-0) Rams – Janoris Jenkins 25 yard interception return (Greg Zuerlein kick), 6:13 (Rams 21-0) DAL – DeMarco Murray 1 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 2:10 (Rams 21-7) DAL – Dan Bailey 29 yard field goal, 0:05 (Rams 21-10) Third quarter DAL – Dez Bryant 68 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 12:58 (Rams 21-17) DAL – Dan Bailey 40 yard field goal, 2:49 (Rams 21-20) Fourth quarter Rams – Greg Zuerlein 28 yard field goal, 13:31 (Rams 24-20) DAL – Terrance Williams 12 yard pass from Tony Romo, (Dan Bailey kick), 6:21 (Dal 27-24) DAL – Bruce Carter 25 yard interception return (Dan Bailey kick), 6:06 (Dal 34-24) Rams – Austin Pettis 4 yard pass from Austin Davis, (Greg Zuerlein kick), 2:41 (Dal 34-31) Top passers DAL –Tony Romo, 18/23, 214 Yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 68 Lng STL –Austin Davis, 30/42, 327 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT, 52 Lng Top rushers DAL –DeMarco Murray, 24 Car, 100 Yds, 1 TD, 44 Lng STL –Zac Stacy, 12 Car, 67 Yds, 0 TD, 16 Lng Top receivers DAL –Dez Bryant, 6 Rec, 89 Yds, 1 TD, 68 Lng STL –Jared Cook, 7 Rec, 75 Yds, 0 TD, 18 Lng

Synopsis

After a surprisingly dominant win over the Titans in Tennessee largely due to the 167-yard rushing performance by the league's leading rusher after the first two weeks, DeMarco Murray, the (1-1) Cowboys were a -1.5 point favorite against the (1-1) Rams in St. Louis. However, the Cowboys ended up having to rally back from an early 21 point deficit in order to pull out a wild road victory from the jaws of defeat.

Not Just Another Miracle Comeback

The Rams began the game with a 15-play 80 yard touchdown drive that put St. Louis ahead 7-0 against little resistance from the Cowboys defense. Thanks in large part to an extremely effective performance by the Rams third-string QB Austin Davis, who was very successful against the injury-plagued front seven of the Cowboys defense, along with poor coverage by Cowboys corner-back Morris Claiborne. While both Tony Romo's throwing mechanics and pass protection appeared to have greatly improved from a week ago, unfortunately, their first drive ended with another first quarter fumble by Cowboys' RB DeMarco Murray that was recovered by St. Louis at the Rams own 35-yard line. The Rams quickly capitalized on the turnover by completing a 51-yard touchdown pass to Rams WR Brian Quick (who was covered by Morris Claiborn) at the start of the second quarter to give the Rams a quick 14-0 lead. With the ball now in the hands of the Cowboys, and down 14-0 on their own 20-yard line, Romo then threw an interception for an easy touchdown to the Rams CB Janoris Jenkins, who took a huge gamble on the play by jumping in front of a short ball intended for Dez Bryant, putting St. Louis ahead 21-0 mid-way through the second quarter.

Not ready to throw in the towel quite yet, the shocked and frustrated Cowboys confidently moved the ball down the field on their next possession with a well balanced 80-yard scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard Murray rushing touchdown on a 1st-and-goal, immediately following a St. Louis penalty for defensive pass interference against WR Cole Beasley in the end zone, cutting the score to a 21-7 Rams lead. The Rams fumbled their next possession, giving the ball back to the Cowboys offense on their own 44, with 0:42 seconds left in the second quarter. Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey made it a 21-10 game after a 5-play 42-yard Cowboy drive ended with a successful field goal with only :05 seconds left in the half.

The Cowboys received the ball first to start the second half, and quickly scored on a 68-yard touchdown bomb from Romo to a wide open Dez Bryant, cutting the score to a 21-17 Rams lead. After the Cowboys forced a turnover-on-downs on the Rams next possession, the Cowboys quickly added 3 more points after a 7-play 62-yard drive, that was heavily aided by a 44-yard rushing play by RB DeMarco Murray, which ended with a successful Dan Bailey 40-yard field goal. Making it now a 21-20 Rams lead, with 2:33 left in the third quarter.

After a Rams field goal that extended their lead over the Cowboys 24-20, early in the 4th quarter, Cowboys WR Terrance Williams hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass to end a 11-play, 84-yard drive, with 6:21 left to play, that gave Dallas their first lead 27-24 in the game. On the ensuing Rams possession, Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter intercepted Davis' soft floater over the middle, returning it for a 25-yard touchdown; extending the Cowboys lead 34-24 with 5:58 left in the fourth. The Rams once again responded with another touchdown pass after going 80-yards in 11-plays, cutting the Cowboys lead 34-31 with 2:41 on the game clock. The Rams then held the Cowboys to a 3-and-out possession, and got the ball back on their own 14-yard line with 1:58 left in the game, and trailing only by a field goal. However, the Rams offense only managed to gain 12-yards in 3-plays before Rams QB Austin Davis threw a game ending interception on the 4th play to Cowboys CB (Morris Claiborne) deep down the left sideline, that effectively sealed the wild road win for the Cowboys who went to (2-1), while the St. Louis Rams fell to (1-2) after week 3 of the regular season.

Game Notes

The Cowboys 21 point comeback win against the Rams was a new Cowboys record for the largest point deficit that a Cowboys team has ever come back from and won - in a game that didn't go into overtime. It also became the third 21 point comeback victory in Cowboys history. The other two coming in overtime in 1984 against New Orleans and 1999 against Washington.

The Rams 2nd quarter 21 point lead is the second-largest lead blown by the Rams. The biggest deficit overcome by a Rams opponent is 23 points by the Packers in 1982, and Denver had a 21-point rally in 1982.

Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey set a franchise record by making his 28th field goal in a row on a 40-yarder in the third quarter. Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol hit 27 straight field goals in 1996.

Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week Four: New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	0	0	3	14	17
Cowboys	7	17	7	7	38

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: September 28
• Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 91,176
• Referee: Gene Steratore
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DAL – Terrance Williams 6 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 7:57 (Dal 7-0) Second quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 51 yard field goal, 5:43 (Dal 10-0) DAL – DeMarco Murray 15 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 4:09 (Dal 17-0) DAL – Terrance Williams 23 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 0:24 (Dal 24-0) Third quarter NO – Shayne Graham 30 yard field goal, 11:14 (Dal 24-3) DAL – DeMarco Murray 28 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 6:53 (Dal 31-3) Fourth quarter NO – Josh Hill 12 yard pass from Drew Brees (Shayne Graham kick), 13:43 (Dal 31-10) NO – Jimmy Graham 13 yard pass from Drew Brees (Shayne Graham kick), 9:56 (Dal 31-17) DAL – Dez Bryant 18 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 3:40 (Dal 38-17) Top passers NO – Drew Brees, 32/44, 340 Yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 46 Lng DAL – Tony Romo, 22/29, 262 Yds, 3 TD, 0 INT, 24 Lng Top rushers NO – Khiry Robinson, 8 Car, 87 Yds, 0 TD, 62 Lng DAL – DeMarco Murray, 24 Car, 149 Yds, 2 TD, 28 Lng DAL – Tony Romo, 6 Car, 20 Yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng Top receivers NO – Jimmy Graham 8 Rec, 86 Yds, 1 TD, 17 Lng NO – Travaris Cadet 6 Rec, 59 Yds, 0 TD, 31 Lng DAL – Terrance Williams 6 Rec, 77 Yds, 2 TD, 23 Lng DAL – Dez Bryant 3 Rec, 44 Yds, 1 TD, 18 Lng Top tacklers NO – DAL –

Synopsis

Despite seemingly wide expectations for the Cowboys to come crashing back down to earth against the Saints after coming back from a 21 point deficit to win their 2nd consecutive road game the week before. The Cowboys surprised nearly everyone by upsetting the 3.0 point favored Saints in a Sunday night rout at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys improved to (3-1) after getting their first home victory of the year, and with it, a measure of revenge from an embarrassing 49-17 week 10 loss to the Saints on Sunday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana the previous season.

Cowboys Sunday Night Surprise

After winning the opening coin toss, the (2-1) Cowboys elected to receive the ball first to keep Drew Brees and the (1-2) Saints high powered offense off the field as long as possible by dominating at the line of scrimmage with their highly celebrated offensive line and rushing attack. While the Saints were very effective at defending against the run during the Cowboys first possession, the Cowboys offense still managed a long methodical 80 yard opening drive in 12-plays utilizing a play action fake passing attack, which concluded with a 6 yard touchdown pass to WR Terrance Williams in the back of the end zone from Tony Romo. The Saints then received the ball for their first and only possession of the starting period, which ended with a punt at the Cowboys 46 yard line after gaining 35 yards on 7-plays. The Cowboys failed to score on their next possession and the 1st quarter came to an end with the Cowboys leading 7-0.

Early in the 2nd quarter, the Saints finally got things rolling on offense for a short while with their 2nd possession of the game. However, their 9-play 65 yard drive abruptly ended after failing to convert on a 3rd-and-8 at the Dallas 23. Down by only 7 points and facing a 4th-and-2 deep in Dallas territory, the Saints attempted a 41-yard field goal which missed wide right. And things only got worse for the Saints from there. The Cowboys then scored 17 unanswered points on their next three possessions, starting with Dan Bailey hitting his 29th consecutive field goal from 51-yards that extended the Cowboys lead to 10-0. Then, the Cowboys quickly scored again on a two play drive that ended with a 15 yard DeMarco Murray rushing touchdown following a Drew Brees interception by Cowboys LB Justin Durant at the Saints 28-yard line, and Dallas managed to increase their lead 17-0.

The Saints responded with a 3 play-and-out series that only netted them 8 total yards before punting the ball back to the Cowboys with 2:34 still left to play in the 2nd quarter. The Cowboys began the final possession of the first half on their own 23 yard line by handing the ball off to Demarco Murray for a 22 yard rushing play to the Cowboys 45. After the two-minute warning, it was all Romo and the passing attack for the next 6 out of 7 plays, which concluded with another Terrance Williams touchdown reception from the Saints 23 yard line, that gave the Cowboys a surprising 24-0 lead by the end of the first half.

The Saints received the ball at the start of the 3rd quarter but, could only manage a 30 yard field goal after the Saints 65-yard opening drive in 10-plays was stopped at the Dallas 12 yard line, making the score 24-3 Dallas. The Cowboys responded to the Saints first score of the game with a 77-yard drive in 8-plays that concluded with a 28 yard touchdown run by Murray increasing the Dallas lead 31-3. On the Saints next possession, Cowboys MLB Rolando McClain forced TE Jimmy Graham to fumble a 16-yard reception that was recovered by Cowboys safety J.J. Wilcox at the Dallas 10 yard line and returned to the Cowboys 23. The 3rd quarter concluded soon afterwards with the Cowboys maintaining a seemingly insurmountable 28 point lead.

The Saints scored two quick touchdowns at the start of the 4th quarter which cut the lead to 31-17, pulling them within just 14 points of the Cowboys. However, with 7:45 still left to play in the game, the Saints effectively ruined any realistic chance of mounting a dramatic comeback victory after attempting a fake punt on 4th-and-9 that never appeared to have a chance at being successful. The Cowboys then took over on downs at the Saints 39 yard line, and concluded a 6-play 3 minute drive with a 18 yard touchdown reception to Dez Bryant, putting the Cowboys ahead by 21 points with a final score that read 38-17.

Game Notes

After 4 weeks of regular season play, DeMarco Murray found himself in elite company with his 149-yard 2 touchdown performance against the Saints, joining Jim Brown, O. J. Simpson and former Cowboy Emmitt Smith as the only players to rush for 100 or more yards, while scoring a touchdown, in the first four games of a season.

The Cowboys three-game winning streak was their first since the 2012 season.

Week 5: vs. Houston Texans

Week Five: Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Texans	0	0	7	10	0	17
Cowboys	0	3	7	7	3	20

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: October 5
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 91,159
• Referee: Pete Morelli
• TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Jenny Dell
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter No Score Second quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 33 yard field goal, 0:16 (Dal 3-0) Third quarter HOU – Arian Foster 15 yard rush (Randy Bullock kick), 8:56 (Hou 7-3) DAL – Terrance Williams 43 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:18 (Dal 10-7) Fourth quarter DAL – Dez Bryant 2 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 9:50 (Dal 17-7) HOU – Randy Bullock 29 yard field goal, 2:31 (Dal 17-10) HOU – Arian Foster 15 yard rush (Randy Bullock kick), 0:45 (Tie 17-17) Overtime DAL – Dan Bailey 49 yard field goal, 8:37 (Dal 20-17) Top passers HOU – Ryan Fitzpatrick, 16/25, 154 Yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 20 Lng DAL – Tony Romo, 28/41, 324 Yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 43 Lng Top rushers HOU – Arian Foster, 23 Car, 157 Yds, 2 TD, 33 Lng DAL – DeMarco Murray, 31 Car, 136 Yds, 0 TD, 17 Lng Top receivers HOU – DeAndre Hopkins, 6 Rec, 63 Yds, 0 TD, 19 Lng DAL – Dez Bryant 9 Rec, 85 Yds, 1 TD, 37 Lng Top tacklers HOU – DAL –

Synopsis

Playing at AT&T Stadium for their 2nd consecutive home game, the (3-1) Cowboys and their highly respected offensive line and rushing attack were a -6.5 point favorite against fellow (3-1) in-state rival Houston Texans and their dangerously exciting defense, lead by defensive end extraordinaire J. J. Watt. The back-and-forth affair saw the Cowboys grab a 3-0 halftime lead, only to see the Texans get the lead in the third quarter. But a pair of touchdowns passes by Tony Romo gave Dallas a seemingly commanding 17-7 fourth-quarter lead. However, Houston's Arian Foster aided a strong Texans comeback to tie the game and force overtime. But it was Dez Bryant’s circus catch that led to a Dan Bailey game-winner, giving the Cowboys a 4-1 start to the regular season.

Cowboys Edge Houston in Overtime

On the Texans second possession of the first period, Houston's quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an easy interception to Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick in Dallas territory. The Cowboys offense then took possession at their own 40, and drove to the Texans 12-yard line where running back DeMarco Murray continued his early season trend of fumbling away the ball in the first quarter. Houston then took possession at their own 14-yard line but, the Texan's failed to take advantage of the momentum shift and punted after gaining only 31 yards in 7-plays. The 1st quarter ended in a scoreless tie.

The second quarter began much like the first, with the Cowboys turning the ball over again on a fumbled punt return by WR Dwayne Harris, only to once again have the Texans anemic offense do very little with the ball. The Cowboys offense finally managed to break the scoreless tie against the Texans tenacious-D, after Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey made his 30th consecutive field goal from 33-yards with :16 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, and Dallas had a 3-0 lead at the half.

The Cowboys opening possession of the 3rd quarter ended with a punt at the Dallas 35 after gaining only 15 yards in 6-plays. However, the Texans anemic offense obviously made some important half-time adjustments, taking their first possession 71-yards in 6-plays for a touchdown that included 5 running plays to RB Arian Foster for 59-yards and a rushing touchdown off the left end, putting Houston ahead 7-3. The Cowboys immediately answered with a touchdown drive of their own, going 78 yards in 4-plays which began with a 34 yard pass completion over the middle to tight end Jason Witten, and ended with a 43-yard touchdown bomb to WR Terrance Williams from Tony Romo after barely eluding what would've been a devastating blindside sack by J.J. Watt. The result of the play put the Cowboys ahead 10-7 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The 4th quarter started with a Romo interception that was intended for an open Dez Bryant in the end zone. However, Houston's safety Kendrick Lewis cut in front of Bryant's slant route for the pick-off at Houston's 3 yard line and returned the ball 5 yards to the Houston 8. The Texans offense gained only 6 yards in 3-plays off the turnover and the Cowboys got the ball back deep in Houston territory after Harris returned the punt 38-yards to the Texans 30 yard line. Dallas quickly took advantage of the good field position by handing the ball off to Murray three straight times for 28 yards to the Houston's 2 yard line, with the 4th play of the drive being a quick 2-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Bryant giving the Cowboys a 17-7 lead.

With 9:50 left to play in the 4th quarter and down by 10, the Texans offense suddenly came to life as Houston responded by scoring 10 unanswered points and evening the game at 17-17 with only 0:45 seconds left to play in the final period. The Cowboys had a chance to win the game in regulation after driving the ball from their own 17 to the Texans 35-yard line in 0:41 seconds but, the game wound up in overtime after Bailey's 53-yard field goal attempt with only 0:03 seconds on the clock tumbled wide left as time ran out.

Houston won the coin-toss and elected to receive the ball first in overtime. However, after gaining 32 yards in 4-plays, the Texans were forced to punt when they failed to convert on a 3rd-and-2 at the Cowboys 48. Dallas took over at their own 10 yard line and managed to gain 20 yards on 5-plays before Romo unloaded a 37-yard bomb to Bryant on a 3rd-and-8 at the Dallas 30 yard line. Fortunately, for the Cowboys, Bryant managed to pull-in a leaping circus catch over cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who had single coverage on Bryant's deep fly route down the left sideline. The play resulted in a Cowboys first down at Houston's 31-yard line which setup Bailey's 49-yard field goal that ended the contest with a 20-17 Cowboys win over the Texans in overtime.

Game Notes

After hauling in a 34 yard completion from Tony Romo mid-way though the third quarter, Cowboys TE Jason Witten surpassed 10,000 receiving yards for his career, making him only the 3rd tight end in NFL history to do so. Witten’s 59-yard day against the Texans left him just 46 yards shy of the No. 2 position currently held by Shannon Sharpe with 10,060 career receiving yards. Tony Gonzalez leads all tight ends in career receiving yards at 15,127, respectively.

The (4-1) Cowboys four-game winning streak was their first since 2011, and their best start since 2008.

Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Six: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	10	3	10	30
Seahawks	10	0	10	3	23

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

• Date: October 12
• Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT/1:25 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 68,432
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Charissa Thompson
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter SEA – Steven Hauschka 33 yard field goal, 10:10 (SEA 3-0) SEA – Mike Morgan 25 yard blocked punt return (Steven Hauschka kick), 7:19 (SEA 10-0) DAL – Gavin Escobar 2 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 2:38 (SEA 10-7) Second quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 42 yard field goal, 5:20 (TIE 10-10) DAL – Jason Witten 3 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 0:24 (Dal 17-10) Third quarter SEA – Russell Wilson 9 yard rush (Steven Hauschka kick), 6:20 (TIE 17-17) SEA – Steven Hauschka 33 yard field goal, 3:25 (SEA 20-17) DAL – Dan Bailey 56 yard field goal, 1:08 (TIE 20-20) Fourth quarter SEA – Steven Hauschka 48 yard field goal, 8:21 (SEA 23-20) DAL – DeMarco Murray 15 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 3:23 (DAL 27-23) DAL – Dan Bailey 31 yard field goal, 1:12 (DAL 30-23) Top passers DAL – Tony Romo, 21/32, 250 Yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 47 Lng SEA – Russell Wilson, 14/28, 126 Yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 53 Lng Top rushers DAL – DeMarco Murray, 29 Car, 115 Yds, 1 TD, 25 Lng SEA – Marshawn Lynch, 10 Car, 61 Yds, 0 TD, 32 Lng Top receivers DAL – Dez Bryant 4 Rec, 63 Yds, 0 TD, 23 Lng DAL – Terrance Williams 2 Rec, 70 Yds, 0 TD, 47 Lng DAL – Jason Witten 2 Rec, 24 Yds, 1 TD, 21 Lng SEA – Jermaine Kearse 3 Rec, 62 Yds, 0 TD, 53 Lng SEA – Doug Baldwin 2 Rec, 32 Yds, 0 TD, 20 Lng SEA – Luke Willson 2 Rec, 11 Yds, 0 TD, 10 Lng Top tacklers DAL – SEA –

Synopsis

Very few people gave the (4-1) Cowboys a realistic chance of beating the (3-1) Seahawks in Seattle and odds makers had Dallas at a 9.5 point underdog by kickoff. Most would've been happy if the Cowboys just gave a good competitive try in a valiant losing effort. However, a funny thing happened to the Cowboys on their way to an admirable but certain loss to the dazzling Russell Wilson and the Legion of Boom in Seattle. The Cowboys shook up the world instead with a surprising 30-23 victory over the defending Super Bowl champs in the toughest stadium in all of the NFL to compete in. Following their surprise victory over the Seahawks at Century Link Field, the Cowboys immediately went from a team that most fans and pundits alike quickly dismissed as one of the worst NFL teams of 2014 after their week 1 loss to the 49ers, to suddenly becoming one of the most highly praised franchises in the NFL that was now considered a legitimate contender for the 49th Lombardi trophy just 5 weeks later.

From Pretenders to Contenders: Cowboys Become Relevant Again, for first time since their last playoff win (2009)

The game began with the Seahawks offense at their own 21-yard line for an opening drive that was going no where fast until, QB Russell Wilson connected with WR Jermaine Kearse for a 53-yard pass completion to the Dallas 14-yard line. But, after Seattle's next 3 downs yielded 1 negative yard of offense, the Seahawks were forced to settle for a 15-yard field goal attempt that gave Seattle the early 3-0 lead. Then, adding injury to tremendous crowd noise, the Cowboys first possession concluded after 18-yards and, QB Tony Romo struggling to get back on his feet after taking a vicious full speed running shot to the ribs from Seahawks MLB Bobby Wagner while scrambling out of the pocket to desperately convert a 3rd-and-3 at the Cowboys 38-yard line. After the Cowboys failed to convert on the 3rd down play, the Seahawks appeared to be headed toward an early blow out victory after WR Doug Baldwin blocked a Dallas punt that Seattle's LB Mike Morgan recovered for a touchdown, giving the Seahawks a quick 10-0 lead with 7:19 left to play in the 1st quarter.

Romo returned and the Cowboys responded to the now, ear-pounding raucous 68 thousand plus Seattle fans, with a 80 yard 9-play touchdown drive featuring a 38-yard run by RB Joseph Randle from the Dallas 33-yard line to the Seahawks 29. Three plays later, Romo completed a 21-yard pass to TE Jason Witten giving Dallas a first-and-goal at the Seahawks 2-yard line. The drive concluded with a 2-yard touchdown pass to TE Gavin Escobar in the back of the end zone, cutting the Seahawks lead to just 3 points and temporarily quieting down the stadium's vociferous Seattle fans after a horrendous beginning for the Cowboys. Despite the Seahawks WR Percy Harvin returning the ensuing kickoff 46-yards to the Seattle 42, the Seahawks were forced to punt the ball away at the end of the first quarter after gaining only 3-yards in 3-plays, and holding on to a precarious 10-7 lead over Dallas.

The Cowboys began the 2nd quarter with the ball at their own 5-yard line, then proceeded to drive the ball for 71-yards in 15-plays that consumed 9:45 off the clock until Dan Bailey kicked a 42-yard field goal that tied the game at 10-10. The Seahawks responded with a punt after only 3-plays and 7-yards, in what turned out to be their only possession for the second quarter. After fielding the Seahawks punt with 3:04 remaining in the quarter, Dallas went 80-yards in 10-plays that concluded with a touchdown reception to TE Jason Witten from Romo on a 3rd-and-goal at the Seahawks 3-yard line, giving the Cowboys a 17-10 lead at the end of the half.

The Seahawks continued their offensive struggles throughout the third quarter but, managed to score 10 quick unanswered points after capitalizing on 2 costly Dallas fumbles deep in Cowboys territory that suddenly put Seattle ahead 20-17 with 3:25 left in the 3rd quarter. Dallas finally managed to stop the hemorrhaging with a 47-yard pass completion to WR Terrance Williams from the Cowboys 19 to the Seattle 39-yard line. Four plays later, Dan Bailey kicked a 56-yard field that once again tied the game at 20-20 after three quarters of play.

The Cowboys began the 4th quarter having to punt from their own 7-yard line after losing 5 yards in 3-plays on their opening possession of the final period. As a result, the Seahawks began their next possession with good field position after returning a short Dallas punt to the Cowboys 42-yard line. But, once again, the Seahawks had to settle for 3 points after gaining only 12-yards in 7-plays, giving Seattle a less than commanding 23-20 lead with 8:16 still left in the final quarter. The Cowboys began their next possession at their own 20 yard line and ended the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run by RB DeMarco Murray after going 80-yards in 9-plays that included Romo and company converting on a 3rd-and-20, thanks in large part to an acrobatic 23-yard sideline reception by WR Terrance Williams. The play was instrumental in keeping alive the drive that eventually put Dallas in the lead 27-23 with 3:23 left in the game.

Needing a touchdown on their next possession, the Seahawks instead turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert on a 4th-and-6 with 2:40 left to play. Dallas took over at the Seattle 23-yard line, and with the Seahawks completely out of time outs, it appeared that any chance for the Seahawks to mount a dramatic late game comeback was very unrealistic at that point. Until, the Cowboys were called for a time stopping holding penalty that prevented Dallas from ending the game by simply running out the clock. Instead, the Cowboys were forced to kick a 31-yard field goal to give themselves a tenuous 30-23 lead with 1:12 still left in the game.

Down by 7 points with over a minute left to play, the Seahawks would get one more opportunity to score a late touchdown to possibly win the game in overtime. However, on their second play from scrimmage, Seattle's hopes of a historic comeback victory were suddenly dashed against the rocks when Cowboys MLB Rolando McClain intercepted Russell Wilson's pass at mid-field. The Cowboys ended the hard fought 30-23 victory in Seattle with a kneel down at the Dallas 48-yard line.

Game Notes

DeMarco Murray's 115 yard rushing day against the Seahawks, made him only the second running back in NFL history - next to Jim Brown - to rush for 100 yards in the first 6 games of the season. Jim Brown did it for the first six games of the 1958 season.

With the victory, the Cowboys improved to 5-1 on the season, their best record since the 2007 campaign.

Dallas became the first team outside the NFC West to win in Seattle since 2011.

Five days after Seattle's loss at home to the Cowboys, the Seahawks traded WR Percy Harvin to the New York Jets for an undisclosed draft selection. It was reported that the surprisingly sudden move by Seattle was due in large part to Harvin refusing to return to the game in the fourth quarter. While Percy Harvin had a 46-yard kickoff return, Harvin's total yardage for rushing and receiving was -1 yard against the Cowboys.

Dan Bailey's 3rd quarter 42-yard field goal made him 100-for-110 on field goals for his career, making him the most accurate kicker in NFL history with a FG percentage of 90.826% from 2011-2014. Mike Vanderjagt is second in all-time NFL accuracy with a FG percentage of 86.466% from 1998-2006. Stephen Gostkowski is a close third in NFL accuracy with a FG percentage of 86.328% from 2006-2014.

Week 7: vs. New York Giants

Week Seven: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	0	14	0	7	21
Cowboys	7	7	7	10	31

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: October 19
• Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 91,028
• Referee: Jerome Boger
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Charissa Thompson
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DAL – Gavin Escobar 15 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 5:13 (DAL 7-0) Second quarter NYG – Odell Beckham Jr. 9 yard pass from Eli Manning (Josh Brown kick), 11:31 (Tie 7-7) NYG – Daniel Fells 27 yard pass from Eli Manning (Josh Brown kick), 8:00 (NYG 14-7) DAL – Terrance Williams 18 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 2:27 (Tie 14-14) Third quarter DAL – Gavin Escobar 26 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:22 (DAL 21-14) Fourth quarter DAL – DeMarco Murray 1 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 9:17 (DAL 28-14) NYG – Odell Beckham Jr. 9 yard pass from Eli Manning (Josh Brown kick), 5:34 (DAL 28-21) DAL – Dan Bailey 49 yard field goal, 1:04 (DAL 31-21) Top passers NYG – Eli Manning, 21/33, 248 Yds, 3 TD, 0 INT, 27 Lng DAL – Tony Romo, 17/23, 279 Yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, 44 Lng Top rushers NYG – Andre Williams, 18 Car, 51 Yds, 0 TD, 22 Lng NYG – Peyton Hillis, 6 Car, 29 Yds, 0 TD, 10 Lng DAL – DeMarco Murray, 28 Car, 128 Yds, 1 TD, 21 Lng DAL – Lance Dunbar, 3 Car, 16 Yds, 0 TD, 13 Lng Top receivers NYG – Larry Donnell 7 Rec, 90 Yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng NYG – Rueben Randle 6 Rec, 74 Yds, 0 TD, 17 Lng NYG – Odell Beckham Jr. 4 Rec, 34 Yds, 2 TD, 11 Lng DAL – Dez Bryant 9 Rec, 151 Yds, 0 TD, 44 Lng DAL – Gavin Escobar 3 Rec, 65 Yds, 2 TD, 26 Lng DAL – Terrance Williams 1 Rec, 18 Yds, 1 TD, 18 Lng Top tacklers NYG – DAL –

Synopsis

The 105th meeting between the Cowboys and Giants had all the ear-markings of the proverbial "trap game" for Dallas after the Cowboys shook-up the world the previous week by going into Seattle and defeating the defending Super Bowl champs, in a game that no one expected them to win. However, a week later, the (5-1) Cowboys faced their first divisional game at home against the (3-3) NY Giants, who were coming off an embarrassing blown-out loss in NY to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday Night on NBC. While the Cowboys defense gave up a lot of yards and a few touchdowns against the Giants offense, the Cowboys avoided the Giant "trap game" thanks in large part to Tony Romo connecting with TE Gavin Escobar and WR Terrance Williams for three touchdowns in a nearly flawless performance at quarterback. DeMarco Murray added a late rushing touchdown while their beleaguered defense forced two crucial New York fumbles in the 4th quarter that sealed the victory. The Cowboys managed to outlast their division rivals for a 31-21 victory and improved to a 6-1 record on the season.

Game Notes

DeMarco Murray continued his amazing season by rushing for his seventh straight 100-yard game to start a season, breaking the record held by the great Jim Brown.

With the win over the Giants, the Cowboys improved to a league best 6-1 on the season, moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC East due to the Eagles having a bye week. This is the Cowboys best start to a season since 2007 when the Cowboys also went 6-1 after the first 7 games.

Week 8: vs. Washington Redskins

Week Eight: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Redskins	3	0	7	7	3	20
Cowboys	0	7	3	7	0	17

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: October 27
• Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 87,055
• Referee: Tony Corrente
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter WAS – Kai Forbath 44-yard field goal, 09:52 (WAS 3–0) Second quarter DAL – Dez Bryant 5-yard pass from Tony Romo, Dan Bailey kick, 04:52 (DAL 7–3) Third quarter WAS – Alfred Morris 5-yard run, Kai Forbath kick, 09:56 (WAS 10–7) DAL – Dan Bailey 21-yard field goal, 04:07 (Tied 10–10) Fourth quarter WAS – Colt McCoy 7-yard run, Kai Forbath kick, 13:44 (WAS 17–10) DAL – Jason Witten 25-yard pass from Brandon Weeden, 09:36 (Tied 17–17) Overtime WAS – Kai Forbath 40-yard field goal, 09:48 (WAS 20–17) Top passers WAS – Colt McCoy, 25/30, 299 Yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 49 Lng DAL – Tony Romo, 17/28, 209 Yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 34 Lng DAL – Brandon Weeden, 4/6, 69 Yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 25 Lng Top rushers WAS – Alfred Morris, 18 Car, 73 Yds, 1 TD, 29 Lng DAL – DeMarco Murray, 19 Car, 141 Yds, 0 TD, 51 Lng Top receivers WAS – DeSean Jackson,6 Rec, 136 Yds, 0 TD, 49 Lng WAS – Jordan Reed,7 Rec, 40 Yds, 0 TD, 16 Lng WAS – Pierre Garcon,4 Rec, 47 Yds, 0 TD, 23 Lng DAL – Jason Witten, 5 Rec, 70 Yds, 1 TD, 25 Lng DAL – Terrance Williams, 6 Rec, 69 Yds, 0 TD, 18 Lng DAL – Dez Bryant, 3 Rec, 30 Yds, 1 TD, 20 Lng Top tacklers WAS – DAL –

Synopsis

The (6-1) Cowboys suffered a disappointing 20-17 loss at home to the (2-5) Redskins seven days after Washington's head coach Jay Gruden announced that native Texan and third-string QB Colt McCoy would be the starter Monday night vs. the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. McCoy responded with one of the best starts of his NFL career as the Redskins pulled out a major upset over the Dallas Cowboys who were a -9.5 favorite at kickoff.

Tony Romo was knocked from the game with an injury, and Brandon Weeden replaced him before Romo returned late in the contest, which went to overtime tied at 17-17. The Redskins won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first in overtime. The Cowboys were unable to contain McCoy, who connected with Pierre Garcon for 23 yards and Jordan Reed for 16 during the drive, which eventually set up a successful 40-yard field goal to take a 20-17 lead. With 9:48 left in the overtime period, the Cowboys had one last chance to tie or win the game. However, on a 4th-and-3 at their own 27-yard line, Romo tried to complete a short pass to TE Jason Witten on the right sideline but the pass attempt was knocked away by cornerback Bashuad Breeland to end the game.

With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 6-2 on the year but, still remained in first place in the NFC East division over the 5-2 Eagles, who lost to the Cardinals in Glendale, AZ. the day before the Monday Night game after coming off their bye week.

Game Notes

Colt McCoy completed 83.3 percent of his passes, (25-30 for 299 yds) the most in Redskins history by a quarterback with at least 30 attempts.

Murray extended his 100 yard game rushing streak to eight games with 19 carries for 141 yards vs Washington.

The game was the 107th meeting in 54 years between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. After the loss to Washington, the Cowboys now have a total of 64 wins to 41 losses and 2 ties in 54 years.

Including the loss to the Redskins on Monday Night, the Cowboys have played in a total of 75 Monday Night games and have an overall record of 43-32.

Week 9: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week Nine: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	14	0	14	28
Cowboys	10	0	0	7	17

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: November 2
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), cloudy (retractable roof open)
• Game attendance: 85,688
• Referee: Craig Wrolstad
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DAL –Tyler Patmon 58 yard interception return (Dan Bailey kick), 11:07 (DAL 7-0) DAL –Dan Bailey 52 yard field goal, 4:08 (DAL 10-0) Second quarter ARI –John Carlson 7 yard pass from Carson Palmer (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 12:39 (DAL 10-7) ARI –Jaron Brown 11 yard pass from Carson Palmer (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 4:39 (ARI 14-10) Third quarter No Score Fourth quarter ARI –Andre Ellington 1 yard pass from Carson Palmer (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 6:05 (ARI 21-10) ARI –Marion Grice 1 yard rush (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 4:23 (ARI 28-10) DAL – Dez Bryant 3 yard pass from Brandon Weeden, 1:13 (Dan Bailey kick)(ARI 28-17) Top passers ARI – Carson Palmer, 22/34, 249 Yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, 31 Lng DAL – Brandon Weeden, 18/33, 183 Yds, 1 TD, 2 INT, 40 Lng Top rushers ARI – Andre Ellington, 21 Car, 95 Yds, 0 TD, 20 Lng DAL – DeMarco Murray, 19 Car, 79 Yds, 0 TD, 17 Lng Top receivers ARI – Larry Fitzgerald, 5 Rec, 70 Yds, 0 TD, 31 Lng ARI – Andre Ellington, 4 Rec, 39 Yds, 1 TD, 20 Lng DAL – Jason Witten, 6 Rec, 62 Yds, 0 TD, 24 Lng DAL – Dez Bryant, 2 Rec, 15 Yds, 1 TD, 12 Lng Top tacklers ARI – DAL –

Brandon Weeden started in place of Tony Romo, who had injured himself the week prior. Weeden had a rough time of it against the stingy Cardinals defense, throwing two interceptions and only managed to compile 183 yards through the air.

It was the Cowboys' third home loss of the season, and the same score as the season opener against the 49ers. The Cardinals also managed to hold DeMarco Murray under the 100-yard mark, the first team to do so in 2014.

Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL International Series

Week Ten: Dallas Cowboys at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	10	14	7	0	31
Jaguars	7	0	0	10	17

at Wembley Stadium, London, England

• Date: November 9
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. GMT/12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), clear
• Game attendance: 83,603
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DAL - Dan Bailey 54-yard FG, 12:09 (DAL 3-0) JAX - Denard Robinson 32-yard TD run, (Josh Scobee kick), 7:36 (JAX 7-3) DAL - Jason Witten 2 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 2:38 (DAL 10-7) Second quarter DAL -Dez Bryant 35 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 7:13 (DAL 17-7) DAL -Dez Bryant 68 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 2:38 (DAL 24-7) Third quarter DAL - Joseph Randle 40 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 7:44 (DAL 31-7) Fourth quarter JAX - Holding against the Dallas punt team inside the end zone for a safety, 8:07 (DAL 31-9) JAX - Denard Robinson 1 yard rush (Allen Robinson pass from Blake Bortles for 2 points), 1:58 (DAL 31-17) Top passers DAL – Tony Romo, 20/27, 246 Yds, 3 TD, 0 INT, 68 Lng JAX – Blake Bortles, 22/37, 290 Yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, 53 Lng Top rushers DAL – DeMarco Murray, 19 Car, 100 Yds, 0 TD, 23 Lng JAX – Denard Robinson, 15 Car, 60 Yds, 2 TD, 32 Lng Top receivers DAL – Dez Bryant, 6 Rec, 158 Yds, 2 TD, 68 Lng JAX – Cecil Shorts, 5 Rec, 119 Yds, 0 TD, 53 Lng Top tacklers DAL – Anthony Hitchens: 2 tackles JAX – Johnathan Cyprien: 2 tackles

Tony Romo's return was a successful one, as the Cowboys went across the pond and posted a comfortable win over one of the worst teams in the league.

Dez Bryant had a monster day receiving, catching six passes for 158 yards and two scores all in the first half. DeMarco Murray got back in the 100-yard category after losing his streak in the loss to the Cardinals the week before.

Week 12: at New York Giants

Week Twelve: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	3	7	14	7	31
Giants	7	14	0	7	28

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: November 23
• Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 80,520
• Referee: Bill Vinovich
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter NYG – Odell Beckham Jr. 3 yard pass from Eli Manning (Josh Brown kick), 7:06 (NYG 7-0) DAL – Dan Bailey 38 yard field goal, 2:50 (NYG 7-3) Second quarter NYG – Odell Beckham Jr. 43 yard pass from Eli Manning (Josh Brown kick), 15:00 (NYG 14-3) DAL – Jason Witten 4 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 9:22 (NYG 14-10) NYG – Andre Williams 3 yard rush (Josh Brown kick), 3:22 (NYG 21-10) Third quarter DAL – Cole Beasley 45 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:48 (NYG 21-17) DAL – Dez Bryant 31 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 1:19 (DAL 24-21) Fourth quarter NYG – Adrien Robinson 1 yard pass from Eli Manning (Josh Brown kick), 3:06 (NYG 28-24) DAL – Dez Bryant 31 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 1:19 (DAL 31-28) Top passers DAL – Tony Romo, 18/26, 279 Yds, 4 TD, 0 INT, 45 Lng NYG – Eli Manning, 29/40, 338 Yds, 3 TD, 1 INT, 43 Lng Top rushers DAL – DeMarco Murray, 24 Car, 121 Yds, 0 TD, 18 Lng NYG – Rashad Jennings, 19 Car, 52 Yds, 0 TD, 12 Lng Top receivers DAL – Dez Bryant 7 Rec, 86 Yds, 2 TD, 31 Lng DAL – Jason Witten 4 Rec, 30 Yds, 1 TD, 15 Lng DAL – Cole Beasley 2 Rec, 66 Yds, 1 TD, 45 Lng NYG – Odell Beckham Jr. 10 Rec, 146 Yds, 2 TD, 43 Lng NYG – Rashad Jennings, 8 Rec, 68 Yds, 2 TD, 27 Lng NYG – Rueben Randle, 3 Rec, 36 Yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng Top tacklers DAL – NYG –

Synopsis

Two weeks after dismantling the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, the 7-3 Cowboys had to engineer a dramatic 31-28 come-from-behind victory at MetLife Stadium in the closing minutes on a Sunday night to beat the 3-7 Giants in New York.

Cowboys Battle Back in the Big Apple

For the first half of the game, the Cowboys' defense continued its season long struggles against the opponents passing attack for most of the night. Giants QB Eli Manning connected with the sensational rookie receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. for two early scores, which included a classic one handed 43-yard touchdown reception that put the Giants ahead 14-3 by the start of the second quarter. However, the Cowboys offense was more than capable of responding to the early deficit with a 9-play 77-yard drive of their own, which ended with a 4-yard shuttle pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten for a touchdown that made it a 14-10 Giants lead halfway through the second quarter. But, the Giants immediately countered with an 80-yard 11 play touchdown drive that gave them a 21-10 lead by the end of the first half.

With Dallas already down 11 points, New York would receive the ball to start the second half against a Dallas defense that didn't appear to have any answers for Eli Manning and the Giants offense. However, following the difficult first half of play, the Cowboys defense began to come alive by forcing the Giants to go three-and-out on their first two possessions. The Cowboys offense closed the Giants lead on their second possession of the half after Romo completed a short pass over-the-middle to WR Cole Beasley for what appeared to be just another short and simple completion at mid-field to convert on a 3rd-and-5. However, Beasley gave his Giants defender a move to the inside then quickly cut-it back to the sideline and outran the rest of the Giants defense to the left pylon of the endzone for a 45-yard touchdown reception - his first of the season - that cut the score to a 21-17 Giants lead.

The Giants offense immediately countered once again with a lengthy drive that began at their own 24-yard line. The Giants had advanced to the Cowboys 30-yard line after 8-plays when Eli connected with Beckham for a 12-yard reception and a first down on a third-and-2, Beceham was tackled by Cowboys Free Safety Barry Church at the Dallas 18 as he was going out of bounds. Initially, one official flagged Church for a personal foul for hitting Beceham while he was out of bounds, which would've placed the ball at the Cowboys 3-yard line for an easy Giants score if the penalty was enforced. However, as fortune would have it, the penalty was eventually dismissed as Beceham was accused of taking a flop on the sideline by referee Bill Vinovich after a conference between the officials. Two plays later, with the ball still at the Dallas 18-yard line, Giants receiver Preston Parker was wide open while crossing on a short route over the middle, but Manning threw the ball too high for the intended receiver, and the ball was tipped by Parker and into the arms of Barry Church, who took the interception back 45 yards to the Dallas 48. The Cowboys offense quickly capitalized on the sudden shift in momentum just 4-plays later, when Romo connected with Dez Bryant for a 31-yard touchdown reception. The Cowboys celebrated their first lead of the night, 24-21.

Midway through the fourth quarter, New York took over at its own 7-yard line with 9:12 left in the game and proceeded to go the distance, eating up 6:12 of clock with 14 plays, the last a 1-yard pass to Robinson that put the Giants back on top, 28-24 with 3:06 left in the game. The Cowboys quickly worked the 80 needed yards in less than two minutes, Beasley coming up big again with a 21-yard catch to the New York 36-yard line. On the two final plays of the 7-play Cowboys possession, Romo seemed to have all day-and-night in the pocket. First, hitting Bryant on an 8-yard route to Giants 13-yard line; then finding Bryant again in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown. Giving the Cowboys the lead once again with a 31-28 score.

The Giants got the ball back at their own 20-yard line with 1:01 left in the game to play for a win, or send the game into overtime with a field goal. But, the Giants attempt at a late 4th quarter rally came to an abrupt end after Cowboys MLB Rolando McClain wrapped up Giants RB Rashad Jennings on a fourth-and-2 at the Giants 29-yard line, just inches short of the first down marker. The play originally was called a first down by the officials, but was later overturned upon further review. After New York turned the ball over on downs with 0:40 seconds left in the game, Dallas took a knee at the Giants 29-yard line to end the game with a hard fought 31-28 road victory on a Sunday night in the Big Apple.

Game Notes

The Cowboys swept their season series against the NY Giants for the second year in a row. The Cowboys have beaten the Giants 5 out of the last 6 meetings from 2012-2014.

After the win on Sunday night in NY, the Dallas Cowboys now have 61 wins, 43 losses and 2 ties versus the NY Giants after 106 games in 54 years.

With the win, Dallas improved to 8-3 on the season, setting up a showdown with the 8-3 Eagles for first place in the NFC East on Thanksgiving Day.

DeMarco Murray went over 100 yards yet again, rushing for 121 yards but failed to get in the end zone.

NY Giants rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. would finish his historic night with 10 catches for 146 yards and two scores.

Celebrity Rapper and New York City native Jay Z attended the game at MetLife Stadium and was seen having a brief conversation with Jerry Jones on the field prior to kickoff. This was some what of an event due to Jay Z's agency, Roc Nation, signing on as Dez Bryant’s representation earlier in the month. The pair spoke briefly before the game, which led to questions about whether they were discussing Bryant’s contract negotiations. Jones later claimed that the brief conversation had nothing to do with contract negotiations.

Week 13: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Thanksgiving Day game

Week Thirteen: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	14	9	7	3	33
Cowboys	0	7	3	0	10

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: November 27
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 91,379
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter PHI – Mark Sanchez 2 yard rush (Cody Parkey kick), 12:00 (PHI 7-0) PHI – Jordan Matthews 27 yard pass from Mark Sanchez (Cody Parkey kick), 4:17 (PHI 14-0) Second quarter DAL – DeMarco Murray 1 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 15:00 (PHI 14-7) PHI – Cody Parkey 31 yard field goal, 12:14 (PHI 17-7) PHI – Cody Parkey 22 yard field goal, 1:39 (PHI 20-7) PHI – Cody Parkey 26 yard field goal, 0:24 (PHI 23-7) Third quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 28 yard field goal, 9:16 (PHI 23-10) PHI – LeSean McCoy 38 yard rush (Cody Parkey kick), 7:29 (PHI 30-10) Fourth quarter PHI – Cody Parkey 26 yard field goal, 11:05 (PHI 33-10) Top passers PHI – Mark Sanchez, 20/29, 217 Yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 58 Lng DAL – Tony Romo, 18/29, 199 Yds, 0 TD, 2 INT, 38 Lng Top rushers PHI – LeSean McCoy, 25 Car, 159 Yds, 1 TD, 38 Lng DAL – DeMarco Murray, 20 Car, 73 Yds, 1 TD, 9 Lng Top receivers PHI – Jeremy Maclin 8 Rec, 108 Yds, 0 TD, 58 Lng DAL – Dez Bryant 4 Rec, 73 Yds, 0 TD, 38 Lng Top tacklers PHI – DAL –

Synopsis

In a Thanksgiving game that featured the NFC East top two teams, the (8-3) Cowboys were simply no match for the (8-3) Eagles at home, falling 33-10 in front of a sold out crowd at AT&T Stadium and a national television audience.

The visitors from Philly executed their wide-open, fast-paced offense to perfection, the Dallas defense was unable to keep up, with poor tackling and confusion in coverage only hurting their cause. And it wasn’t much different on the other side of the ball, as the Cowboys offense struggled and seemingly only got worse as the game went along. Philadelphia finished with 464 yards of total offense as quarterback Mark Sanchez looked like Hall of Famer Joe Montana while dismantling the Dallas defense for most of the day. Sanchez completed 20-of-29 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown, but kept the Cowboys on their heels by also rushing seven times for 28 yards and a score as well.

With the loss to the Eagles, the Cowboys are now 8-4 on the season, dropping into second place in the NFC East behind the 9-3 Eagles. Dallas will most likely have to win consecutive road games to remain in playoff contention starting with the Bears in Chicago next Thursday night before traveling to Philadelphia on December 14 to face the Eagles for a Sunday Night match-up.

Game Notes

With the 33-10 victory against Dallas, the Eagles are now 2-0 against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day and 6-0 overall for Thanksgiving games.

Tony Romo's 38 game streak with at least one touchdown pass came to an end against Philadelphia. Romo's 38 game touchdown streak is the longest in franchise history and fifth longest in NFL history and the second-longest among active streaks, behind Peyton Manning’s 50. Romo was 18 of 29 for 199 yards and 0 TD's in the loss.

It was the fourth loss of the season for Dallas at home, and DeMarco Murray failed to break 100 yards for only the second time this season.

Week 14: at Chicago Bears

Week Fourteen: Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	14	21	6	41
Bears	0	7	0	21	28

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Date: December 4
• Game time: 7:25 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 61,558
• Referee: Ed Hochuli
• TV announcers (NFLN): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter No Score Second quarter DAL – DeMarco Murray 1 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 10:53 (Dal 7-0) CHI – Martellus Bennett 12 yard pass from Jay Cutler (Jay Feely kick), 6:18 (Tie 7-7) DAL – Cole Beasley 13 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 0:13 (Dal 14-7) Third quarter DAL – Cole Beasley 24 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 12:41 (Dal 21-7) DAL – Gavin Escobar 6 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 8:08 (Dal 28-7) DAL – Joseph Randle 17 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 2:18 (Dal 35-7) Fourth quarter CHI – Alshon Jeffery 27 yard pass from Jay Cutler (Jay Feely kick), 15:00 (Dal 35-14) DAL – Dan Bailey 35 yard field goal, 12:41 (Dal 38-14) CHI – Matt Forte 1 yard rush (Matt Forte run for 2 points), 7:22 (Dal 38-21) CHI – Jay Cutler 10 yard rush (Jay Feely kick), 6:16 (Dal 38-28) DAL – Dan Bailey 27 yard field goal, 3:44 (Dal 41-28) Top passers DAL –Tony Romo, 21/26, 205 Yds, 3 TD, 0 INT, 43 Lng CHI –Jay Cutler, 32/46, 341 Yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 42 Lng Top rushers DAL –DeMarco Murray, 32 Car, 179 Yds, 1 TD, 40 Lng CHI –Matt Forte, 13 Car, 26 Yds, 1 TD, 7 Lng Top receivers DAL –Dez Bryant 6 Rec, 82 Yds, 0 TD, 43 Lng DAL –Cole Beasley 3 Rec, 42 Yds, 2 TD, 24 Lng DAL –DeMarco Murray 9 Rec, 49 Yds, 0 TD, 11 Lng CHI –Martellus Bennett 12 Rec, 84 Yds, 1 TD, 16 Lng CHI –Alshon Jeffery 6 Rec, 95 Yds, 1 TD, 27 Lng CHI –Matt Forte 8 Rec, 74 Yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng Top tacklers DAL – CHI –

Synopsis

After being dismantled by the Eagles just one week ago at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, the (8-4) Cowboys dominated the (5-7) Bears in Chicago, scoring a combined 35 points in the second and third quarter then hanging on in the fourth to come away with a much needed 41-28 victory. DeMarco Murray continued his MVP-caliber season and pursuit of 2,000 yards rushing, finishing with 179 yards on 32 carries to go with a touchdown and 49 yards receiving.

With the victory over Chicago, Dallas broke a three-game losing streak against the Bears with a 13-point victory in which Tony Romo played outstanding, completing 21 of 26 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Cole Beasley. In addition, Dallas provided a little payback after the Bears embarrassed the Cowboys last year with a 45-28 defeat in Chicago, were the Bears scored on all eight of its possessions. However, the Cowboys would turn the tables on the Bears this season by scoring on their final seven drives before taking a ceremonial kneel down to end the game with an important road victory in Chicago.

Game Notes

With the win, the Cowboys avoided going 8-8 for the first time since 2010, and clinched a winning season, the first since the 2009 team won the NFC East and won a playoff game.

After defeating the Bears in Chicago, the Cowboys are 6-0 on the road after 13 games into their 2014 season. Oddly enough, the last time Dallas lost on the road was in Chicago 45-28 nearly a year ago on December 9, 2013. A devastating loss to the Bears that began the (7-5) Cowboys late season slide, losing 3 out of their 4 final games, ending the year with a 3rd straight 8-8 season and no playoff appearance for the 4th year in a row.

Week 15: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week Fifteen: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	14	7	7	10	38
Eagles	0	10	14	3	27

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Date: December 14
• Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 69,596
• Referee: Terry McAulay
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DAL – DeMarco Murray 1 Yard Rush (Dan Bailey kick), 12:51 (Dal 7-0) DAL – Dez Bryant 4 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 3:08 (Dal 14-0) Second quarter DAL – Dez Bryant 26 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 12:01 (Dal 21-0) PHI – Chris Polk 5 Yard Rush (Cody Parkey kick), 8:36 (Dal 21-7) PHI – Cody Parkey 47 yard field goal, 1:53 (Dal 21-10) Third quarter PHI – Chris Polk 1 Yard Rush (Cody Parkey kick), 8:51 (Dal 21-17) PHI – Darren Sproles 1 Yard Rush (Cody Parkey kick), 5:47 (Phi 24-21) DAL – DeMarco Murray 2 Yard Rush (Dan Bailey kick), 0:50 (Dal 28-24) Fourth quarter DAL – Dez Bryant 25 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 12:55 (Dal 35-24) PHI – Cody Parkey 43 yard field goal, 10:50 (Dal 35-27) DAL – Dan Bailey 49 yard field goal, 4:42 (Dal 38-27) Top passers DAL – Tony Romo, 22/31, 265 Yds, 3 TD, 0 INT, 26 Lng PHI – Mark Sanchez, 17/28, 252 Yds, 0 TD, 2 INT, 72 Lng Top rushers DAL – DeMarco Murray, 31 Car, 81 Yds, 2 TD, 21 Lng PHI – LeSean McCoy, 16 Car, 64 Yds, 0 TD, 14 Lng Top receivers DAL – Dez Bryant 6 Rec, 114 Yds, 3 TD, 26 Lng DAL – Jason Witten 7 Rec, 69 Yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng PHI – Jeremy Maclin 4 Rec, 98 Yds, 0 TD, 72 Lng PHI – Brent Celek 4 Rec, 52 Yds, 0 TD, 23 Lng Top tacklers DAL – PHI –

Synopsis

Dallas won its third game in a row at Lincoln Financial Field, despite blowing a 21-0 lead. Dez Bryant was sensational, catching six passes for 114 yards and a career best three touchdowns. The defense came up with 3 turnovers including two interceptions off of Mark Sanchez.

The game started out well for Dallas as Philadelphia mishandled the opening kickoff which the Cowboys recovered on Philadelphia's 18-yard line. Dallas scored shortly thereafter with a DeMarco Murray touchdown to start the game 7-0. The Cowboys kept rolling with another 14 points, both touchdowns by Bryant. The Eagles scored 24 unanswered points to put them up 24-21. Dallas then put up a 78-yard drive which was capped off by another Murray touchdown. The Eagles' next drive ended when Sanchez was picked off by J. J. Wilcox. Tony Romo then connected with Bryant for a 25-yard touchdown. The Eagles would later fumble to set up a Dan Bailey field goal to put Dallas up 38-27. Sanchez got the ball back again with less than two minutes to play but was picked off again to end the game.

Game Notes

For the second consecutive year, Dallas and Philadelphia would split the season series with the road team winning all four games. Dallas has now won 5 out of their last 6 meetings in Philadelphia.

With the win, the Cowboys took a one-game lead in the NFC East with two games to go.

The victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia improved the Cowboys road record to 7-0 for the season.

Week 16: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week Sixteen: Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Colts	0	0	0	7	7
Cowboys	14	14	7	7	42

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: December 21
• Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 91,899
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DAL – Terrance Williams 9 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:40 (DAL 7-0) DAL – Dez Bryant 19 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 4:30 (DAL 14-0) Second quarter DAL – Cole Beasley 24 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 14:19 (DAL 21-0) DAL – DeMarco Murray 1 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 6:38 (DAL 28-0) Third quarter DAL – Jason Witten 25 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 4:48 (DAL 35-0) Fourth quarter DAL – Terrance Williams 43 yard pass from Brandon Weeden (Dan Bailey kick), 10:19 (DAL 42-0) IND – Zurlon Tipton 1 yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Adam Vinatieri kick), 5:29 (DAL 42-7) Top passers IND – Andrew Luck, 15/22, 109 Yds, 0 TD, 2 INT, 22 Lng IND – Matt Hasselbeck, 15/21, 126 Yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 21 Lng DAL –Tony Romo, 18/20, 218 Yds, 4 TD, 0 INT, 25 Lng DAL –Brandon Weeden, 1/1, 43 Yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 43 Lng Top rushers IND – Dan Herron, 7 Car, 3 Yds, 0 TD, 4 Lng IND – Trent Richardson, 2 Car, 1 Yds, 0 TD, 3 Lng IND – Zurlon Tipton, 1 Car, -3 Yds, 0 TD, -3 Lng DAL – DeMarco Murray, 22 Car, 58 Yds, 1 TD, 11 Lng DAL – Joseph Randle, 13 Car, 27 Yds, 0 TD, 12 Lng DAL – Tony Romo, 3 Car, 28 Yds, 0 TD, 13 Lng Top receivers IND – Hakeem Nicks 9 Rec, 72 Yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng IND – Dan Herron 3 Rec, 37 Yds, 0 TD, 22 Lng DAL – Dez Bryant 5 Rec, 73 Yds, 1 TD, 24 Lng DAL – Terrance Williams 2 Rec, 52 Yds, 2 TD, 43 Lng DAL – Jason Witten 7 Rec, 90 Yds, 1 TD, 25 Lng Top tacklers IND – DAL –

Synopsis

The (10-4) Dallas Cowboys entered the game against the (10-4) Indianapolis Colts, knowing that with a win they could capture the NFC East crown after Philadelphia’s surprising 27-24 loss at Washington the day before. However, with ankle injuries plaguing both OG Zach Martin and OT Doug Free of the Cowboys highly praised offensive line, and RB DeMarco Murray nursing a broken left hand that was surgically repaired just 6 days prior to kick off, capturing the NFC East title with a victory over the Colts' high octane offense did not seem very likely for the Boys in big D. Yet, despite all of the injuries to their offensive starters and Dallas having a 3-4 home record for the season, the Cowboys dominated the Colts from kick off to the final gun with a 42-7 blow out in front of a rowdy sold out crowd at AT&T Stadium. With the victory over the Colts in week 16, the Cowboys improved to (11-4) on the year, eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs, won the NFC East divisional title, and guaranteed their first playoff appearance since 2009.

Game Notes

Including the 2014 season, the Cowboys have won the NFC East 22 times in their 54-year history.

After quarterback Tony Romo completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to TE Jason Witten late in the third quarter, Romo eclipsed Troy Aikman as the all-time leader in passing yards in franchise history. The throw put Romo at 32,961 passing yards in his career, passing Aikman's career total of 32,942. Romo finished the game with 218 yards, putting him at 32,971 for his career.

At the start of the game, Murray had a total of 1,686 yards on the season and needed only 87 yards to pass Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith’s team record for the most rushing yards in a single season with 1,773 yards set in 1995. However, with Murray still nursing the injury, coupled with an early Cowboys rout, Murray ended up with only 22 carries for 59 yards on the day, leaving him with a total of 1,745 yards for the year, just 28 yards short of Smith's single season record with one more game left to be played.

Week 17: at Washington Redskins

Week Seventeen: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	17	10	0	17	44
Redskins	7	3	0	7	17

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

• Date: December 28
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 80,897
• Referee: Jerome Boger
• TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 21-yard field goal, 10:19 (DAL 3–0) WAS – DeSean Jackson 69-yard pass from Robert Griffin (Kai Forbath kick), 8:55 (WAS 7–3) DAL – Dez Bryant 65 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:37 (DAL 10–7) DAL – Dez Bryant 23 yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 2:47 (DAL 17–7) Second quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 32-yard field goal, 11:35 (DAL 20–7) DAL – DeMarco Murray 9 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 8:17 (DAL 27–7) WAS – Kai Forbath 25 yard field goal, 1:25 (DAL 27–10) Third quarter No Scoring Fourth quarter WAS – Robert Griffin 2 yard rush (Kai Forbath kick), 6:52 (DAL 27–17) DAL – Dan Bailey 23-yard field goal, 3:36 (DAL 30–17) DAL – Anthony Spencer 5 yard fumble return (Dan Bailey kick), 3:18 (DAL 37–17) DAL – Joseph Randle 65 yard rush (Dan Bailey kick), 1:49 (DAL 44–17) Top passers DAL – Tony Romo, 22/34, 299 Yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 65 Lng WAS – Robert Griffin, 27/41, 336 Yds, 1 TD, 2 INT, 69 Lng Top rushers DAL – DeMarco Murray, 20 Car, 100 Yds, 1 TD, 32 Lng DAL – Joseph Randle, 4 Car, 69 Yds, 1 TD, 65 Lng WAS – Alfred Morris, 12 Car, 43 Yds, 0 TD, 22 Lng WAS – Roy Helu, 6 Car, 42 Yds, 0 TD, 15 Lng Top receivers DAL – Dez Bryant, 4 Rec, 99 Yds, 2 TD, 64 Lng DAL – Terrance Williams, 3 Rec, 68 Yds, 0 TD, 51 Lng DAL – Cole Beasley, 6 Rec, 57 Yds, 0 TD, 19 Lng WAS – Jordan Reed, 9 Rec, 70 Yds, 0 TD, 16 Lng WAS – DeSean Jackson, 2 Rec, 86 Yds, 1 TD, 69 Lng WAS – Pierre Garcon, 2 Rec, 53 Yds, 0 TD, 47 Lng Top tacklers DAL – WAS –

Synopsis

For the past few years, week 17 in the NFL is usually a do-or-die situation for Dallas: Cowboys win, and they're in the playoffs; Cowboys lose, and they go home to watch the playoffs. But not this year. After Dallas secured a playoff appearance by winning the NFC East crown a week prior, the biggest Cowboys' dilemma for this seasons weeks 17 finale was, "Do you maintain the momentum by playing your starters on the road against a division rival, in a meaningless game that has practically no playoff implications? Or, do you avoid any risk of injury by benching players who would be key to the team’s success in the postseason?" Not surprisingly, head coach Jason Garrett chose to play his starters and it was business as usual for the Cowboys, who over powered the Redskins early and kept the pedal to the metal in a dominating 44-17 performance. The Cowboys week 17 victory over Washington in the District of Columbia was their 12th win of the season which included an undefeated 8-0 record on the road, making the Cowboys the first team in the NFL to win all its regular season road games since the 2007 Patriots.

Game Notes

With the victory, the Cowboys finished 12-4 on the season, their best record since the team’s 13-3 campaign of 2007.

DeMarco Murray made Cowboys history by finishing the season with 1,845 yards on 393 carries, surpassing Emmitt Smith's record of 1,773 in 1995; the 32-yard carry was Murray's longest since a 40-yard carry on December 4 against the Chicago Bears.

Dez Bryant also made Cowboys history by catching 2 touchdown passes, giving him a total of 16 TD receptions on the year, breaking Terrell Owens previous single season TD reception record of 15 in 2007 (the second touchdown was originally called incomplete by the refs, but was overturned after review).

The game was the 108th meeting in 54 years between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. the Cowboys all-time record versus the Redskins is 65-41-2 after 54 years.

Postseason

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (6) Detroit Lions

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (6) Detroit Lions at (3) Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	14	3	3	0	20
Cowboys	0	7	7	10	24

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: January 4, 2015
• Game time: 3:40 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 91,410
• Referee: Pete Morelli
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter DET – Golden Tate 51-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 11:22. Lions 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 62 yards, 2:04. DET – Reggie Bush 18-yard run (Matt Prater kick), 1:57. Lions 14–0. Drive: 14 plays, 99 yards, 7:10. Second quarter DAL – Terrance Williams 76-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 1:37. Lions 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 0:38. DET – Matt Prater 39-yard field goal, 0:03. Lions 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 1:34. Third quarter DET – Matt Prater 37-yard field goal, 8:41. Lions 20–7. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 4:03. DAL – DeMarco Murray 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 2:54. Lions 20–14. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:47. Fourth quarter DAL – Dan Bailey 51-yard field goal, 12:16. Lions 20–17. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 4:00. DAL – Terrance Williams 8-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 2:32. Cowboys 24–20. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 5:38. Top passers DET – Matthew Stafford – 28/42, 323 yards, TD, INT DAL – Tony Romo – 19/31, 293 yards, 2 TD Top rushers DET – Joique Bell – 12 rushes, 43 yards DAL – DeMarco Murray – 19 rushes, 75 yards, TD Top receivers DET – Golden Tate – 6 rec, 89 yards, TD DAL – Terrance Williams – 3 rec, 92 yards, 2 TD Top tacklers DET – James Ihedigbo - 7 tackles, 2 assists DAL – J. J. Wilcox - 7 tackles

Synopsis

The Cowboys overcame a 17-7 half-time deficit to the Detroit Lions, that was extended to a 20-7 3rd quarter deficit, before ultimately defeating the Lions 24-20 in front of a loud and excited sold-out crowd of 91,410 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With the win over the Lions, the Cowboys advance to the divisional playoff round against the Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It will be the Cowboys first postseason game against Green Bay at Lambeau Field since the Ice Bowl on New Year's Eve of 1967. The Green Bay weather forecast for the game next Sunday is 18 degrees Fahrenheit, clear and sunny.

Game Notes

The Dallas Cowboys now lead the all time Head-to-Head match-up against the Detroit Lions (14-12). The Cowboys also lead the all time playoff match-up against the Lions (2-1).

This is the first time in franchise history that the Cowboys have won a post-season game when trailing by 10 points or more at half time.

With this win over the Lions, the Cowboys now have the most NFL playoffs wins with 34, one more than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Green Bay Packers

NFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Dallas Cowboys at (2) Green Bay Packers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	7	7	7	0	21
Packers	7	3	10	6	26

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

• Date: January 11, 2015
• Game time: 12:05 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 24 °F (−4 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 79,704
• Referee: Gene Steratore
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers DAL – GB – Top rushers DAL – GB – Top receivers DAL – GB – Top tacklers DAL – GB –

The Packers defeated the Cowboys 26-21, ending their season. The Packers handed the Cowboys their first road loss of the season, snapping a 9 game road winning streak that began in Week 16 of the 2013 season against the Washington Redskins. If the Cowboys had qualified for Super Bowl XLIX, they would have been the only team to play in at least one Super Bowl numbered 1-9, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39 and 40-49.

Standings

Division

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
^(3) Dallas Cowboys	12	4	0	.750	4–2	8–4	467	352	W4
Philadelphia Eagles	10	6	0	.625	4–2	6–6	474	400	W1
New York Giants	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	380	400	L1
Washington Redskins	4	12	0	.250	2–4	2–10	301	438	L1

Conference

NFC[1][2]
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	PD	STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1]	Seattle Seahawks	West	12	4	0	.750	5–1	10–2	394	254	140	W6
2[lower-alpha 1]	Green Bay Packers	North	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	486	348	138	W2
3[lower-alpha 1]	Dallas Cowboys	East	12	4	0	.750	4–2	8–4	467	352	115	W4
4	Carolina Panthers	South	7	8	1	.469	4–2	6–6	339	374	–25	W4
Wild Cards
5[lower-alpha 2]	Arizona Cardinals	West	11	5	0	.688	3–3	8–4	310	299	11	L2
6[lower-alpha 2]	Detroit Lions	North	11	5	0	.688	5–1	9–3	321	282	33	L1
Did not qualify for the playoffs
7	Philadelphia Eagles	East	10	6	0	.625	4–2	6–6	474	400	74	W1
8	San Francisco 49ers	West	8	8	0	.500	2–4	7–5	306	340	–34	W1
9[lower-alpha 3]	New Orleans Saints	South	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	401	424	–23	W1
10[lower-alpha 3]	Minnesota Vikings	North	7	9	0	.438	1–5	6–6	325	343	–18	W1
11[lower-alpha 4]	New York Giants	East	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	380	400	–20	L1
12[lower-alpha 4]	Atlanta Falcons	South	6	10	0	.375	5–1	6–6	381	417	–36	L1
13[lower-alpha 4]	St. Louis Rams	West	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	324	354	–30	L3
14	Chicago Bears	North	5	11	0	.313	1–5	4–8	319	442	–123	L5
15	Washington Redskins	East	4	12	0	.250	2–4	2–10	301	438	–137	L1
16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	South	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	277	410	–133	L6
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 5]
Seattle, Green Bay and Dallas were ranked in seeds 1–3 based on conference record. Arizona defeated Detroit head-to-head (Week 11, 14–6). New Orleans defeated Minnesota head-to-head (Week 3, 20–9). The New York Giants defeated both Atlanta and St. Louis head-to-head (Atlanta: Week 5, 30–20; St. Louis: Week 16, 37–27). Atlanta finished ahead of St. Louis based on conference record. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

References

1. "2014 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
2. "2014 NFL playoff picture". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2014.

External links

• Official website