The Dallas Cowboys’ season ended with a heartbreaking loss to the New York Giants in the final game of the 2011 NFL regular season. Here is a look at how the offensive stars finished the game for the Cowboys.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
Wikimedia Commons

Tony Romo

Tony Romo came into the Week 17 game with the New York Giants with a bruised hand and seemed like the biggest question mark on the field. However, out of all the players in the game, Romo was the one who came to play. He completed 29-of-37 of his passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception and fumbled the ball, but a lot of his problems had to do with bad offensive line play.

Laurent Robinson

Out of all the stars on the Dallas Cowboys’ roster, it is newcomer Laurent Robinson who leads the team in touchdowns with 11. In the final game of the season, while Dallas had few stars step up, it was Robinson who caught both touchdown passes from Romo. Robinson was the Cowboys’ best offensive weapon this season.

Felix Jones

When DeMarco Murray went down with a season ending injury, Felix Jones got his chance to prove he could help the team win. He did fine but it is obvious that the Cowboys need Murray back next year bad. Jones ran for 30 yards and caught seven passes for 47 yards in Week 17. It wasn’t horrible but Dallas needs a better rushing attack in 2012.

Dez Bryant / Miles Austin

Dez Bryant led the team with 70 receiving yards in the game on six receptions in the game. Miles Austin did not do anything of note, with two receptions for 20 yards. Neither man was a solid weapon in this game because Romo had little time to wait for routes to develop before the pass rush reached him.

Jason Witten

Jason Witten finally had a decent game but fell short of the 1000 yard mark for the first time since 2008. He finished the game with seven receptions for 69 yards.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

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With the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the New York Giants officially ending their season, there has to be a time to look back and see what went right with the franchise. One of the best stories of the season featured a wide receiver that had never reached his potential getting another chance and exploding in 2011.

Laurent Robinson
Wikimedia Commons

Laurent Robinson joined the Cowboys to help out the team when Miles Austin went down with a hamstring injury. After integrating himself into the offense in Week 3, with three receptions for 49 yards, he exploded against the Detroit Lions in Week 4. While Dallas might have lost the game at the end, they found a new star for the wide receiver corps. Robinson caught seven balls for 116 yards.

Austin returned in the next game, after the bye week, but by Week 8, Robinson made his name with the Cowboys. Against Philadelphia, in that game, Robinson caught five balls for 103 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

Over a five game stretch, Robinson caught at least one touchdown pass in each game, with two against Buffalo and Miami. He broke 100 yards again in Week 14, against the New York Giants, and then finished the season, against the Giants once again, with two more touchdowns.

By the end of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2011 NFL season, Laurent Robinson finished with season high in receptions (54), yards (858) and touchdowns (11).

Robinson started his career in Atlanta and then moved on to the St. Louis Rams. At both stops, he was supposed to be a star but failed to hold onto a job at either location. With this fresh chance in Dallas, and a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback throwing him the ball, Robinson finally showed what he is capable of.

If anything, Robinson has shown that he has a chance to be a solid starter for a team in 2012. It would be nice to see him return to Dallas, but does he really want to play secondary roles behind Dez Bryant and Miles Austin? He said he loves it in Dallas and would love to return, though. Fans of the Cowboys will have to wait and see, but if Robinson comes back in 2012, Dallas should have one of the top receiver corps in the NFL once again.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t give their fans a very Merry Christmas with their performance Saturday.

In a game where little was on the line, the Cowboys couldn’t do anything to build on the momentum from the previous week at Tampa Bay.

But the Cowboys and Giants did wrap a big present and put it under NBC’s tree. The network of Sunday night football gets a chance to wrap up its season with a ratings bonanza.

But given one final chance to show they deserve to be in the playoffs as the NFC East Champions, can the Cowboys demonstrate the ability to receive?

Opportunity has knocked on the door all season long. The season opened on NBC’s big stage in New York and the Cowboys couldn’t close the deal against the Jets.

Fourth-quarter leads have led to head-scratching failures in many cases. The Cowboys probably realize they should be sitting down at the postseason party with 11 or 12 wins and letting Stephen McGee and Sammy Morris play out the string Sunday as they rested up for the playoffs.

The completely mediocre Broncos and Chiefs with gaping holes all over the roster should be fighting it out on NBC to be the last team in.

The Giants are in the same boat as the Cowboys as at times they look better than their record. They have an excellent quarterback and a couple of name players who can rush the passer. But the only consistency has been their inconsistency.

Both are considered dangerous teams in the NFC. We’d be surprised if the NFC East winner made it to the Super Bowl, but an upset win at New Orleans or San Francisco wouldn’t shock anyone.

I’ve been picking Dallas to win this division all year. There’s a chance I’m proven wrong on Sunday night.

As easy as I can make the argument that the Cowboys should already have won this division, there’s the fact that they are 2-3 in division games and those two wins were the result of a little bit of luck with a wild scramble pass to Dez Bryant and then a missed field goal in overtime turning two Washington victories into narrow Dallas escapes.

It’s not Tony Romo that has given me reason to doubt. It’s more a result of the defense and Jason Garrett’s brief history in decision-making down the stretch of close games.

I’ll pick the Cowboys one more time. They were the better team for 55 minutes just two weeks ago. But seizing on opportunities, the way the really good teams do in this league, has been a season-long problem for the Cowboys.

I guess we’ll watch and find out if everything really does begin and end in New York, at least for the Cowboys of 2011. Recent history doesn’t favor the Cowboys in any game considered big. Their previous “last-chance” for playoff finale at Philadelphia three years ago was a disaster.

But just as we pull out our new calendars, they get one more chance to prove this team is different.

Dallas fans felt like they got the short end of the “Dirty Santa” game on Saturday evening. Garrett, Romo and Rob Ryan will see if they can do better for a Happy New Year.

In this Week 16 matchup, the 6-8 Philadelphia Eagles visit the 8-6 Dallas Cowboys in a very important NFC East matchup that could determine the playoff fates of both teams. Despite having only six wins with only two weeks left in the season, the Eagles have a chance at winning the division and heading the playoffs with an 8-8 record. In this big NFC East game with playoff implications, both the Eagles and Cowboys have important players injured that may factor into this game.

Dallas Cowboys RB Felix Jones
Wikimedia Commons

Out for Eagles: CB Asante Samuel

After missing practice all week with a hamstring injury, Samuel will miss the game against the Cowboys, making Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie the starter opposite Nnmadi Asomugha. A big hit to the Eagles secondary, Philadelphia may have a much tougher time covering the Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Laurent Robinson on Saturday. Joselio Hanson will be the Eagles nickelback.

Out for Cowboys: NT Josh Brent, WR Andre Holmes

Brent has five tackles this season and has been out with a knee injury for over a month. Holmes (hamstring) has yet to record any stats for the Cowboys this season.

Doubtful for Eagles: None

Doubtful for Cowboys: None

Questionable for Eagles: DT Trevor Laws

Fighting knee tendonitis, Laws, who also missed last week’s game against the New York Jets, is listed as questionable but did travel with the team. Laws, who has 19 tackles this season backing up Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson, should be available to play.

Questionable for Cowboys: CB Mike Jenkins, RB Felix Jones, S Danny McCray, WR Kevin Ogletree, NT Jay Ratliff, WR Laurent Robinson, LB DeMarcus Ware

The three main Cowboys listed as questionable this week are Jones (hamstring), Robinson (shoulder), and Ware (neck). All three of their injuries have been persistent but they should all be available for play this Saturday. Jones’s health is the most crucial this week, as the team would have to heavily play recently-signed RB Sammy Morris since DeMarco Murray is out for the year.

Probable for Eagles: RB Ronnie Brown, T Todd Herremans, DT Cullen Jenkins, WR Jeremy Maclin, DE Darryl Tapp, QB Michael Vick

The biggest names on this list are Maclin (hamstring) and Vick (ribs). All players listed as probable were full participants in the most recent practice and will play against the Cowboys.

Probable for Cowboys: G Kyle Kosier, LB Sean Lee, P Mat McBriar

Kosier (foot), Lee (wrist), and McBriar (left foot) have been dealing with these injuries all season and should all be available in Week 16 play.

Sources:

NFL Injuries, Yahoo! Sports

Asante Samuel News and Notes, Yahoo! Sports

Josh Brent Profile, Yahoo! Sports

Trevor Laws News and Notes, Yahoo! Sports

The NFL Injury Report, NFL

More from this contributor:

2011 NFL Week 16 Regional TV Schedule for December 24

New York Giants at New York Jets Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts Week 16 Injury Report: Fan’s Preview

Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco 49ers supporter, and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.

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It is time for the Dallas Cowboys to try to gain some revenge against the Philadelphia Eagles but this is a definite trap game for the Cowboys. Even if Dallas loses to the Eagles, they can still beat the Giants the next week and make the playoffs. However, Philadelphia just found a glimmer of light, and if they win their last two games, they might still make the playoffs as well depending on the Giants final two games.

It is a trap game because Philadelphia has to win but Dallas does not. Of course, if the New York Jets beat the Giants in the noon game then the Cowboys can clinch a playoff spot by beating the Eagles that afternoon. But, if the Giants win, it all comes down to the last game of the season.

And that might be a good thing, because the last times these teams played, Philadelphia beat Dallas, 34-7. The Eagles out-gained the Cowboys, 495-267 in total yards and held onto the ball for 42:09 while Dallas only notched 17:50. Needless to say, Philadelphia whipped Dallas every way there is to beat a team.

The bad thing is that the Eagles dominated the Cowboys offense and took them completely out of their game plan. DeMarco Murray only ran eight times in the game, and when Dallas runs less than 20 times in a game, Dallas loses. Miles Austin and Dez Bryant only finished with three receptions each. Laurent Robinson was the only reliable target in the game, catching 103 of Tony Romo’s total 203 yards of passing.

The Dallas defense was shredded as well. Coming into the game, it was an exciting matchup pitting the No. 1 rush defense in the nation against the No. 1 rushing offense. LeSean McCoy made a joke out of the matchup by running for 185 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns. Dallas’ defense has not even sniffed the top of the rushing defense leader board since.

That was also the game that Sean Lee was injured. Punter Mat McBriar and corner Mike Jenkins also left the game with injuries. It was a game Dallas might want to forget but should take strong note of heading into Saturday.

After the Eagles trounced Dallas, they lost four of the next five but have won two straight heading into Week 16. Their season is on the line this game. Win and their playoff hopes are still alive, with a Giants loss. Lose and go home. By the time the two teams play, they will know the result of the Giants game. If the Giants win, the Eagles are only playing for pride. If the Giants lose, Dallas is playing for and early division win.

This might be the most exciting game of the season for one of these teams.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.