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

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

The disappointing 2011 National Football League (NFL) Season is finally over for the Dallas Cowboys. There were some high moments and some very low ones. Here are five areas that need fixing on the Cowboys.

The Philadelphia Eagles embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.
commons.wikimedia.org/Billy Bob Bain

Primary Running Back?

Who will be the primary running back for the Dallas Cowboys next season? DeMarco Murray should be the guy. However, Murray suffered a fractured ankle in Week 14 that ended his season. That is cause for concern because the Cowboys are thin at running back. Felix Jones continues to be plagued by injuries. Even when healthy, Jones is not the power back the Cowboys need.

Defense When it Counts

New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan implemented a new scheme that promised aggressiveness. The defense played well at times but failed in the most crucial moments. Poor defense resulted in two late-season losses to the New York Giants. Are the players still learning the new system? Do the Cowboys simply lack enough talent on defense?

Dr. Tony and Mr. Romo

Will the real Tony Romo please stand up? Sometimes you get a gutsy performance like the Week 2 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Other times you get the Romo who literally threw the game away against the Detroit Lions in Week 4. How many more chances does Romo get? He is still not an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Is Garrett the Guy?

Why is owner Jerry Jones convinced that Jason Garrett is the right coach for the Cowboys? Jones criticized Garrett for being too conservative in Week 6 against the New England Patriots. Garrett goofed in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals. His clock management effectively iced his own kicker and lost the game. The Cowboys were embarrassed by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8. They failed to clinch the playoffs in Week 17 against the Giants. Garrett is supposed to know these teams. Aside from the Washington Redskins, his division rivals got the best of him this season.

Involved Owner

Jones is one of the most involved owners in the NFL. But his control on the team may be part of the problem. Jones is the owner, president and general manager of the Cowboys. He is not the head coach. Jones needs to step back and let the coach be the coach. He needs to give his coach the power to make all coaching decisions and fully support those decisions. Until that happens, this team will not move forward.

These are five areas that need fixing on the Cowboys. They have a lot of work ahead of them. The offseason starts now.

More from Edwin Torres:

The Ten Commandments of Tim Tebow: Explaining His Stunning Success

Giant Loss Reveals Truths About the Dallas Cowboys: Fan Reaction

Top Ten NFL Stories in 2011: Fan View

Edwin Torres has been a fan of the Dallas Cowboys since the days of Tony Dorsett and Roger Staubach. He enjoyed watching the Dallas teams of the 90s dominate opponents on both sides of the ball. As a longtime fan of the National Football League, Edwin follows many interesting games and stories each week. For more articles, follow him on Twitter @FlipPoker.

Sources:

NFL – Statistics – Yahoo! Sports

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

Read More: Mat McBriar (P – DAL), Tony Romo (QB – DAL), Chris Jones (P – DAL), Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants

Everything is on the line when the Dallas Cowboys travel to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Giants in a winner take all matchup for the NFC East title. So naturally every little detail is being looked at and overly scrutinized.

For the NFL schedule maker, this is perfection.

After a season of inconsistency and disappointments, the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants play one game that will make the winner forget the frustrations of the regular season and send the other home for a long rest.

Archrivals facing off for a division title in prime time. Delicious.

The Cowboys (8-7) and Giants (8-7) close the regular season Sunday night at Metlife Stadium, the winner getting a first-round home game against either Atlanta or Detroit. Oh, in case of a tie, which hasn’t happened all season in the NFL, the Giants capture the division and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008 based on head-to-head play.

“I think everyone knows this is the most important game of the season,” Giants veteran left tackle David Diehl said. “We all know what’s at stake. We know what we are playing for. When we started this season our No. 1 goal was to win the division and here we are. It’s right in front of us.”

The division title has been in front of both teams all season and neither has grabbed hold of it.

The Giants won six of their first eight games then went on a four-game losing streak to fall a game behind the Cowboys in early December. New York, however, rallied from a 12-point deficit on Dec. 11 to beat Dallas 37-34 and regain first place on a tiebreaker.

The momentum lasted a week. New York put in a no-show in losing to Washington on Dec. 18, putting Dallas back in first. Of course, the inconsistency continued last week as the Giants played one of their best games of the season in knocking off and shutting up the local rival Jets 29-14.

Meanwhile, Dallas lost to Philadelphia for the second time this season and quarterback Tony Romo bruised his right hand — his passing hand.

So who shows up this week with everything on the line? Who knows?

“I think these two teams are very comparable team-wise, not only in record but the types of seasons we have had,” said Romo, who plans on playing. “I suspect that talent-wise, we are pretty close so there will be a few plays here or there that will decide this game. We have to be ready to make those plays.”

Coincidentally, both teams have been in similar situations in recent years as far as making the playoffs and came up short.

The Giants have had late-season collapses the past two years. They lost to Carolina and Minnesota in the final two games of the ’09 season to miss the playoffs and they were beaten by Philadelphia and Green Bay in the 14th and 15th games last season — blowing a 21-point fourth-quarter lead against the Eagles — to also go home early.

The Cowboys, who last went to the playoffs in the 2009 season, had another win-and-in game on the road in 2008 against the Eagles and were blown out 44-6.

“I think it’s the same thing,” Cowboys Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware said of the parallel to 2008. “Going into this game, this is an opportunity where you can sort of get a birth, an opportunity where you can catapult yourself sort of where you need to be, showcase what we actually have. We haven’t been the most consistent team this year but if you get this game and get to the playoffs, that’s like rebirth, a rebirth of the team. I think it’d be great to just keep going.”

Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka said this is an easy game to get ready to play because the picture is so clear, the teams know each other so well after having played only three weeks ago — and having played each other twice a year for decades.

“There is only one game we have to focus on and only one game we have to win to get to what our next goal is,” Kiwanuka said. “We have one game and one opportunity to continue on our way to accomplishing our goal, which is winning a national title.”

The Giants could get a lift on defense with two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora expected to play for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain late last month. The Cowboys might be a little fresher because they rested several players after the Giants beat the Jets with the outcome of their game against the Eagles having no effect on the showdown nature of Sunday’s game.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin or Cowboys coach Jason Garrett will be under the microscope if their team fails to make the playoffs. Coughlin, who hurt his left leg when run into on the sideline by Giants running back D.J. Ware in the fourth quarter last week, might be in a better position after the win over the Jets, a result that had co-owner John Mara singing his praises.

Garrett has seen his team blow fourth-quarter leads of at least 12 points three times this season and might be in a little more trouble if Jerry Jones’ team misses the playoffs a second straight year.

“It’s do or die,” Dallas linebacker Bradie James said. “We can all sit here. The coaches talk about the Xs and Os and my job is just to go out there and play. It’s just sheer determination. Coach Garrett talks about will. It’s heart, determination. We can get in there and talk about execution and what we plan against this guy. They know us, we know them. It’s really going to be whoever outlasts the other. That’s how you break it down. I like to keep it as simple as possible.”

This will be the first time the NFC East winner has less than 10 wins since the division was created in 1970. The lone exception was the strike-shortened 1982 season when teams played nine games.

IRVING, Texas — Dallas quarterback Tony Romo is listed as probable for Sunday’s game at the New York Giants, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave a more optimistic report.

Romo has a swollen throwing hand.

According to an ESPN.com story, Jones on Friday told KRLD-FM radio: “He (Romo) is going to be playing at full strength. It’s just a very big-time feel-good to know that we’re going to be going in with this kind of quarterbacking.”

The NFC East title will be at stake when the 8-7 teams meet.

Jones, also the team’s general manager, said of Romo: “He’s a top, top quarterback and he’s got a good team around him. In my belief, a very good team around him, so the stage is set for us to play well in a big game.”

Romo was limited in practice Friday, according to ESPN.

Meanwhile, running back Brandon Jacobs of the Giants ripped Dallas supporters.

“You know what it is: (The reason) a lot of people and a lot of guys on other teams hate the Cowboys is their fans,” Jacobs said. “Some of their fans are loud and obnoxious and just bad. Just everywhere you go, you got some Dallas fans, and they’re just running their mouth about Dallas.

“It’s not really the team and the star (logo) and all that ’cause they’re just like any other team if you ask me. But their fans are the ones who have me just really feeling the way I feel.”

Are they worse than Philadelphia Eagles fans?

“Yeah, they are … I’m just talking about everyday life,” Jacobs said. “Cowboys fans get on my nerves.”

Jacobs rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns to help the visiting Giants beat the Cowboys 37-34 on Dec. 11.

Cardinals’ Dockett is docked $30,000

NEW YORK — Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett has been fined $15,000 by the league for hitting Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton below the knees last weekend and another $15,000 for a horse-collar tackle on Bengals running back Bernard Scott.

Dockett was called for 15-yard penalties on each play in the Cardinals’ 23-16 loss last Saturday.

Arizona hosts the Seahawks on Sunday.

Dockett was fined $7,500 in 2009 for pushing his forearm into then-Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s throat while Hasselbeck was down.

Washington safety Reed Doughty was fined $15,000 by the league for striking Minnesota’s Christian Ponder in the head and neck area as the quarterback slid. Houston defensive end J.J. Watt received a similar fine for hitting Indianapolis quarterback Dan Orlovsky below the knee.

Atlanta linebacker Curtis Lofton was fined $15,000 for unnecessary roughness for striking New Orleans receiver Marques Colston in the head and neck area.

Notes

• Standout Houston receiver Andre Johnson will play against Tennessee on Sunday after missing the last three games because of a strained left hamstring.

• Quarterback Tom Brady is listed as “probable” on the New England Patriots’ injury report for Sunday’s game against Buffalo. An injury to his left, non-throwing shoulder limited Brady’s participation in practice Friday for a second consecutive day after he sat out Wednesday’s practice session.

• Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and safety Troy Polamalu each attended practice Friday and are listed as probable for Sunday’s game in Cleveland.

Roethlisberger (high ankle sprain) missed last Saturday’s 27-0 victory over St. Louis. Polamalu (knee) did not practice until Friday but is expected to start.

• Miami running back Reggie Bush won’t play in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets because of an injured right knee. He has a team-high 1,086 rushing yards.

• The Green Bay Packers, who play Detroit on Sunday, will be without three key players on offense: running back James Starks (knee/ankle), receiver/kick returner Randall Cobb (groin) and receiver Greg Jennings (knee). Jennings has missed the past two games.

• Kicker Ryan Succop signed a $14 million, five-year extension with the Kansas City Chiefs.

• Kansas City quarterback Kyle Orton and about 20 other players, who weren’t identified by the plaintiffs’ attorney, are suing Chicago law firm Chuhak & Tecson for more than $10 million, claiming they received bad advice on investing in energy concerns.