IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are running out of running backs.

Felix Jones missed practice Tuesday because of hamstring tightness, leaving the NFC East-leading Cowboys with Sammy Morris and Chauncey Washington. Neither was even with an NFL team at Thanksgiving.

Coach Jason Garrett is hopeful that Jones will be able to practice this week and play in Saturday’s regular-season home finale against Philadelphia (7-7).

If not, Morris would be the likely starter a week after the 12-year NFL veteran was signed and made his season debut behind Jones with 12 carries for 53 yards against Tampa Bay.

“Sammy is the most logical choice, so he got a lot of the work (Tuesday), and we have another young back on our practice roster (Washington), so he’ll get a chance to do some of that too,” Garrett said. “That’s kind of the plan right now, but we’re hopeful that Felix will be able to practice as the week goes on.”

Garrett didn’t say which hamstring was bothering Jones, who wasn’t in the locker room when it was open to reporters.

“He feels good,” Garrett said. “He just had this little tightness in his hamstring, so we didn’t think it was a good idea to have him practice.”

But Jones being out of practice was a reminder of just how thin the playoff-chasing Cowboys (8-6) have become at running back.

Rookie DeMarco Murray, the team’s leading rusher with 897 yards, went on season-ending injured reserve last week after he broke his right ankle against the New York Giants. That came after Phillip Tanner, another rookie running back, had been put on injured reserve a week earlier with a hamstring injury.

Washington, whose only four NFL carries came as a rookie for Jacksonville in 2008, was signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad Nov. 30. He had been out of football since being cut by St. Louis during training camp on Aug. 4.

Morris was home in New England when he got a call last week from the Cowboys and Garrett, his former teammate and coach in Miami. Morris had been working out, but hadn’t played since being cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp after playing there the last four seasons.

“Everything is kind of getting reintroduced, first day out here at practice was just getting used to running around and cutting, I guess as far as like reacting to somebody to cut, then it was on game day actually putting on pads,” Morris said Tuesday. “The soreness was next, so I’ve got to work my way through it and get back out there.”

Asked what he expected his role to be if Jones isn’t able to go, Morris insisted it will be the same as last week in Tampa Bay.

“Help the team win. It’s not really complicated,” Morris said. “Whether it’s five carries, or 25, it’s help the team win.”

The 34-year-old Morris played in all 16 games for New England last season, but hasn’t started a game since 2009. He was primarily a backup at running back and fullback who contributed on special teams for the Patriots, like he has most of his career.

Morris discounted the thought of being fresh just because he wasn’t playing the first 13 games.

“Nah, the fresh legs went out the window like five years ago,” Morris said. “I’m really just trying to just make the most and do whatever I can to stay on top of the soreness, or tiredness, whatever it may be. … But there was just a general sense of something being new again.”

Especially considering that before the Cowboys called he was resigning himself to the thought that he had maybe played his last NFL game.

“It just shows you how fast things can change,” he said. “I thought my life was going in this direction and it ends up going in the other direction.”

Garrett and the Cowboys have certainly found out how quickly things can change.

With Murray’s emergence, the Cowboys were working to develop quite a 1-2 combo with the rookie and Jones.

They may play their next game with Morris and Washington.

“It’s part of the game, why there are so many running backs in this league,” said Washington, who shared time with Morris in practice Tuesday. “It’s a good opportunity, to get a rhythm with the first team. … It feels good, the coaches are putting back there just to step in, give Sammy some rest.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

IRVING, TEXAS The Dallas Cowboys are running out of running backs.

Felix Jones missed practice Tuesday because of hamstring tightness, leaving the NFC East-leading Cowboys with Sammy Morris and Chauncey Washington. Neither was even with an NFL team at Thanksgiving.

Coach Jason Garrett is hopeful Jones will be able to practise this week and play in Saturday’s regular-season home finale against Philadelphia (7-7).

If not, Morris would be the likely starter a week after the 12-year NFL veteran was signed and made his season debut behind Jones with 12 carries for 53 yards against Tampa Bay.

“Sammy is the most logical choice, so he got a lot of the work (Tuesday), and we have another young back on our practice roster (Washington), so he’ll get a chance to do some of that, too,” Garrett said. “That’s kind of the plan right now, but we’re hopeful that Felix will be able to practise as the week goes on.”

Garrett didn’t say which hamstring was bothering Jones, who wasn’t in the locker-room when it was open to reporters.

“He feels good,” Garrett said. “He just had this little tightness in his hamstring, so we didn’t think it was a good idea to have him practise.”

But Jones being out of practice was a reminder of just how thin the playoff-chasing Cowboys (8-6) have become at running back.

Rookie DeMarco Murray, the team’s leading rusher with 897 yards, went on season-ending injured reserve last week after he broke his right ankle against the New York Giants. That came after Phillip Tanner, another rookie running back, had been put on injured reserve a week earlier with a hamstring injury.

Washington, whose only four NFL carries came as a rookie for Jacksonville in 2008, was signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad Nov. 30. He had been out of football since being cut by St. Louis during training camp Aug. 4.

Morris was home in New England when he got a call last week from the Cowboys and Garrett, his former teammate and coach in Miami. Morris had been working out, but hadn’t played since being cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp after playing there the past four seasons.

“Everything is kind of getting reintroduced, first day out here at practice was just getting used to running around and cutting, I guess as far as like reacting to somebody to cut, then it was on game day actually putting on pads,” Morris said Tuesday. “The soreness was next, so I’ve got to work my way through it and get back out there.”

Asked what he expected his role to be if Jones isn’t able to go, Morris insisted it will be the same as last week in Tampa Bay.

“Help the team win. It’s not really complicated,” Morris said. “Whether it’s five carries, or 25, it’s help the team win.”

The 34-year-old Morris played in all 16 games for New England last season, but hasn’t started a game since 2009. He was primarily a backup at running back and fullback who contributed on special teams for the Patriots, like he has most of his career.

Morris discounted the thought of being fresh just because he wasn’t playing the first 13 games.

“Nah, the fresh legs went out the window like five years ago,” Morris said. “I’m really just trying to just make the most and do whatever I can to stay on top of the soreness, or tiredness, whatever it may be. … But there was just a general sense of something being new again.”

Especially considering that before the Cowboys called he was resigning himself to the thought he had maybe played his last NFL game.

“It just shows you how fast things can change,” he said. “I thought my life was going in this direction and it ends up going in the other direction.”

Garrett and the Cowboys have certainly found out how quickly things can change.

With Murray’s emergence, the Cowboys were working to develop quite a 1-2 combo with the rookie and Jones.

They may play their next game with Morris and Washington.

“It’s part of the game, why there are so many running backs in this league,” said Washington, who shared time with Morris in practice Tuesday. “It’s a good opportunity, to get a rhythm with the first team. … It feels good, the coaches are putting back there just to step in, give Sammy some rest.”

The Associated Press

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are running out of running backs.

Felix Jones missed practice Tuesday because of hamstring tightness, leaving the NFC East-leading Cowboys with Sammy Morris and Chauncey Washington. Neither was even with an NFL team at Thanksgiving.

Coach Jason Garrett is hopeful that Jones will be able to practice this week and play in Saturday’s regular-season home finale against Philadelphia (7-7).

If not, Morris would be the likely starter a week after the 12-year NFL veteran was signed and made his season debut behind Jones with 12 carries for 53 yards against Tampa Bay.

“Sammy is the most logical choice, so he got a lot of the work (Tuesday), and we have another young back on our practice roster (Washington), so he’ll get a chance to do some of that too,” Garrett said. “That’s kind of the plan right now, but we’re hopeful that Felix will be able to practice as the week goes on.”

Garrett didn’t say which hamstring was bothering Jones, who wasn’t in the locker room when it was open to reporters.

“He feels good,” Garrett said. “He just had this little tightness in his hamstring, so we didn’t think it was a good idea to have him practice.”

But Jones being out of practice was a reminder of just how thin the playoff-chasing Cowboys (8-6) have become at running back.

Rookie DeMarco Murray, the team’s leading rusher with 897 yards, went on season-ending injured reserve last week after he broke his right ankle against the New York Giants. That came after Phillip Tanner, another rookie running back, had been put on injured reserve a week earlier with a hamstring injury.

Washington, whose only four NFL carries came as a rookie for Jacksonville in 2008, was signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad Nov. 30. He had been out of football since being cut by St. Louis during training camp on Aug. 4.

Morris was home in New England when he got a call last week from the Cowboys and Garrett, his former teammate and coach in Miami. Morris had been working out, but hadn’t played since being cut by the Patriots at the end of training camp after playing there the last four seasons.

“Everything is kind of getting reintroduced, first day out here at practice was just getting used to running around and cutting, I guess as far as like reacting to somebody to cut, then it was on game day actually putting on pads,” Morris said Tuesday. “The soreness was next, so I’ve got to work my way through it and get back out there.”

Asked what he expected his role to be if Jones isn’t able to go, Morris insisted it will be the same as last week in Tampa Bay.

“Help the team win. It’s not really complicated,” Morris said. “Whether it’s five carries, or 25, it’s help the team win.”

The 34-year-old Morris played in all 16 games for New England last season, but hasn’t started a game since 2009. He was primarily a backup at running back and fullback who contributed on special teams for the Patriots, like he has most of his career.

Morris discounted the thought of being fresh just because he wasn’t playing the first 13 games.

“Nah, the fresh legs went out the window like five years ago,” Morris said. “I’m really just trying to just make the most and do whatever I can to stay on top of the soreness, or tiredness, whatever it may be. … But there was just a general sense of something being new again.”

Especially considering that before the Cowboys called he was resigning himself to the thought that he had maybe played his last NFL game.

“It just shows you how fast things can change,” he said. “I thought my life was going in this direction and it ends up going in the other direction.”

Garrett and the Cowboys have certainly found out how quickly things can change.

With Murray’s emergence, the Cowboys were working to develop quite a 1-2 combo with the rookie and Jones.

They may play their next game with Morris and Washington.

“It’s part of the game, why there are so many running backs in this league,” said Washington, who shared time with Morris in practice Tuesday. “It’s a good opportunity, to get a rhythm with the first team. … It feels good, the coaches are putting back there just to step in, give Sammy some rest.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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.

by Associated Press

kens5.com

Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:54 AM

Updated
today at 10:54 AM

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys came out with a sense of urgency, as though they had something to accomplish.

They wound up having a great weekend that put them back in first place in the NFC East.

“We just can’t let up,” receiver Dez Bryant said. “We know where we want to go and it don’t matter who comes in here, we’re going to keep the same intensity and just play hard and hopefully we can win out. … We just got to keep focusing and keep playing hard.”

Dallas (8-6) reclaimed the division lead by a game over the New York Giants with two to play. A week after winning at Cowboys Stadium, New York (7-7) lost at home Sunday to Washington, even though they knew the Cowboys had already won 31-15 at Tampa Bay the previous night.

“We really needed to get back on track,” said Romo, who threw three touchdowns and ran for another as the Cowboys took a 28-0 halftime lead against the Buccaneers.

Coach Jason Garrett spoke Sunday about how his team practiced well and with purpose all last week, and then played that way against Tampa Bay.

So what kind of added boost did the Cowboys get by the Giants losing?

“It doesn’t matter to us. What we are focused on is our football team,” Garrett said. “Again, processing this game (against Tampa) and going forward is the challenge we have this week against Philadelphia.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is that the Cowboys can clinch the division by winning their last two regular season games — or with a win next weekend in their home finale against Philadelphia combined with a Giants loss to the Jets. Dallas finishes the season on the road New Years’ Day against the Giants.

“We’ve got to get the wins. We’ve got to get in,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game in Tampa Bay. “Best way to do it is win this thing.”

While there is a clear-cut way to get to the playoffs, the Cowboys have already lost this season to both of the division foes that combined for 71 points and 1,005 total yards. That included a 34-7 loss against the Eagles at the end of October before Dallas swept through November with four consecutive wins.

Then came December, when the Cowboys lost in overtime at Arizona after rookie Dan Bailey’s apparent game-winning kick at the end of regulation was erased by Garrett’s timeout. They blew a 12-point lead over the final 5 1/2 minutes and lost 37-34 to the Giants after Bailey’s potential tying kick was blocked at the end of the game.

“It’s a big win for us (because) we know about the December woes,” tight end Jason Witten said. “The only way to put that behind you is to get a big win.”

So different than the gloomy feeling the past two weeks.

“We are a very confident team. … I don’t think we look at it as ‘Hey, we win two we get in.’ I think we just take it one day at a time, one week at a time,” Witten said. “Obviously, Philly got us good earlier in the year and they are coming to our place. It is going to be a tough challenge and that is where our focus is.”

Notes: Cowboys players had the day off Sunday, the first of consecutive days without practicing. They will return Tuesday to start preparing for another Saturday kickoff. … Dallas’ eighth victory guarantees a .500-or-better finish in the regular season for the 34th time in franchise history. … Bailey has made 32 field goals in 14 games. The only Cowboys kicker to make more field goals in a 14-game span was Richie Cunningham’s 33 in 1997. … Romo is only 105 yards shy of his third career 4,000-yard passing season.

The Dallas Cowboys have always struggled in the month of December. Since Tony Romo took over as starting quarterback, he always had the Cowboys in position to take the division leaving the month of November but fell in December, seemingly every year. With two losses already in December 2011, it looked like Dallas was repeating their misfortunes.

Week 15 offered a glimmer of shining light when Dallas broke their two-game losing streak with a solid win over the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-15.

However, Dallas did not get the win easily. Once again, they threatened to lose it in the second half.

Tony Romo continues to play fantastic ball, finishing with 249 yards and three touchdowns, while also running in the fourth Dallas touchdown of the game. He completed 23 of 30 for a 76-percent completion rate. He also went his third game without an interception, only throwing two over his last seven games.

He also spread the ball around. Dez Bryant finished with four receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown, Miles Austin caught five balls for 53 yards and a touchdown, Laurent Robinson grabbed three receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown and Jason Witten finished with four catches for 77 yards.

Felix Jones also proved to be a capable replacement for DeMarco Murray, with his second straight 100-yard game, finishing with 108 yards on the ground. In one of the biggest surprises of the game, Sammy Morris ran for 53 yards just a few days after signing with Dallas. Many of his carries were hard fought yards, picking up some key first downs for Dallas to put Tampa Bay away.

Josh Freeman was playing a horrible game till the fourth quarter. In the first half of play, Freeman completed two of four pass attempts for 14 yards. He finished the game 17-27 for 148 yards and a touchdown. However, he also fumbled and was sacked three times.

Dallas, who went into halftime with a 28-0 lead, fumbled the ball in the third quarter, allowing the Buccaneers’ Dekoda Watson to return it for the score. When the third quarter ended, Freeman threw his touchdown to Dezmon Briscoea and then threw a successful two-point conversion pass to Kellen Winslow, making the score 31-15.

Luckily for Dallas, the fourth quarter went scoreless for both teams and the Cowboys held on for the win. That good news, and glimmer of hope, turned into jubilation the next day when the New York Giants fell to the Washington Redskins. This guarantees the Cowboys win the NFC East with only one more win, or another Giants’ loss.

From the brink of disaster to the light at the end of the tunnel, the Dallas season rolls on.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000), where he covered the Sooners national championship season as a student journalist.

Source: dallascowboys.com

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

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys came out with a sense of urgency, as though
they had something to accomplish.

They wound up having a great weekend that put them back in first place in
the NFC East.

“We just can’t let up,” receiver Dez Bryant said. “We know where we want
to go and it don’t matter who comes in here, we’re going to keep the same
intensity and just play hard and hopefully we can win out. … We just got to
keep focusing and keep playing hard.”

Dallas (8-6) reclaimed the division lead by a game over the New York Giants
with two to play. A week after winning at Cowboys Stadium, New York (7-7) lost
at home Sunday to Washington knowing the Cowboys had already won 31-15 at Tampa
Bay the previous night.

“We really needed to get back on track,” said Romo, who threw three
touchdowns and ran for another as the Cowboys took a 28-0 halftime lead against
the Buccaneers.

Coach Jason Garrett spoke Sunday about how his team practiced well and with
purpose all last week, and then played that way against Tampa Bay.

So what kind of added boost did the Cowboys get by the Giants losing?

“It doesn’t matter to us. What we are focused on is our football team,”
Garrett said. “Again, processing this game (against Tampa) and going forward is
the challenge we have this week against Philadelphia.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is that the Cowboys can clinch the division by
winning their last two regular season games—or with a win next weekend in
their home finale against Philadelphia combined with a Giants loss to the Jets.
Dallas finishes the season on the road New Years’ Day against the Giants.

“We’ve got to get the wins. We’ve got to get in,” Cowboys owner Jerry
Jones said after the game in Tampa Bay. “Best way to do it is win this thing.”

While there is a clear-cut way to get to the playoffs, the Cowboys have
already lost this season to both of the division foes that combined for 71
points and 1,005 total yards. That included a 34-7 loss against the Eagles at
the end of October before Dallas swept through November with four consecutive
wins.

Then came December, when the Cowboys lost in overtime at Arizona after
rookie Dan Bailey’s apparent game-winning kick at the end of regulation was
erased by Garrett’s timeout. They blew a 12-point lead over the final 5 1/2
minutes and lost 37-34 to the Giants after Bailey’s potential tying kick was
blocked at the end of the game.

“It’s a big win for us (because) we know about the December woes,” tight
end Jason Witten said. “The only way to put that behind you is to get a big
win.”

So different than the gloomy feeling the past two weeks.

“We are a very confident team. … I don’t think we look at it as `Hey, we
win two we get in.’ I think we just take it one day at a time, one week at a
time,” Witten said. “Obviously, Philly got us good earlier in the year and
they are coming to our place. It is going to be a tough challenge and that is
where our focus is.”

Notes: Cowboys players had the day off Sunday, the first of consecutive days
without practicing. They will return Tuesday to start preparing for another
Saturday kickoff. … Dallas’ eighth victory guarantees a .500-or-better finish
in the regular season for the 34th time in franchise history. … Bailey has
made 32 field goals in 14 games. The only Cowboys kicker to make more field
goals in a 14-game span was Richie Cunningham’s 33 in 1997. … Romo is only 105
yards shy of his third career 4,000-yard passing season.

TAMPA, Fla. –

Tony Romo made it look easy, shredding Tampa Bay’s secondary at will and helping the Dallas Cowboys get back on track in the NFC East.

“This was an important game,” Romo said after throwing for three touchdowns and running for a fourth first-half score Saturday night to lead the first-place Cowboys to a 31-15 rout of the struggling Buccaneers.

“Really the playoffs started for us; that’s the way we approached it. Guys came out with great energy and it was a great week of practice. We just had to go forward.”

Dallas stopped a two-game losing streak in which it blew fourth-quarter leads to allow a seemingly solid grip on the division lead slip away.

The victory gave the Cowboys (8-6) a half-game lead over New York. Although the Giants hold a tiebreaker advantage after beating Dallas 37-34 last week, the Cowboys can claim the division title and host a playoff game by finishing with wins the next two weeks over Philadelphia at home and the Giants on the road.

“I think it showed our character, our resolve, what we’re made of,” Dallas linebacker Keith Brooking said. “It was obviously doom and gloom around Valley Ranch for the past couple of weeks — kind of the world was caving in on us. But we just kept fighting and kept plugging away, and we still control our own destiny.”

The Bucs (4-10), meanwhile, lost for the eighth straight time and played a miserable first half that certainly didn’t do anything to help coach Raheem Morris make a case for keeping his job.

Romo threw a pair of 8-yard TD passes to Miles Austin and Dez Bryant in the first quarter, then finished a seven-play, 89-yard drive with a 9-yarder to Laurent Robinson to make it 21-0 with just under 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Romo increased the lead to 28 points on a quarterback sneak in the closing seconds of the opening half.

“I thought he just had a good feel for what we were doing against what they were doing,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “I thought he got back quickly and got the ball out of his hands, and when he had to move and make plays, he was able to do that too. He made a lot of big plays and not many bad plays.”

Tampa Bay managed just one first down and was outgained 279 yards to 55 in the first two quarters, yet found a way to make it more interesting in the second half.

The Bucs, who had yielded 69 consecutive points dating to the second quarter of the previous week’s 41-14 loss at Jacksonville, finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter when rookie Adrian Clayborn sacked Romo from behind, forcing a fumble that linebacker Dekoda Watson returned 4 yards for a TD for a much-needed spark.

Josh Freeman’s 13-yard TD pass to Dezmon Briscoe and a two-point conversion throw to Kellen Winslow cut it to 31-15 heading into the final quarter.

The Cowboys have led in the fourth quarter in five of their six losses, however there wouldn’t be a late collapse this time. Tampa Bay turned the ball over on downs twice in the last 6 minutes, and Sammy Morris picked up a first down inside the Bucs 10 to give the Cowboys an opportunity to run out the clock.

“Too little, too late,” Morris said about Tampa Bay’s comeback. “Not enough … at the beginning. You can’t dig holes like that for yourself.”

Austin’s TD midway through the first quarter was set up by Tampa Bay’s NFL-leading 32nd turnover, a fumble by Freeman on the fifth play of the game.

The Tampa Bay quarterback scrambled 25 yards on third-and-5 to march the Bucs near midfield, but the opening possession of the night came to an abrupt halt on the next play when Freeman took off again for a 7-yard gain and was stripped of the ball at the Cowboys 44.

Linebacker Bradie James recovered and it took Romo seven plays to get Dallas in the end zone for the first time. The Cowboys marched 69 yards in 10 plays on their next possession, with Romo finishing the drive by finding a wide-open Bryant in the back of the end zone to make it 14-0.

In three career games against Tampa Bay — all lopsided victories — Romo has thrown for 908 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. He was 23 of 30 for 249 yards and was sacked twice Saturday night.

“I was just finding guys who were open and the guys do the rest,” Romo said. “I thought the offense played good as a whole.”

Felix Jones, back in the starting lineup after DeMarco Murray broke his right ankle last week in a 37-34 loss to the Giants, broke a 38-yard run on the drive leading to Robinson’s TD and finished with 108 yards on 22 carries — his second straight 100-yard performance had 67 yards rushing on 12 carries at halftime.

TAMPA — After a pair of excruciating last-second losses, the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night found the perfect remedy for their ailing playoff hopes.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Nothing like 60 minutes of football against arguably the NFL’s worst team to get back on their feet — and just in time for must-win contests against the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants that will determine their postseason fate.

This time, the Cowboys made sure they couldn’t gave away any late lead by building a 28-0 advantage by halftime and closing with a 31-15 victory over hapless Tampa Bay before a rare sellout crowd of 65,162 at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bucs showed a brief pulse in the third quarter, but the game was nowhere as close as the final score suggested. Put it this way: By halftime, the Cowboys held an advantage in first downs of 19-1 and an edge in total yards of 279-55.

And Dallas quarterback Tony Romo had directed four touchdown drives in the first five possessions, throwing scoring strikes to three different receivers (Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson) and plunging in on a 1-yard sneak for the other.

When it was all over, Tampa Bay had lost its eighth straight game to fall to 4-10 — a humiliating defeat in a game the Bucs had hoped to play the spoiler role and salvage some respect in a game televised nationally on the NFL Network.

Instead, they stumbled to a third straight lopsided loss (outscored 110-48 in their last three outings) that won’t do anything to help head coach Raheem Morris’ shaky job status.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, got exactly the kind of confidence-boosting victory they needed with a home game coming up Saturday against the Eagles, a team that routed them 34-7 Oct. 30 in Philadelphia.

Dallas raised its record to 8-6, a half game ahead of the Giants — for the moment — atop the NFC East. But New York hosts the struggling Washington Redskins (4-9) on Sunday and can move back into first place with a win.

That means Dallas will likely need to beat Philadelphia and beat the Giants on the road in the regular-season finale Jan. 1 to assure itself of a playoff berth.

“We really needed to get back on track, and this was an important game,” Romo said.

“Really, the playoffs (have) started for us, and that’s the way we approached it. The guys came out with great energy, and it was a great week of practice. We just had to go forward, and I thought the guys did that.”

Tailback Felix Jones certainly did, moving back into the starting role following the fractured ankle that sidelined rookie DeMarco Murray last week in the 37-34 loss to New York. Jones powered the running game with 108 yards on 22 carries, and newly added Sammie Morris bolstered the attack with 53 yards on 12 rushes.

But nobody did more than Romo, who completed 23 of 30 passes for 249 yards, with three touchdown passes and a hand in all four TDS, plus a stellar quarterback rating of 133.9.

“Offensively, we’ve been doing some good things,” he said. “I think we’re just going to continue to keep doing some of the stuff, and I think we’ll figure it out a little bit. We’re healthy. This is the healthiest we’ve been this year as an offensive unit. If we continue to have that, it will help a lot.”

Dallas’ defense did plenty to help the cause as well, overwhelming Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman and holding the Bucs offense to only seven first downs (compared to 28 for the Cowboys) and only 190 yards of offense.

Freeman completed 17 of 27 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked three times and forced into a costly fumble that undercut a promising opening drive. In addition, the Dallas defensive unit shut down Tampa Bay tailback LeGarrette Blount, holding him to 21 yards on nine carries. With no running game to speak of, the Bucs’ passing game was doomed.

“I thought our defense played really, really well throughout the ball game,” said Dallas head coach Jason Garrett.

“When you get into the second half, you get into more of managing, dealing with the clock as much as you’re dealing with anything else. So they were spreading us out and they were able to complete the passes and move the ball a little bit more than they had been able to do in the first half. I thought they (the defense) came out and played really lights-out in the first half and then handled the situation in the second half really well.”

The Bucs defense lost standout cornerback Aqib Talib in the first quarter after he aggravated a hamstring injury that had sidelined him in last week’s 41-14 loss to Jacksonville. But Talib would not have made a difference on this night.

“Obviously too little, too late,” he said. “Not enough in the beginning. You can’t dig holes like that for yourself, and you can’t play that way on third down (5-for-12 for 42 percent).

“We’ve got to play better in the red zone on defense especially. In that first half, we’ve got to figure it out a little bit faster, shake those jitters, come out and play like the way we did in the second half on defense and play consistently the whole game. Until we do that, we won’t win football games.”

Indeed, it didn’t take long for the Bucs to establish their familiar dreary, self-destructive style of play.

They started off with a little tease, with Freeman scrambling 25 yards on the third offensive play of the game to produce a first down at his 49. But on the next play, he took off running again and wound up losing the football when Dallas linebacker Anthony Spencer punched it loose. The fumble was recovered by linebacker Bradie James, and the Cowboys were suddenly in business at their 44.

They quickly took care of it.

Romo moved his offense down the field with ease, hitting all four of his passes for 40 yards on a seven-play scoring drive. He capped it with an eight-yard touchdown strike to Austin on third and goal from the 8 — a play that was remarkable for the enormous amount of time the elusive quarterback had to find an open man. He even bumped into one of his own lineman while darting around and still faced no defensive pressure, finally allowing Austin to slip loose at the goal line and make the catch with 8:57 to go in the first quarter.

But that was only a sneak peek of what was to come.

After stopping the Bucs cold on their next series — keyed by a third-and-1 stuff of Blount at his 29 — the Cowboys went right back to work. Romo’s 28-yard completion to tight end JasonWitten produced a first down at the Tampa Bay 41. And seven plays later, he found a wide-open Bryant in the back of the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown to help make it 14-0 with 25 seconds left in the quarter.

The Bucs’ defense couldn’t have looked more disorganized, even getting flagged for 12 men on the field at one point in the drive. Somehow, it summed up the miserable state of affairs for Tampa Bay perfectly.

And it only got worse from there for Tampa Bay. After two straight three-and-outs for the Bucs offense, Romo engineered a seven-play, 89-yard scoring drive — aided by a tripping penalty on Bucs’ nose tackle Roy Miller and a tackle-breaking, 38-yard scamper by Jones. The clincher came on third and 5 from Tampa Bay’s 9, when Romo once again connected with one of his receivers completely alone in the back of the end zone, this time Robinson. With 4:51 left in the half, it was officially another blowout at 21-0.

But the Cowboys weren’t content with a mere three-touchdown advantage. They got back the ball at their 38 with just under three minutes remaining, and Romo proceeded to complete his next five passes to reach the Bucs 4. And two plays later, he did the honors himself, sneaking in from the 1 to help make it 28-0 with 22 seconds on the clock.

The Bucs finally gave their fans something to cheer about in a crowd that featured a heavy contingent of Cowboys faithful. Moments into the third quarter, Dallas found itself facing a third and 19 from its 11. Romo dropped back to pass and was sacked by rookie defensive Adrian Clayborn, who stripped the ball loose. Linebacker Dekoda Watson scooped it up at the Cowboys 7 and plowed into the end zone for the touchdown. Connor Barth’s PAT made it 21-7 with 13:19 remaining in the quarter and the Bucs had the emotional lift they desperately needed.

The Cowboys threatened to douse the celebration when Romo moved his offense from its 20 to the Tampa Bay 12 on the ensuing drive. But the Bucs defense tightened up, forcing Dallas to settle for a 30-yard Bailey field goal and a 31-7 lead with 6:43 left in the third quarter. Then things got interesting.

After getting sacked for six yards back to his 19, Freeman bounced back and orchestrated a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with his third-down, 13-yard touchdown to Dezmon Briscoe. And following his two-point conversion pass to tight end Kellen Winslow, the Bucs had a veritable pulse, trailing 31-15 with 32 seconds still left in the quarter.

But the Bucs couldn’t get anything else going against Dallas’ defense, and the Cowboys headed for the locker room with a win that put a big smile on the face of owner Jerry Jones, who quickly turned his thoughts to next Saturday in Dallas.

“I have such respect for the Eagles, especially after the loss we had in Philadelphia,” he said in a corner of his team’s locker room.

“I have respect for them when they have (Michael) Vick at quarterback, and they’ve got him. We’ve got to figure out a way to defend him in the areas we’ve been challenged. … Now that they have Vick back, it’s the fifth quarter. It’s the sixth quarter. The only thing is, we have a chance to start back at zero. We have our hands full in a big way.”

December 15, 2011 – United Football League (UFL)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – Thursday, December 15, 2011 – Quarterback CHRIS GREISEN, who led the Virginia Destroyers to victory in the 2011 United Football League Championship Game, has rejoined the Dallas Cowboys.

Greisen, who also reached the 2010 UFL Championship Game as the starting quarterback for the Florida Tuskers, spent time on the Cowboys roster during the 2010 season and has signed to the NFL club’s practice squad following a season-ending injury to Jon Kitna.

“It’s always cool when an NFL team calls you up and says we want you to play for our team,” Greisen told his hometown Green Bay Press Gazette. “It’s the highest level of football, and one of the marquee franchises in the league.”

Greisen completed 61 of 87 pass attempts for 695 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in four games for the Virginia Destroyers in 2011. In the 17-3 Championship Game victory over the Las Vegas Locos he completed 21 of 31 passes for 154 yards.

“Chris Greisen has all the qualities that are important to a team, especially leadership,” said Destroyers head coach MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER. “Chris has an instinct for the game that jumped right out at me.”

Prior to signing with the Cowboys on December 27, 2010, he connected on 58 of 84 pass attempts for 664 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions for the Florida Tuskers. Having won the starting job under center, he passed for 346 yards and rushed for two touchdowns in a 23-20 defeat to the Las Vegas Locos in the 2010 UFL Championship Game.

Greisen joins JOSH MCCOWN (Chicago Bears / Hartford Colonials 2010), RICHARD BARTEL (Arizona Cardinals / Sacramento Mountain Lions 2010), JEFF GARCIA (Houston Texans / Omaha Nighthawks 2010) and 2009 UFL Championship Game winner J.P. LOSMAN (Miami Dolphins / Las Vegas Locos 2009) among former UFL quarterbacks currently with NFL clubs.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

“It was a big win, no doubt,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said after throwing for 400 yards and two touchdowns. “We’re excited. It’s been a while since we’ve had that winning feeling.”

The Cowboys led, 34-22, with just less than six minutes to play after quarterback Tony Romo’s 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dez Bryant. But the Giants got an eight-yard touchdown pass from Manning to tight end Jake Ballard with a little more than three minutes remaining. They got the ball back and drove to tailback Brandon Jacobs’s one-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds to go, and added a two-point conversion.

Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with one second left. The Giants called a timeout just before Bailey made the kick on his first try, then Jason Pierre-Paul blocked the ensuing attempt that counted.

“It wasn’t easy, obviously,” Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said. “Gosh, there’s plays out there you just shake your head.”

Manning also connected with wide receiver Mario Manningham for a third-quarter touchdown pass. He threw what appeared, at the time, to be a costly fourth-quarter interception to linebacker Sean Lee, just before Romo’s touchdown pass to Bryant. But the Giants persevered for their first victory in more than a month.

“We were just clicking,” Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz said. “We understood what we had to do. We understood we had to get down there and get down there fast, and that’s what we did.”

Manning added to what has been a superb season for him, although it largely has been overshadowed by the potential record-breaking exploits of other quarterbacks like Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, New England’s Tom Brady and Drew Brees of New Orleans.

“He was really upset over the interception,” Coughlin said. “But he comes right back. He made some great plays coming down the stretch.”

Said Jacobs, who also had a first-half touchdown run: “If you ask me, he’s the best in the business when we have our backs to the wall and we need a score.”

The defeat was particularly painful for the Cowboys, who lost rookie tailback DeMarco Murray to a season-ending ankle injury suffered on a first-quarter carry. The team announced that Murray suffered a fractured right ankle and a high ankle sprain, and Coach Jason Garrett said after the game that he doesn’t expect Murray to play again this season.

Felix Jones filled in capably at running back and Romo threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers. But it wasn’t enough for the Cowboys.

“I just think you have to keep going,” Garrett said. “We’ve won probably four or five games this way, too.”

For years, the Dallas Cowboys have tried to debunk the perception that they crater in clutch situations — either late in the games or in December when it matters the most.

After the shocking events before an NFL season-high crowd of 95,952 at Cowboys Stadium, there is little doubt about their problems in crunch time.

Sunday’s fourth-quarter collapse in a 37-34 loss to the New York Giants can only be described as a meltdown in what the team admitted was the season’s biggest game.

The game ended when kicker Dan Bailey’s 47-yard field goal-attempt was blocked by Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.

This was a methodical meltdown that has the Cowboys (7-6) riding a two-game losing streak in December, tied with the Giants (7-6) for first place in the NFC East and possibly needing help to make the playoffs with three games to go.

“Hats off to the Giants,” said a terse owner Jerry Jones in a brief statement before walking way. “They didn’t quit. They were able to come back and played well and got the win. We are disappointed and we certainly know we have our work cut out for us.”

Leading 34-22 with 5 minutes, 41 seconds left in the game, the Cowboys watched Giants quarterback Eli Manning throw a touchdown pass of 8 yards to tight end Jake Ballard at the 2:21 mark.

Then Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo — who had seemingly been perfect all night with four touchdowns passes, including two in the fourth quarter to put his team up by 12 — missed a wide-open Miles Austin on a key third down.

A 35-yard punt by Mat McBriar gave the Giants the ball at their 40.

Manning, who completed 27 of 47 passes for 400 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, moved the Giants right down the field.

He was aided by two penalties on the Cowboys, who had made plays earlier in the quarter to help spark their own rally from a 22-20 deficit. Now, they were in their own version of a meltdown, thanks to an offside flag on linebacker DeMarcus Ware to open the drive and defensive-holding flag on cornerback Frank Walker.

An 18-yard pass from Manning to Ballard gave the Giants a first down at the 1, setting up a touchdown run from Brandon Jacobs. D.J. Ware’s run for the 2-point conversion gave the Giants a 37-34 lead with 46 seconds left.

The Cowboys set themselves up to put the game in overtime when Romo hit Austin with passes of 22 and 23 yards, setting up the final try by Bailey, who had made kicks from 49 yards out earlier in the game.

But a week after Cowboys coach Jason Garrett called a timeout and iced Bailey, resulting in a miss at the end of regulation of a 20-19 overtime loss to Cardinals, the Giants called time out to ice Bailey. It nullified the first field goal he made.

The second try was blocked by Pierre-Paul.

Thus, a Cowboys team that could have come into this game with a two-game lead on the Giants before ending a four-game November win streak with a controversial loss to the Cardinals, has now lost again, raising renewed questions about their ability to perform when it matters most.

Romo, who completed 21 of 31passes for 321 yards with the four touchdowns and no interceptions, is 7-12 all time in December.

This was also the fifth time this season that the Cowboys have blown a fourth-quarter lead, joining losses to the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, and Cardinals.

“Anytime you are that in position you feel you need one or two plays,” Romo said of the missed big play opportunity to Austin that gave the Giants final life. “This was a very disappointing loss.”

The Cowboys had three fourth-quarter penalties to nullify what was a fantastic start to the period, especially for the defense which had a big third-down stop by nose tackle Jay Ratliff and an interception by linebacker Sean Lee to set up Romo touchdown passes of 6 yards to Miles Austin and 50 yards to Dez Bryant.

The Dallas defense gave up 501 yards, including 101 yards rushing to Brandon Jacobs.

Sunday night provided an amazing game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys that featured multiple lead changes, a heart-stopping finish, and a huge collapse by the Cowboys as the Giants prevailed, 37-34.

The two teams combined for over 950 yards of offense and 71 points, and each side gave up an embarrassing touchdown on completely blown pass coverage. What struck me, though, as I watched the last 5:41 of the game was how the Cowboys repeatedly shot themselves in the foot.

After an incredible interception and return by linebacker Sean Lee, Dallas took a 34-22 lead with 5:41 left when Tony Romo hit a wide open—and I mean wide open—Dez Bryant for a 50-yard touchdown strike on a play in which the nearest Giants defender was somewhere in Fort Worth. The Cowboys appeared to be on the verge of taking a two-game lead in the NFC East with three weeks to go.

But then something went terribly wrong. The Cowboys couldn’t get out of their own way.

Lousy Pass Defense

Eli Manning kept hitting Victor Cruz for considerable chunks of yardage, including a 23-yard gain on 3rd and 1. When the Cowboys finally contained Cruz, Hakeem Nicks caught one over his head and tiptoed out of bounds at the 8-yard-line for a gain of 23 yards. With 3:14 left, Manning found Jake Ballard for the touchdown.

You could see it in the Cowboys’ faces and body language. Having blown large leads twice previously this season, Dallas players and fans feared the worst, and it turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

On the ensuing drive, Dallas ran a couple of clock-killing plays on the legs of Felix Jones, and then on 3rd down, Romo missed a wide open Miles Austin on a play that would likely have sealed the game. Austin had beaten his defender and had no one between him and the end zone, but Romo overthrew him. Not only did it become 4th down, but the incompletion also stopped the clock and saved the Giants a timeout.

Back-Breaking Penalties

After a less-than-impressive punt by Mat McBriar, the Giants set up on their own 42-yard-line with 2:12 left. Manning immediately found Ballard for a 21-yard gain, but on the next play, Manning was not on the same page as his center, and the snap came too early and too high. The ball bounced around the field before it was finally recovered by the Giants, but for a huge loss.

Except that there was a flag on the play. DeMarcus Ware had lined up in the neutral zone. Instead of a big loss, the Giants had the ball 1st-and-5 on the Cowboys’ 32-yard-line.

After Mario Manningham dropped a perfectly placed throw by Manning in the end zone, the Cowboys forced an incompletion that set up a 3rd-and-10 for the Giants.

Except that there was another flag. Defensive holding. Automatic first down.

Another big pass to Ballard took the ball to the 1-yard-line where Brandon Jacobs pounded it in for a touchdown. D.J. Ware weaved his way through Dallas defenders for a two-point conversion, and the Giants had suddenly taken a three-point lead with :46 left to play.

Mind Games and Poor Blocking

When Dallas got the ball back, Romo found Austin on a couple of long passes and set rookie kicker Dan Bailey up for a 47-yard field goal attempt to send the game into overtime. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin played it perfectly, though, calling timeout a fraction of a second before Dallas snapped the ball.

Bailey’s kick was true, but it didn’t count. Just like in last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Bailey was iced—only this time, by the opposing coach instead of his own.

After the timeout, the Cowboys lined up to try the field goal again, but Jason Pierre-Paul burst through the center of the line, got his arm up, and blocked the kick. Game over. Cowboys choke again.

Don’t Blame Romo

It may be tempting for Cowboys fans to blame Romo for another 4th quarter collapse, but this one isn’t on him.

True, he missed a wide open Austin on one play. But he also got the Cowboys into field goal range to force overtime. Romo wasn’t out there getting torched on defense, nor was he the one committing two back-breaking penalties at the worst possible time. It wasn’t Romo who failed to block Pierre-Paul on the second field goal attempt. In fact, Romo went 21-of-31 for 321 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions. That’s normally a game-winning performance.

For the defensive wizard that Rob Ryan is supposed to be, that unit is not very good. The Giants had 510 yards of offense and scored 37 points, and at the worst possible time, the Dallas D imploded.

If fans want to direct their wrath at someone, aim it at the defense.

The author is a Featured Contributor in Sports for Yahoo! Contributor Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @RedZoneWriting and on Facebook.

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