IRVING, Texas (AP) — Considering how poorly the St. Louis Rams have been at stopping the run, getting to play them on Sunday looks like a great chance for the Dallas Cowboys to finally get their ground game going.

Only, in keeping with the way things have gone for Dallas this season, it’s not that simple.

The Cowboys are expected to plug two new starters into their offense Sunday. Leading rusher Felix Jones has a high ankle sprain and rookie DeMarco Murray likely will take his place. Probably blocking for him at left guard will be Montrae Holland, a veteran who was unemployed the first six weeks of the season and was signed Tuesday to fill a void caused by injuries.

Even at full strength, Dallas had one of the league’s worst running games, averaging only 84.8 yards per game. A per-carry average of 3.4 yards is even closer to the bottom of the rankings.

This problems has really stood out when trying to grind out yards close to the end zone.

Dallas has a single rushing touchdown through five games. Only Kansas City has less. That inability to finish drives explains why the Cowboys are tied for the most field-goal attempts in the league.

One more key stat that helps frame all this: Dallas has made five more field goals than extra points; the only other team with such an out-of-whack ratio is winless Miami. This inefficiency is especially jarring for the Cowboys seeing as their three losses are all by four points or less.

“If we want to be the team that our expectations are, we have to be able to get our running game going,” tight end Jason Witten said Wednesday. “We’ve done it a few times, just not as consistently as we need to.”

Running against St. Louis should help.

The Rams are allowing 163 yards per game, several first downs more than anyone else in the league. Break it down per carry and their average of 4.9 yards allowed is nearly the worst.

“It’s not real fun when you struggle in that department defensively because we firmly believe it has to begin up front,” said St. Louis coach Steve Spanuolo, whose background is rooted on defense. “The one thing you always know is that if you commit too many against the run, especially against this team we’re getting ready to play, they’ve got guys on the outside that will kill you. So you’ve always got to weigh the options of what you try to take away.”

If that’s a hint that the Rams are more worried about keeping Tony Romo from throwing to Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Witten, then it’s even more of a burden for the Cowboys to get their running game going.

Not that coach Jason Garrett needs a reminder. He got ample evidence last Sunday, when Dallas tried burning up the clock while trying to protect a three-point lead in the final minutes against New England, yet moved backward on three plays and punted, setting up Tom Brady for a winning drive.

Jones was already hurt by then, so it was Murray and third-down back Tashard Choice who couldn’t move the chains.

But Garrett believes in Murray, a third-round pick out of Oklahoma.

He’s relatively similar to Jones in stature and speed. The difference is experience. After the lockout, he missed most of training camp with an injury. He’s played in all five games, producing 71 yards on 24 carries. His longest run is just eight yards. He’s also caught four passes for 23 yards, with a best of 13 yards.

Garrett said Murray seemed to find more of a rhythm against the Patriots.

“It was the first time I think we’ve seen in the regular season where he started to feel like himself,” Garrett said. “A lot of times runners just need to get a little sweat, they need to get a little feel for playing, they need to get knocked around a little bit and then they start getting into the mode where they feel comfortable in seeing things and making the cuts they need to make. I think we saw some of that.”

Murray agreed, saying he was finally at the point where he could react rather than having to think about what to do, then do it.

“I’m going out there and trusting my ability, trusting my technique and having fun,” he said.

Murray said Jones is a more patient runner than he is, meaning that he’s able to wait for holes to open then dart toward them. Murray has a good excuse for his impatience, having often had enormous holes to run through with the Sooners.

That gets back to the questions about Dallas’ offensive line, which could be more to blame for the woeful stats than the running backs.

Left tackle Doug Free is the only starter in the same spot as last year. The only other holdover from last season is guard Kyle Kosier, and he’s switched sides, now lining up next to rookie tackle Tyron Smith. They’re breaking in a first-time starter at center, Phil Costa, and then there’s the revolving door at left guard, with Holland likely to be the third starter in six games.

“There’s growing pains,” Garrett said. “I think our team has responded well up front to the different challenges they’ve had up to this point. They can get better individually, they can get better collectively. But that’s everybody on our football team.”

Notes: A day after dropping WR Dwayne Harris, the Cowboys brought him back to the practice squad. The vacancy was created by Jacksonville signing TE Martin Rucker. … Harris was the primary punt returner. Garrett said WR Kevin Ogletree, CB Terence Newman and WR Dez Bryant will be options to take his place.

IRVING, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are not getting the ball to Dez Bryant in the second half of games.

Part of the reason is the Cowboys are encouraging Tony Romo to make quick decisions in the red zone, and on Sunday, he was also on the move in the pocket.

“We actually have a few opportunities for Dez in those situations if you go back and watch the tape,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday, following the Cowboys’ 20-16 loss on Sunday at the New England Patriots [team stats].

Bryant caught four passes in the first half but none in the second, targeted only twice.

In a third-quarter trip to the red zone, the Cowboys passed to Martellus Bennett, ran DeMarco Murray, ran Tashard Choice, passed incomplete to Murray, took a sack and threw a screen to Choice before kicking a field goal for a 13-13 tie.

In the fourth quarter, from the New England 10-yard line, the Cowboys passed to Bennett once and Choice twice. None of the throws went to the end zone or to Bryant, and the Cowboys kicked a field goal for a 16-13 lead.

“One of the things we preach to Tony is, ’Hey, make a decision and cut loose and let’s get going,’.” Garrett said. “He understands that situation, those plays, those opportunities and he had to move in the pocket a little bit. He had to find some space.

“We certainly understand the importance and the value of Dez and also Miles Austin, Jason Witten — there are a lot weapons we’d like to get the ball to down there. Sometimes you’re able to do that. Sometimes you’re not.” Guard options Jason Garrett said the Cowboys will investigate all possibilities in finding a guard to replace Bill Nagy, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle.

Undrafted rookie Kevin Kowalski replaced him for nine snaps on Sunday against the Patriots. The Cowboys’ other options are Derrick Dockery, a nine-year veteran who is still out with a fractured tibia and knee sprain, and fourth-round pick David Arkin, who has not been active for any of the games this season.

Phil Costa, who started one game at left guard last season, could be an option, but he has started every game at center this year.

“You don’t want to move too many people around if you don’t have to,” Garrett said.

Buehler kicking David Buehler, out since the second game with a strained right groin, said he’s close to being back.

Dan Bailey has made 14 consecutive field goals, but he did not have a touchback, reaching the 3-yard line twice, the 6-yard line once and the goal line twice on kickoffs.

BRIEFLY

_ Defensive end Jason Hatcher said he’s going to test his calf today with drills, including change of direction. “If I do good in that, I’ll be back this week,” he said.

_ Linebacker Bruce Carter and kicker Kai Forbath can begin practicing this week. Dallas has three weeks to bring them off the reserve/non-football injury list.

By JAIME ARON
IRVING, Texas — Cowboys coach Jason Garrett dared Tom Brady to beat him, and the three-time Super Bowl winner did.

Given a day to think about it, Garrett stuck by his decision to run three times to try milking the clock with a three-point lead despite his top running back and left guard being on the sideline with injuries.

The Cowboys weren’t able to get a first down — in fact, they moved backward — and wound up giving Brady the ball with enough time to pull off the 32nd fourth-quarter rally of his career. A defense that had done a great job against Brady and Wes Welker the first 57 minutes finally got picked apart, giving up a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is among those who’ve criticized Garrett for being too conservative against New England. Funny thing is, it comes one game after Jones was among those who questioned why Garrett wasn’t more conservative about protecting a 24-point lead in a loss to Detroit.

Jones and Garrett have discussed it all, of course. Garrett called it “a good conversation.”

“I think everyone is well intended,” Garrett said Monday. “Everybody is passionate about it and when you lose a ballgame like that sometimes things are said and you’ve just got to kind of understand what the environment is, process it and move on. We all went up there and we swung the bat hard against New England. … We came out on the short end of it. We’ve got to somehow process that and go forward. We have a great challenge this week against St. Louis.”

Perhaps Garrett wasn’t second-guessing himself because he expected his players to be able to get the first downs needed to either run out the clock or at least give Brady less time to try pulling off the comeback. He certainly hinted as much.

“We work these situations over and over and over again, in hopes that when we get in those situations, we can execute ball plays to allow us to win,” Garrett said. “At the end of this thing it comes down to execution, and we have to be able to block them, we have to be able to run, we have to be able to throw and catch, we have to be able to tackle, we have to be able to catch the ball on defense, make a play. And as coaches, what we’re trying to do is put our players in a position to do that as well as we can.”

Garrett mentioned several times about coaches trying to put players in position to succeed, and players needing to execute.

However, there were other questions about whether the best players were put in position to succeed.

For instance, Dallas had two second-half possessions within 20 yards of the New England end zone. Tony Romo threw to running backs DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice, and backup tight end Martellus Bennett, yet never to Dez Bryant, Miles Austin or Jason Witten. The Cowboys settled for field goals both times.

“There are a lot weapons we’d like to get the ball to down there,” Garrett said. “Sometimes you’re able to do that. Sometimes you’re not. You just got to move on and find the best option to execute the play and give yourself a chance to score points. … The positive thing is we did come away from each of those drives with field goals to put us ahead in the ballgame. We felt like those were important things to do. We thought Tony managed those situations well.”

Bryant disappeared in the second half entirely, not getting a single pass thrown his way. He appeared to have single coverage on a third-down play that ended up being a shovel pass to Choice that went nowhere, but was followed by the field goal that put Dallas up 16-13 with 5:13 to play. He also may have been targeted on a play when Romo was sacked during the previous series near the goal line.

The Cowboys (2-3) are in third place in the NFC East, a division with no clear favorite. It’s hard to know how good this club is considering the losses are by a combined 11 points and the wins are by a combined five points. Dallas has played 11 straight games decided by four points or less, going 5-6.

The Cowboys have a great chance to get back to .500 with winless St. Louis coming to town on Sunday. A defense that held Brady and the Patriots to their fewest points this season will face a Rams offense that’s scored the fewest points in the NFL this season and could be without quarterback Sam Bradford because of a high ankle sprain.

“I think our team realizes that we have a chance to be a good football team,” Garrett said. “We haven’t done everything perfectly. We’ve had five good challenges this year. We’ve won two of them. We’ve lost three of them. They’ve all been close. I think we have had an opportunity to win all five games against good football teams. What we need to do is take a breath, evaluate this game, get away from it tomorrow, come back on Wednesday and get ready to try to win a ballgame against St. Louis.”

Dallas is dealing with some injuries of its own.

Running back Felix Jones also has a high ankle sprain and is likely to miss at least a week and probably more. Murray, a third-round pick, is likely to take over.

Left guard Bill Nagy, a seventh-round pick, broke an ankle and is almost certainly out for the season. Undrafted rookie Kevin Kowalski took his place and could be forced to stay there. Veteran Derrick Dockery isn’t healed from his own broken bone and coaches don’t seem ready to trust fellow rookie David Arkin. Kowalski started two preseason games at center and says he feels comfortable playing either spot. Dallas also could put him at center and move Phil Costa to guard.

“We have some depth, we don’t have a whole lot experience,” Garrett said. “We have to manage that situation.”

BOSTON (CBS) – The 2-2 Dallas Cowboys come into Gillette Stadium on Sunday for their first meeting with the New England Patriots in four years.

Dallas is fresh off their bye week, and with a little better play from quarterback Tony Romo, could be look at a 4-0 record. Instead, they come in needing a win, with the NFC East wide open at the moment. While Romo has his inefficiencies, he also had a good amount of weapons at his disposal.

But Romo and his receiving corp is not the biggest threat to the Patriots on Sunday. 

DeMarcus Ware

The Cowboys DeMarcus Ware could be the best defensive player the Patriots have faced this season (Sorry Revis fans). The All Pro linebacker will be peppering Tom Brady all afternoon in Foxboro unless the offensive line, who gave up four sacks against the Jets last Sunday, can keep him at bay.

“He can get after a quarterback as good as anyone we play,” Brady said Wednesday. “If he gets going early, he’s going to be a problem all day, so we’ve got to make sure we really account for him on every play.”

The problem with Ware is not just the five sacks he has already racked up, but the inability to predict where he’ll be on the field.

“They move him around,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Ware. “It’s hard to call a play and say, ‘Well, he’s going to be here, this is how we’re going to deal (with) him.’

Gresh & Zo Whiteboard: Where is Ware?

“You’re not ever sure exactly where he’s going to be, depending on the call they have and what adjustments they make within that call to what you’re doing,” Belichick added. “That’s a big challenge. He’s a heck of a football player. He’s really fast, explosive… He comes up the middle. He comes outside. He’s a tough matchup problem wherever he is on the field.”

“(He) is one of the best players in the league,” Mankins said. “He’s a defensive end, outside linebacker guy that really gets after the quarterback. He’s got a ton of sacks in his career already and he wreaks a lot of havoc up there. He makes a lot of plays. He makes it tough on the line. He’s a special player.”

Ware does not get too many tackles because he is mostly gunning for the quarterback, but his monstrous presence draws enough attention to spring other players. Look at second-year linebacker Sean Lee, whose 35 tackles are already more than he had in 14 games last season, and was just named NFC Player of the Month for September.

Read: Pats Ready For Speedy Cowboys

“The tackles and tight ends know they’re up for a challenge,” Brady said. “As a quarterback, you don’t just drop back there and hold (the ball) and see how long you can hold it all day because, eventually, they’re going to get there.”

And that is exactly what Rob Ryan and the Cowboys defense is planning.

“I would say pretty much it’s the kitchen sink, to put it lightly,” defensive end Kenyon Coleman said of what the Cowboys will be throwing Brady’s way.

“We have to,” Ware said of getting in Brady’s face. “We have to get some pressure on him because the teams that have had success on them have been able to get pressure on him up front.”

The Pats offense has scored 30 or more points since week nine of last year. Fittingly, that 30-14 loss came against the Cleveland Browns with Ryan at the defensive helm.

Read: Another Ryan Respects Brady

He is now in Dallas and giving his players the tools and confidence for Sunday’s game. Imagine if the Browns had a player like Ware last November

Dez Bryant vs. Devin McCourty

The Patriots will once again be pitted against a big and strong receiver in Dez Bryant. In his second NFL season, Bryant has 10 receptions for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his scores came in Dallas’ last game against the Detroit Lions.

Once again, it will be up to second-year corner Devin McCourty to shut down a bigger receiver.

“I think this biggest thing that jumps out is his athletic ability,” McCourty said of Bryant. “He’s able to play [anywhere] on the field. He can go deep. When he catches the ball short, he’s able to break tackles. I think he’s really, even if you watch on his punt returns, when he gets the ball in his hands he can go the distance. Good speed and good strength. He’s a guy even when he catches the ball short we really have to rally to him and gang tackle him and try to get him on the ground as soon as possible.”

“He’s like a tight end,” Belichick said of Bryant. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s got good speed, returns kicks, so he can do a lot of things.”

At 6-2, 218 lbs, Bryant is not as big as Brandon Marshall or Vincent Jackson. He is closer to Buffalo’s Steven Johnson, who had eight catches for 94 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots only loss of the season.

Read: Patriots-Cowboys Preview

Luckily, McCourty has the experience going against big receivers. Though it hasn’t been a great start to the season, all the practice should eventually add up.

“Going against different guys this season who have been those bigger-type of receivers, you can use some of what they did against us and how they played,” said McCourty. “I think the biggest thing is just the physical nature of the bigger receivers – most of the time they’re bigger than the corners they’re facing so they try to use that to their advantage.”

Read: Levan Reid’s Patriots Blog

And he will have some help from Safety Patrick Chung, who will be looking to stop the Dallas air attack.

“He’s big, he’s fast, he’s strong, he knows how to go up there and get the ball, he’s good after the catch. He’s a beast,” Chung said of Bryant. “We’ve got to find a way to stop him. They definitely have threats out there and they definitely have a good quarterback to get them the ball.”

“It seems like we have one every week or more than one in some cases,” said Belichick.

That will be the case once again, with Miles Austin set to return to the Cowboys. Toss in tight end Jason Witten, who the Patriots called a “different animal” this week, it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys have struggled so much on offense.

But then there is Tony Romo.

Pressuring Romo

Making Tony Romo work means making Tony Romo make mistakes.

The Detroit Lions applied the pressure two weeks ago, and they were able to come back from a 27-3 deficit thanks to two pick-6s and another interception to set up a Calvin Johnson TD. He also threw a pick late in the Cowboys opener against the Jets, setting up the eventual game-winning field goal.

The Cowboys led by 14 points in the fourth quarter of the loss.

But Dallas gets a healthy Romo back, with a week’s rest on his cracked ribs. Owner Jerry Jones said he had faith in Romo two weeks ago, because frankly, you never know what Romo is going to show up.

It’s very similar to his play on the field. Wild and erratic, but at some times dangerous.

“He’s an elusive quarterback. He’s wild,” said Andre Carter, who saw Romo twice a year while with the Redskins. “He takes chances, but for the most part he’s been successful. Like any quarterback that likes to scramble, it’s always important to keep him in the pocket. He has that comeback kid mentality, especially when it comes down the wire in the fourth quarter.”

Read: Andre Carter Has Plenty Of Experience Against Dallas

“He’s very mobile. He moves around a lot. No play is really ever dead with Romo – even when guys get to him, he’s able to escape,” said McCourty. “I think the biggest thing is once he escapes, he’s not always looking to just take off and run. A lot of times he gets outside [and] he’s still trying to throw the ball down the field.”

“He has the ability, to really, no matter which side he is on — left or right — he can turn his shoulders and get the ball vertical,” he added. “So in the secondary, we have to stay on our guys and stay ready no matter what he does back there.”

“He’s not a guy that’s going to take a lot of sacks,” said Belichick. “(He) gets it out quick, uses all of his skill players, is smart in terms of running run-pass checks. They do some things based on one look the defense gives they’ll do one thing, if they get another look, they’ll do something else. He obviously handles that pretty well.”

Stats: Patriots-Cowboys Head to Head

The key to rattling Romo will be to apply the pressure. The Patriots defense got to Mark Sanchez twice last week, and hit him five more times. It’s not the pressure normal NFL teams apply, but it’s a start for the Patriots. Getting contributions from their pair of former Redskins, Carter and Albert Haynesworth, will be a big part of getting in Romo’s head.

Romo can either win it for the Cowboys, or win it for the Patriots. It all depends what the Pats throw at him (or he throws to them).

Tune in to the Patriots-Cowboys game Sunday at 4:15 pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Get your Patriots Sunday started with Patriots Gameday at 11:30am on WBZ-TV and The Sports Hub’s pregame coverage, beginning at 1:00 pm. After the game tune in to the Postgame show on 98.5, and to Patriots Fifth Quarter on MY TV38.

The Cowboys are coming to town.

The Patriots are about to blaze new trails.

“We’ve got our work cut out as far as preparation goes,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said during a conference call on Tuesday, “and becoming familiar with a team that we don’t know very much about.”

It’s been a “theatre of the absurd” season already for the Cowboys, one that’s featured the good, the bad and the ugly – most of it orchestrated by the trigger hand of their quarterback, Tony Romo.

The Cowboys will carry a 2-2 record into Sunday afternoon’s game with the 4-1 Patriots at Gillette Stadium, a place they’ve only visited once in their history.

In fact, New England and Dallas have met just twice previously during Belichick’s 12-year regime, the Patriots winning both of those games by double figures, but the cast of characters reflects the fact that these meetings have been few and far between:

Nov. 16, 2003 – The offenses were chillier than the weather on a 38-degree Sunday night at Gillette as the two teams combined for just 559 total yards in a game the Patriots won, 12-0, on the strength of two Adam Vinatieri field goals (23 and 26 yards) sandwiched around Antowain Smith’s 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

As he so often did during his NFL career, Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter struggled in this one, serving up three interceptions to the Patriots’ starting cornerbacks – two to Ty Law and one to Tyrone Poole.

While he played turnover-free ball, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wasn’t sharp, either, hitting on just 15 of his 34 throws for 212 yards.

Oct. 14, 2007 – Brady was razor sharp in throwing for 388 yards and five TDs as the Patriots won a Texas shootout at the old Texas Stadium, scoring 27 of the game’s last 30 points to pull away for a 48-27 victory that gave them the sixth win in a 16-0 regular season.

Wide receivers Wes Welker (11 receptions for 124 yards and two TDs), Donte’ Stallworth (seven receptions for 136 yards and one TD) and Randy Moss (six receptions for 59 yards and a score) and tight end Kyle Brady (a 1-yarder that put the Patriots ahead to stay, 28-24) all hauled in touchdown passes in the game.

Romo connected on 18-of-29 pass attempts for 199 yards and two TDs (one to Terrell Owens, who had six receptions for 66 yards in the game) with one interception (linebacker Junior Seau).

The NFL’s third-ranked passing game, the Cowboys pose some serious matchup problems for a Pats pass defense that even with Mark Sanchez’s pedestrian 166-yard performance with the New York Jets last Sunday, ranks dead last in the league.

Romo’s favorite target this year (when he’s throwing it to his teammates, that is) has been Jason Witten. En route to what will be his eighth straight Pro Bowl, the tight end has had games of six, seven, six and eight receptions for a total of 366 receiving yards, although there’s more to his game than that.

“I think the big thing that separates Witten from a lot of other tight ends is blocking ability,” said Belichick. “He’s a very good point-of-attack blocker. They run behind him.

“You’ve got to deal with him in the running game and in the passing game he’s really good in all three areas. He’s good on the short routes and he’s a hard guy to tackle. He’s good on the intermediate routes and he can get down the field.”

Wide receivers Miles Austin (a 16.6-yard average on 14 receptions in two games; returning after missing two games with a hamstring injury), Dez Bryant (a 17.1-yard average on 10 catches; missed one game with a thigh injury) and Laurent Robinson (a 16.5-yard average on 10 receptions in two games since being re-signed following his release earlier this year) bring stretch-the-field ability to the passing game.

Felix Jones (56 carries for 241 yards, a 4.3-yard average) has been the Cowboys’ only threat running behind a young offensive line. The rest of the Cowboys’ ball carriers are averaging 2.4 yards on 45 attempts.

“This is a team (with) Tony Romo (and) they have weapons all across the board,” Patriots safety James Ihedigbo said on Monday. “They’re fast, a very fast football team. So we really have our hands full and we have to prepare well for them.”

Five-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (the 2010 league leader in sacks with 15 has five thus far this year) is a disruptive force on a defense that ranks fourth in the league overall and is No. 1 in stopping the run (nose tackle Jay Ratliff plays between ends Jason Hatcher and Kenyon Coleman up front).

“He’s definitely a guy that can affect a game,” Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said during a conference call on Tuesday.

“He’s having a really good year and they do a great job – Rob Ryan (the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator) and his staff do a great job – of moving him around so you can’t really get a beat on where he is.”

By JAIME ARON
IRVING, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys returned from their bye looking like a new team.

Well, at least like the team they expected to be.

Cornerback Orlando Scandrick was back from high ankle sprain, putting the key members of their secondary on the field together Monday for the first time since early August. The offense was nearly back to full strength, too, with receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant both running routes for Tony Romo for the first time since the opening week.

“It’s definitely exciting to see what everybody’s going to do now that everybody’s back,” said Alan Ball, who has started once and played plenty but now slips back to being the fourth cornerback. “I think everybody is going to do just fine getting back in and getting into our system.”

The Cowboys were counting on a cornerback trio of Mike Jenkins, Terence Newman and Scandrick this season. Incumbent starters Jenkins and Newman missed the entire preseason with injuries, then Jenkins returned for the opener but Newman didn’t make it back until the third game. Scandrick only played in the opener.

The only key defensive player still missing is defensive end Jason Hatcher, who is battling a strained calf. Backup safety Danny McCray also was out with an ankle problem.

Scandrick’s return is especially important this week because he covers the slot receiver, and New England has one of the best in Wes Welker.

“I feel like I’m in condition,” Scandrick said. “As far as where I do think I might be off a little bit right now is play recognition, but by Sunday, with watching film throughout the week, I’ll be ready to go.”

Austin aggravated a hamstring injury at the end of regulation in the second game and has missed the last two. Bryant missed that game with a thigh problem. He’s played both games since, but has been limited in practices.

Romo has a cracked rib that should be close to healed. The only guys on offense still banged up are fullback Tony Fiammetta (hamstring) and guard Derrick Dockery (broken leg, sprained knee ligament).

“You guys have heard me say this before — injuries are a part of the game,” coach Jason Garrett said, launching into a discourse on the importance of backup players taking advantage of their opportunity. “Having said all of that, it’s better to have your starters back out there practicing and moving toward playing in the game on Sunday.”

Dallas (2-2) faces quite a challenge Sunday by going on the road to play Tom Brady, Welker and the New England Patriots, winners of 19 straight games at home. Brady has actually won 30 straight in Foxborough, Mass., and New England (4-1) is coming off a 30-21 victory over the Jets, who beat the Cowboys in the opener.

“We’re probably going to get killed. They’re the greatest team to ever play football. We’re going in there to try to hold our own,” defensive end Marcus Spears said, trying to keep a straight face. “Naw. We’re going in there to beat them. We understand the type of success they’ve had. …

“Getting to the serious side of it, we just got to go to work and know as much as possible what these guys are doing and try to bring a good game plan against them and then put it together on Sunday.”

Dallas had as good of a bye weekend as it could’ve hoped for. While players got refreshed, their division foes who played — the Giants and Eagles — both lost.

Garrett insisted it is way too early to be paying attention to the standings, that the only thing players should focus on is getting ready for the next practice and for the Patriots. His smile showed otherwise.

“We have many challenges ahead,” he said. “We have 12 more football games to play. That’s a lifetime. We’re going to focus on being as good as we can be each day and hopefully get ourselves ready to play the Patriots.”

Notes: The Cowboys were so banged up two weeks ago that they skipped wearing pads on Wednesday. They didn’t do so last week either, of course, because of the bye. Garrett said players will be suited up this Wednesday, and the next several. “We’d like to get back into the rhythm of practicing in full pads on Wednesdays,” he said. … Another practice change: A scoreboard. It was installed during by the week to help make situational work more realistic. They had a scoreboard during training camp at the Alamodome and Cowboys Stadium. “We’ve been doing it with (equipment manager) Bucky Buchanan using a stopwatch,” Garrett said. “We think it’s valuable in recreating and simulating the game when you have that scoreboard, and you have the time that everybody can see and you understand what the situation is as concretely as possible.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is enjoying two weeks of reputation rehab after back-to-back wins.

His body is feeling better, too, two weeks after fracturing a rib and puncturing a lung.

“Each two or three days that goes by it just keeps getting better,” Romo said Thursday. “I was able to practice a little bit today and it’s good. I think it’s improving.”

Romo and the Cowboys (2-1) are preparing for Detroit (3-0) on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium. The Lions’ stout defensive front is led by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Detroit has eight sacks through three games, tied for 11th in the NFL. (Dallas leads with 13.)

“They rush the quarterback very well,” Romo said of the Lions. “Their coaches, they have a good scheme, they put them in good situations. It’s going to be a great test. We’ve got to be able to block them, we have to win on routes and we’ve got to get after them up front.”

Romo will still wear a protective vest on Sunday and said he plans on getting a pain-killing shot before the game.

Pass protection won’t be the only thing on Romo’s mind Sunday. There were a number of bad snaps in the shotgun from center Philip Costa in Monday night’s 18-16 victory over Washington.

Costa partially blamed the problems on the Redskins calling out the snap count. Whether Washington did — the Redskins deny it — the Cowboys say they’re ready to move on and fix the problem.

“The biggest that we have to do as a football team, as an offensive line, is we just have to get it rectified and solve the issue,” coach Jason Garrett said. “There’s been noise on the line of scrimmage in the NFL since Pudge Heffelfinger was around. That’s how it works. We just have to understand what the issues are there and we have to focus on whose voice we’re listening to and just get locked in and snap the ball when it needs to be snapped.”

Despite the mishaps, Romo led the Cowboys to a comeback win over the rival Redskins a week after playing injured in a win at San Francisco. The 31-year-old signal caller is being praised for his leadership skills around the league, not all that long after he was being pilloried for his turnovers and decisions in a season-opening loss to the New York Jets.

Such is life as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

“There’s only 16 days a year you’re called upon to do your job,” Romo said. “Each team goes through the same deal. When you lose, the sky is falling. When you win, the sky is moving higher. It just feels like that each week that goes by. Knowing that is why you put in all the time and effort because it’s important each week.”

Notes: Receiver Dez Bryant (thigh) didn’t take part in practice Thursday. Jason Garrett hopes the receiver is able to practice before Sunday. . Fullback Tony Fiammetta (hamstring), kicker David Buehler (groin) and Miles Austin (hamstring) also didn’t practice.
 

IRVING, Texas – Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is enjoying two weeks of reputation rehab after consecutive wins.

His body is feeling better, too, two weeks after fracturing a rib and puncturing a lung.

“Each two or three days that goes by it just keeps getting better,” Romo said Thursday. “I was able to practise a little bit today and it’s good. I think it’s improving.”

Romo and the Cowboys (2-1) are preparing for Detroit (3-0) on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium. The Lions’ stout defensive front is led by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Detroit has eight sacks through three games, tied for 11th in the NFL. (Dallas leads with 13.)

“They rush the quarterback very well,” Romo said of the Lions. “Their coaches, they have a good scheme, they put them in good situations.

“It’s going to be a great test. We’ve got to be able to block them, we have to win on routes and we’ve got to get after them up front.”

Romo will still wear a protective vest Sunday and plans on getting a pain-killing shot before the game.

Pass protection won’t be the only thing on Romo’s mind Sunday. There were a number of bad snaps in the shotgun from centre Philip Costa in Monday night’s 18-16 victory over Washington.

Costa partially blamed the problems on the Redskins calling out the snap count. Whether Washington did — the Redskins deny it — the Cowboys say they’re ready to move on and fix the problem.

“The biggest that we have to do as a football team, as an offensive line, is we just have to get it rectified and solve the issue,” coach Jason Garrett said. “There’s been noise on the line of scrimmage in the NFL since Pudge Heffelfinger was around.

“That’s how it works. We just have to understand what the issues are there and we have to focus on whose voice we’re listening to and just get locked in and snap the ball when it needs to be snapped.”

Despite the mishaps, Romo led the Cowboys to a comeback win over the rival Redskins a week after playing injured in a win at San Francisco. The 31-year-old is being praised for his leadership skills around the league, not all that long after he was being criticized for his turnovers and decisions in a season-opening loss to the New York Jets.

Such is life as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

“There’s only 16 days a year you’re called upon to do your job,” Romo said. “Each team goes through the same deal.

“When you lose, the sky is falling. When you win, the sky is moving higher. It just feels like that each week that goes by. Knowing that is why you put in all the time and effort because it’s important each week.”

NOTES — Receiver Dez Bryant (thigh) didn’t take part in practice Thursday. Jason Garrett hopes the receiver is able to practise before Sunday. . Fullback Tony Fiammetta (hamstring), kicker David Buehler (groin) and Miles Austin (hamstring) also didn’t practise.

“Each two or three days that goes by it just keeps getting better,” Romo said Thursday. “I was able to practice a little bit today and it’s good. I think it’s improving.”

Romo and the Cowboys (2-1) are preparing for Detroit (3-0) on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium. The Lions’ stout defensive front is led by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Detroit has eight sacks through three games, tied for 11th in the NFL. (Dallas leads with 13.)

“They rush the quarterback very well,” Romo said of the Lions. “Their coaches, they have a good scheme, they put them in good situations. It’s going to be a great test. We’ve got to be able to block them, we have to win on routes and we’ve got to get after them up front.”

Romo will still wear a protective vest on Sunday and said he plans on getting a pain-killing shot before the game.

Pass protection won’t be the only thing on Romo’s mind Sunday. There were a number of bad snaps in the shotgun from center Philip Costa in Monday night’s 18-16 victory over Washington.

Costa partially blamed the problems on the Redskins calling out the snap count. Whether Washington did — the Redskins deny it — the Cowboys say they’re ready to move on and fix the problem.

“The biggest that we have to do as a football team, as an offensive line, is we just have to get it rectified and solve the issue,” coach Jason Garrett said. “There’s been noise on the line of scrimmage in the NFL since Pudge Heffelfinger was around. That’s how it works. We just have to understand what the issues are there and we have to focus on whose voice we’re listening to and just get locked in and snap the ball when it needs to be snapped.”

Despite the mishaps, Romo led the Cowboys to a comeback win over the rival Redskins a week after playing injured in a win at San Francisco. The 31-year-old signal caller is being praised for his leadership skills around the league, not all that long after he was being pilloried for his turnovers and decisions in a season-opening loss to the New York Jets.

Such is life as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

“There’s only 16 days a year you’re called upon to do your job,” Romo said. “Each team goes through the same deal. When you lose, the sky is falling. When you win, the sky is moving higher. It just feels like that each week that goes by. Knowing that is why you put in all the time and effort because it’s important each week.”

Notes: Receiver Dez Bryant (thigh) didn’t take part in practice Thursday. Jason Garrett hopes the receiver is able to practice before Sunday. . Fullback Tony Fiammetta (hamstring), kicker David Buehler (groin) and Miles Austin (hamstring) also didn’t practice.

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

In the NFL, “winning ugly” is a common experience. Fans hate it but coaches love it. In the case of the Dallas Cowboys, “winning ugly” sums up Monday night.

Before we write off Tony Romo, again, as just another mistake-prone quarterback who looks brilliant one play and silly the next, consider that he essentially beat the Washington Redskins single-handedly behind a wretched offensive line, depleted receiving core and bruised running back. Oh yeah, he has a broken rib and a punctured lung.

In our fantasy-football-obsessed world, we tend to focus on statistics as the barometer of a player’s performance, especially a quarterback’s. If you do that for Romo, then he was rather ordinary Monday, throwing for 255 yards, one interception and zero touchdowns.

But for the second week in a row, the 31-year-old willed Dallas to victory, while wearing a motion-limiting vest. It wasn’t sexy to watch, but a gutsy performance was exactly what his team — no, what his franchise — needed. Let’s not forget that the Cowboys organization with just one playoff win in the last 15 years. For all the glitz and glamour of “Big D,” for all the hype around the billion-dollar stadium, “America’s Team” has offered one colossal disappointment after another since the mid 1990s.

The game Monday night, when seemingly everything was going against Dallas, was precisely the type of game it would have lost in the past. Former head coach Wade Phillips made it a habit to lose these games, as did his predecessors Chan Gailey, Dave Campo and even Bill Parcells.

The ability to win ugly is what makes the Cowboys especially scary this season. While Washington surely isn’t Pittsburgh or Green Bay, it is a markedly improved team capable of making a run at the NFC East. Philadelphia is 1-2 and quarterback Michael Vick is already complaining, while the New York Giants — fresh off a monster win over the Eagles — have a patchwork secondary and injury-ridden receiving core themselves.

Dallas, meanwhile, will get healthy. Receivers Dez Bryant and Miles Austin give Romo one of the most devastating 1-2 punches in the league, with Bryant the playmaking burner on the perimeter and Austin the possession genius. Running back Felix Jones clearly demonstrated he still has the dramatic burst of speed that made Marion Barber expendable this off-season.

The big question mark is the offensive line, which looked downright awful against the Skins. Center Phil Costa had three fumbles and a barrage of bad snaps, while Doug Free looked completely overwhelmed at left tackle. But this is a young line, and adjustments will be made. If they can just be average, Romo — with one of the quickest releases in the league — will make do.

An 18-16 win on “Monday Night Football” wasn’t pretty and not what owner Jerry Jones pays for, but it was a benchmark. For the second consecutive week, Dallas played poorly and won.

Just as I wrote before the season started, watch out for them ‘Boys.

Ed. Note: Originally, this text ran as: Dallas being “one colossal disappointment after another since the early 1990s.” The correct version is mid 1990s.

Email me at jordan.schultz@huffingtonpost.com or ask me questions about anything NFL-related at @206Child for my upcoming mailbag.

Plus, check out my brand-new HuffPost sports blog, The Schultz Report, for a fresh and daily outlook on all things sports.

Updated Sep 20, 2011 4:56 PM ET

IRVING, Texas (AP)

With Miles Austin and Dez Bryant hurting, the Dallas Cowboys have re-signed receiver Laurent Robinson.

Robinson has 89 catches for 1,000 yards and four touchdowns over two seasons with Atlanta and two with St. Louis.

The Cowboys signed Robinson before the opener. He got hurt in practice and didn’t play, then was cut last week.

Cornerback-kick returner Bryan McCann was released to clear a spot for Robinson.

Dallas plays Washington at home on Monday night. The Cowboys have so many injured players that they aren’t working out Wednesday.

Austin left the last game when he aggravated a hamstring injury and Bryant missed the game with a thigh problem.