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Rapid Reaction: Cowboys 18, Redskins 16
September, 26, 2011


By Calvin Watkins


ARLINGTON, Texas -- The banged-up Dallas Cowboys won an ugly game without scoring a touchdown Monday night in the home opener at Cowboys Stadium. It was a gutty performance and might be a sign of things to come for this team. At the conclusion, Jason Garrett hugged Anthony Spencer, whose strip sack of Rex Grossman sealed the victory.

Highlights:

What it means: The Cowboys won a game without a touchdown. Not from Tony Romo. Not from a running back. But rookie kicker Dan Bailey came up big, making all six of his field goal attempts to give the Cowboys a victory and move them into a tie for first place in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins. Bailey hit from 41, 27, 32, 41 and 23 before nailing what would prove to be the game winner from 40 yards out with 1:47 to play.

Romo toughs it out: Romo was knocked down a handful of times, including several times from the blind side as a result of some poor blocks by left tackle Doug Free. But Romo, who played with fractured ribs, came out of the game OK. He wore a flak jacket and took some pain medication. For the night, Romo went 22-of-36 for 244 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. It's the first time in the last 20 games Romo has not thrown a touchdown pass.

Garrett doesn't gamble: With 13:10 to play, the Cowboys were faced with a fourth-and-7 from the Washington 41. The Cowboys decided to go for it, but as the play clock ran down, a timeout was called. Then Jason Garrett elected to punt. During the timeout, Romo said something to Laurent Robinson, and Jason Witten spoke to Kevin Ogletree. It's clear the Cowboys have too many issues between the quarterback and the receivers.

Felix goes over 100 yards: Felix Jones gave the Cowboys their first run of over 10 yards from a running back this season with a 29-yard dash in the third quarter. He added a 40-yard scamper in the fourth. Jones finished with 115 yards on 14 carries and also pitched in three receptions for 40 yards.

Where's the pass rush?: The Cowboys came into the game leading the NFL with 10 sacks. With 4:14 left, DeMarcus Ware -- who was held, pushed and knocked down for most of the night -- sacked Grossman. Ware's sack pushed the Redskins from needing nine yards for a first down to 17. On third down, Ware flushed Grossman out of the pocket, forcing him to throw an incompletion. Of course, Spencer's sack clinched the game with 28 seconds to play.

What's next?: The Cowboys host the undefeated Detroit Lions on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium.
 

BookOfRomo

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How close is the NFC East? With Vick out for 3-4 and the Eagles D not so hot...it's anyones, I think we can take it.
 
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