Cowboys rally falls short against Saints

Arlington, TX – The Dallas Cowboys could have given up after falling behind 17-0 in the opening quarter.  After all, they did against the Jaguars and Packers.  That was before Jason Garrett took over as head coach.  This Cowboy team kept fighting.  They not only came back from the deficit, they held the lead with 3 minutes and 20 seconds left in the game.  Cowboys quarterback Jon Kitna hit Roy Williams on a slant which would have all but sealed the victory.  Unfortunately, Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins strips the ball and the Saints recovered at the 11.

Drew Brees went to work on the Cowboys defense, most notably Terence Newman, driving the Saints 89 yards for the go ahead touchdown.

The Cowboys still had a chance, moving the ball quickly to the New Orleans 41 yard line.  3 incomplete passes later David Buehler lined up to attempt to tie the game with a 59 yard field goal.  Buehler’s kick had plenty of distance, but was slightly wide left.  Cowboys lose 30-27.

With the exception of the 1st quarter, which belonged in every way to the Saints, the Cowboys dictated the game.  Dallas held the ball almost 10 minutes longer than the Saints, The Cowboys had more rushing yards, and fewer yards in penalties.  What killed the Cowboys were turnovers.  Dallas had 6 turnovers in the game, a stat which almost always signals a loss.

Receiver Miles Austin sparked the Cowboys comeback attempt with a 60 yard TD run less than a minute into the 3rd quarter.  Austin’s 60 yards was the most by any player in the game.

Quarterback Jon Kitna played another quality game in relief of injured Tony Romo.  Kitna had 313 yards on 30 of 42 pass attempts.

At 3-8, the Cowboys have no hope of a winning season, and still have to face some of the NFL’s strongest teams.  They begin the final stretch in 10 days at Indianapolis.