Cowboys Win At St Louis
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ST. LOUIS — For the Dallas Cowboys, it was a comeback of historical proportions.
For the St. Louis Rams, it was one that got away.
Overcoming a 21-0 second-quarter deficit Sunday, Dallas took the lead for good with two touchdowns in a 15-second span of the fourth quarter and scored a 34-31 win at the Edward Jones Dome.
“We put ourselves in position to win,” St. Louis left guard Rodger Saffold said, “and then we shot ourselves in the foot with mistakes and questionable calls.”
The Cowboys (2-1) tied their largest comeback in franchise history. They were down 21 before beating New Orleans in overtime in 1984, then erased a 21-point margin in 1991 against Washington.
Dallas coach Jason Garrett credited offensive coordinator Scott Linehan for not abandoning the game plan, even after the Rams (1-2) stuffed running back DeMarco Murray for one yard on his first six attempts.
“We kept trying to establish the line of scrimmage, even though they were devoting a lot of defenders to take away the run,” Garrett said.
Murray, who rolled up 428 yards in his first two games against St. Louis, got the
run going with 14- and 20-yard bursts late in the second quarter, setting up his 1-yard plunge with 2:07 left in the first half that got the Cowboys on the board.
After pulling within 21-10 at halftime, Dallas started the third quarter with a 68-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tony Romo to wide receiver Dez Bryant. Because of play action and what appeared to be a defensive breakdown, Bryant was at least 10 yards behind any defender when he caught the ball.
“It was my move that got me that open,” Bryant said. “It was my focus and listening to the coaches. I learned that move from (wide receivers) coach (Derek) Dooley.”
The teams traded field goals — the Cowboys’ Dan Bailey nailed a 40-yarder and the Rams’ Greg Zuerlein connected from 28 — to make it 24-20 St. Louis with 13:28 remaining. Romo then led an 84-yard drive that melted 7:15 off the clock, converting a third-and-13 with a 16-yard scramble, then a third-and-14 with a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Terrance Williams.
Three plays after Bryant drew a 33-yard pass interference foul from cornerback Janoris Jenkins, Romo and Williams teamed up for a 12-yard score with 6:13 left, giving Dallas its first lead of the day.
Romo finished 18 of 23 for 217 yards and two scores, amassing a passer rating of 116.8.
“I thought Tony was more spontaneous today,” Garrett said. “By that, I mean he moved around in the pocket, made some throws on the run. He looked more like himself.”
Linebacker Bruce Carter then capitalized on one of the few mistakes made by Rams quarterback Austin Davis, pilfering an ill-advised throw over the middle with 5:58 remaining and taking it 25 yards for a touchdown and a 34-24 Cowboys lead.
St. Louis drew within three points at the 2:36 mark on Davis’ 4-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Austin Pettis, then got the ball back with1:58 remaining after forcing a punt.
But cornerback Morris Claiborne sealed it with a leaping interception of Davis’ deep throw down the left sideline with 62 seconds left, giving the Cowboys’ large fan contingent reason to celebrate.
The Rams dominated early. They opened the game with a 15-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that melted 8:50 off the clock, scoring on a 1-yard pass from Davis to tight end Lance Kendricks.
After forcing and recovering a fumble by Murray on their 35, the Rams scored five plays later. Davis hit wide receiver Brian Quick for a 51-yard touchdown on the second quarter’s first play.
St. Louis’ defense got in on the act at the 6:06 mark when Jenkins picked a Romo pass and high-stepped 25 yards for a score, making it 21-0.
Davis, playing for the second straight week with starter Shaun Hill (thigh) on the shelf, connected on 30 of 42 attempts for 327 yards and three scores. But it wasn’t enough to keep the Rams from going into their bye week with a brutal loss.
“We get up 21-0; we should win that game,” defensive end Robert Quinn said.
