Romo's Road Rally Response

Miles Austin hauled in the go-ahead touchdown from Tony Romo on third-and-fourteen midway through the fourth quarter. The Dallas Cowboys went on to beat NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-16 Sunday night. Even though the Eagles were without one of their top playmakers, running back Brian Westbrook, Dallas took over sole possession of first place in the division with the victory. The Cowboys are in the driver’s seat to win the NFC East. The New York Giants, who were throttled by the Eagles last week, fell for the fourth straight time yesterday. New York’s debilitating string of losses puts them in an awfully strenuous position the rest of the tough scheduled regular season. The Cowboys are firmly the favorite to capture the division. They should play the next few weeks with guarded optimism. Dallas simply has to look over their shoulders to see the hungry Eagles.
Dallas stopped a shaky Donovan McNabb at their 45 yard line on fourth-and-inches before Austin’s catch gave the Cowboys a 20-13 lead. Romo pump-faked a pass and nailed a wide-open Austin from 49 yards down the left sideline. The Eagles never relinquished the lead. David Ackers kicked a 52-yard field goal to cut the lead to four, but Big D held off the high flying birds at Lincoln Financial Field. McNabb threw for 227 yards, one score and a pair of interceptions. Romo turned in a 307 yard effort for Dallas. The Dallas quarterback finished 21 of 34 with one touchdown and one pick. The 6-2 ‘Boys started the scoring early when Tashard Choice crashed into the end zone five minutes into the contest. The drive was set up by Gerald Sensabaugh’s interception on Philadelphia’s first possession. Sensabaugh snatched McNabb’s pass intended for Jeremy Maclin on a deflection to end the quarterback’s 118 straight pass streak without a pick. Ackers cut the Dallas lead to one with a pair of field goals in the second quarter. The 11 year veteran kicker was accurate from 45 and 48 yards. The Eagles would need more than field goals to beat Dallas, however. After Nick Folk increased the Cowboys’ advantage to four points again late in the second, Philadelphia constructed a dazzling 77 yard drive after the half. Eagles’ standout, LeSean McCoy, turned a short pass into a 45-yard gain, and McNabb escaped the Dallas pass rush to find Brent Celek in the end zone.
Sheldon Brown intercepted Romo on the Cowboys’ ensuing possession. It was Romo’s first interception in 144 passes. He’s gradually increasing and improving his accuracy as a signal-caller. Philadelphia was unable to capitalize on the turnover because of an illegal block penalty. Folk tied the game at 13-13 after Michael Jenkins intercepted McNabb. It was the former South Florida cornerback’s third pick of the year. Dallas went three-and-out to begin the final quarter. The Eagles pieced together a credible, convincing drive that ended with a reviewed fourth-and-one quarterback sneak up the middle. McNabb tried going up the middle at the Dallas 45 yard line. He went without a gain, and Dallas took over on downs. That’s when Romo instituted the game-winning drive, concluding with Austin’s grab. The defense sacked McNabb after riding the quarterback’s tail on Philadelphia’s final possession to limit the Eagles to a field goal. The Cowboys proceeded to run out the clock. All-pro receiver, Jason Witten, lead all players with seven receptions. Marion Barber rushed for 50 yards on 12 carries for the ‘Boys. Dallas held DeSean Jackson, the slick scoring phenom, to just two catches. Jackson has six touchdowns for Philadelphia this year, and most of them have come on 50 yards or more. Jackson’s longest pass from McNabb Sunday was a 20-yarder. The Cowboys proved they are a tougher and more poised team that was downed in the playoffs last season. They steadily outplayed the Eagles in a physical game with playoff tones during their 100th meeting as foes. Romo was a smart and efficient passer and was accommodated by an operational offense. It was the defense that helped Dallas earn the reward of the top NFC East team at midseason. The secondary’s fierce rush and heavy blitz maintained enough pressure on McNabb to keep Maclin and Jackson in check. And it was the defense that kept Philadelphia out of the end zone after Austin’s catch. You can’t dismiss nose tackle, Jay Ratliff’s two sacks on the former Syracuse quarterback wearing green. The defense was the reason Andy Reid’s team exhausted their timeouts. The Eagles are 2-1 in the division; The Cowboys 1-1. The teams no longer have identical records. The perseverant Cowboys have one leg up in securing a spot in the NFL’s post-season parade.

Parting Points: Monday song- “Down” by 311
Monday sports trivia- Monday Night Football announcer, Howard Cosell, was known as “The Mouth”
I can’t believe the Pac-10 agreed to reinstate Oregon’s LeGarrette Blount.