 | |||
| Dez Bryant had 61 yards on seven receptions, including this tough touchdown catch late in the third quarter of the Cowboys' Thanksgiving win over Oakland. |
Cory Puffett
Nineteen years ago, Dallas faced a 14-point deficit at home
against the Green Bay Packers. Jason Garrett led the Cowboys to a comeback win
and it stood as the biggest deficit Dallas has come back from in Thanksgiving
history.
The Cowboys tied that mark this Thanksgiving when Jason
Garrett coached Dallas from a 14-point deficit to a victory over the visiting
Oakland Raiders.
The game took an ugly start for Big-D when Terrance Williams
fumbled the opening kickoff and Greg Jenkins returned it 23 yards for the
opening score. Rashad Jennings scored
twice in the second quarter to give Oakland a 21-7 lead. Demarco Murray scored
with 14 seconds left in the half to make it a one-possession game at halftime.
It was all Dallas from there on out. Matt McGloin had a
solid game but the Cowboys defense took over and kept him from influencing the
game in the second half. Tony Romo had a great second half, meanwhile. He
closed the game out with 11 straight completions.
While Romo had a very good game himself, his running backs
and offensive line deserve a lot of credit for this win. Lance Dunbar, before
going down with a sprained knee in the fourth quarter, had 82 rushing yards on
12 carries. Demarco Murray only had 63 rushing yards on 17 carries, but he
scored three touchdowns on the ground.
With the right offseason moves, Oakland has a lot to look
forward to for next year. Matt McGloin seems to have a bright future and a
great work ethic. This year, however, is over for the Raiders. They’ll be
playing as spoiler over the final four weeks. They play at the Jets next Sunday
then against each of their AFC West rivals in the final three weeks.
For the first time this season, Dallas won the game after
they got above .500. At 7-5, they control the division. They don’t have an easy
closing schedule, but they control their playoff destiny. December hasn’t
always been the kindest to Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, but a good game on
Thanksgiving and a long week to prepare for Chicago should have them confident
that they can close out the season and earn the NFC East title.
Final Score:
Oakland Raiders – 24
Dallas Cowboys – 31
No comments:
Post a Comment