Cowboys Get Routed by the Rams
Dallas embarassed by Bulger, Jackson & Company
There’s an old sports’ adage that says winning is contagious. Well, so is losing and the Cowboys have apparently been infected. The latest sign of their illness showed up in St. Louis on Sunday with a sickening loss to the Rams. And it was hardly even a contest as the Rams cruised to 34-14 drubbing of the Boys at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Cowboys looked unaffected by a week filled with distractions and injury concerns when they first took the field. After receiving the opening kickoff they embarked on a 10 play, 5 minute 18 second drive that ended with a touchdown run from Marion Barber. It was a good start, but the Rams responded almost immediately, taking less than two minutes to tie the game on a 42 yard bomb from Marc Bulger to Donnie Avery. St. Louis would open up the lead with scores on their next two possessions while the Dallas offense lead by back-up Brad Johnson stalled. Stephen Jackson did the honors, rushing for the two touchdowns that put the Rams up 21-7. Jackson burned the Cowboys all day long, finishing up with 160 yards on 25 attempts and 3 TDs.
The second half brought much of the same for Dallas. Brad Johnson looked his age, 40, and also like a guy who hasn’t played in a long time. He could not get his offense going even with the addition of wide receiver Roy Williams, who by the way had no receptions in his first game as a Dallas Cowboy. Johnson was sacked twice, intercepted three times, and completed only 17 out of 34 pass attempts. He did manage to throw one touchdown pass, but it came at the two minute warning of the 4 th quarter when the game was already way out of reach. T.O. also had a rough day with a paltry two catches for 31 yards. Perhaps the only bright spot was a strong performance from Marion Barber who rushed for 100 yards on 18 carries, but it wasn’t nearly enough to help his teammates get the win.
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All in all it was a stomach-churning day for the Cowboys and their fans. They needed to come out and show some fortitude and beat a very beatable team. Instead, they got blasted by the Rams and lost more ground to the New York Giants (5-1) in the NFC East. The Cowboys have now lost three of their last four games and sit in third place behind the Giants and Redskins (5-2).
After the game was over the Cowboys got blasted again, this time by owner Jerry Jones. It is not known what Jones said, but he apparently ripped his team for their terrible play. A dejected looking Wade Phillips said at the post game press conference that, “We got nine more games to turn it around, but we didn’t look like a team that’s going to turn it around today.” and “This is the worst game this team has played since I’ve been here.” Both the Cowboys’ owner and head coach will have to get their team regrouped quickly. They’ve received more bad news in that safety Roy Williams is lost for the season, and it’s still likely that they won’t have quarterback Tony Romo for next week’s game against the Buccs. Over the course of the next four weeks, which includes a bye, the Cowboys will face the Buccaneers, Redskins, and Giants. The season is still young, but it’s not a stretch to say that the Cowboys' season can be made or broken in the month ahead.
By Steven Mondelli
ProFootball-fans.com Dallas Cowboys Correspondent