Dallas Cowboys Play Best Game Of Season In Win Over St. Louis Rams
By Shawn S. Lealos
The Dallas Cowboys rebounded from their Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a big 31-7 win over the St. Louis Rams in Week 3. Everything clicked in this game for the Cowboys, from the passing game and the rushing attack to a swarming defense.
Offense: Grade: A
The Cowboys had not seen a running back break 100 yards in a game since the season opener in 2012. However, the last time that St. Louis played Dallas, DeMarco Murray broke the franchise record for most rushing yards in a game. It seems like the Rams defense was what Dallas needed to cure their running ails. Murray carried the ball 26 times for 175 yards and a touchdown, and Dallas kept up their record of winning every game when Murray runs 20 times or more a game. Lance Dunbar even added five carries for 19 yards in the game.
The passing game didn't need to do much, but Tony Romo still completed 17 of 24 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. He also spread the ball around well, with five completions to Jason Witten and touchdown passes to Dez Bryant, Dwayne Harris and Gavin Escobar in the game. He was only sacked once and made good decisions throughout the game. Dallas also refused to let up with the lead, which helped them hold on to win the game.
Defense: Grade: A
DeMarcus Ware was one of the big stars of the day, finishing with two sacks to become the Dallas all-time sack leader, passing Harvey Martin for that big record. Ware also had six tackles, five of them solo and three for a loss. He also hit Bradford twice to go along with his sacks. Ware's sacks were two of six in the game for the Cowboys, with Orlando Scandrick, George Selvie, Jason Hatcher and Kyle Wilber all finishing with a sack as well.
Sean Lee led the team with seven tackles, four solo, and recovered a fumble. The defense also had an interception that was called back after a penalty. Overall, the Rams couldn't move the ball against Dallas at all, with the exception of the third quarter scoring drive.
Special Teams: Grade: C
The strength of the Cowboys team the first two weeks had some problems in Week 3. Dwayne Harris fumbled the first punt of the game, giving the Rams the ball back. Luckily, the Cowboys were able to stop the Rams on a three-and-out to make up for that mistake. The always accurate Dan Bailey also had an off-day, missing one of his two field goal attempts, a rare 35-yard miss wide right.
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Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.
