Just what the doctor ordered, Arizona in Big D.
The Cowboys have beaten the Cardinals 14 straight times at Texas Stadium so the final score 34-13 was not a huge surprise for the Cowboy faithful. What was a surprise was how well the Cowboys executed in all phases of the game. Offense, Defense and Special Teams were flawless on Sunday showing exactly how good this team can and hopefully will be before the season is up.
The Cowboys dominated from start to finish Scoring 24 points in the first half thanks to 2 touchdown runs by rookie running back Marion Barber and a touchdown pass from Drew Bledsoe to Keyshawn Johnson.
The Cardinals were able to muster 10 points in the first half but afterwards the Cowboys defense closed the door on the Cardinals vaunted offense. For the 4th game in a row, the Cowboys defense did not allow more than 1 touchdown in a game and this time the score came early in the 2nd quarter vs a desperate last second drive.
Cowboys new kicker Shaun Shuisham made all of his kicks including 2 short field goals and the Cowboys defensive star Anthony Henry scored on a 58 yard touchdown ineterception mid way through the 4th quarter to seal the deal.
The Cowboys get a well deserved bye week just in time for tough 3 games in 11 day stretch beginning with the Eagles on Monday Night football and ending with the Broncos on Thanksgiving Day.
The Cowboys are 5-3 at the mid way point of the 2005 seasona and although there were times when they struggled and times when they looked bad, there were more good times than bad times and this team looks like a serious contender for a playoff spot and possibly the NFC east title.
Injuries; Al Singleton - broken collar bone.
Player of the Game; For the 2nd week in a row, the Rookie Marion Barber gets the nod. This week Marion had 124 yards and 2 touchdowns in his first career NFL start!
Other players who deserve props; Drew Bledsoe redeemed himself somewhat by having a superb outing. Anthony Henry made up for the deep touchdown he gave up early in the game by intercepting a pass and taking it to the house for the Cowboys 1st return TD of the season!
Grades:
Offense - A; Over 100 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Laser accurate passing and a touchdown through the air. A couple of bobbled snaps were the only mistakes this unit had.
Defense - A; 10 points early but then the settled down and shut the Cardinals out the rest of the way. No late game lapses, just superb defense. Plus a defensive touchdown late in the game!
Special teams - A; The Cowboys new kicker, Shaun Suisham, made all his kicks and McBriar had some great punts. Coverage was good and no mistakes all day long.
Did you notice? No penalties, none! Can you remember the last time the Cowboys played a game with zero penalties? I can't. Not sure if it has ever happened but surely it has.
If not for the early 2nd half fumble this team would have played flawless football. It's amazing how good this team can be.
Dat Nguyen back on the field. hurray.
Barber looked more like a 1st round pick than a 3rd round pick. He surely made a statement as the number 2 back and will create somewhat of a controversy if Julius does not return to last seasons form.
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1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
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14 |
3 |
7 |
34 |
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3 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
13 |
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Scoring Summary |
1st Quarter |
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FG |
Neil Rackers 52 Yd
Drive: 10 plays, 43 yds, 5:17 |
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TD |
Marion Barber 28 Yd Run (Shaun Suisham Kick)
Drive: 3 plays, 80 yds, 1:07 |
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FG |
Shaun Suisham 21 Yd
Drive: 10 plays, 54 yds, 4:40 |
2nd Quarter |
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TD |
Anquan Boldin 44 Yd Pass From Josh Mccown (Neil Rackers Kick)
Drive: 11 plays, 77 yds, 5:04 |
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TD |
Keyshawn Johnson 5 Yd Pass From Drew Bledsoe (Shaun Suisham Kick)
Drive: 11 plays, 75 yds, 6:28 |
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TD |
Marion Barber Iii 10 Yd Run (Shaun Suisham Kick)
Drive: 6 plays, 59 yds, 1:03 |
3rd Quarter |
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FG |
Neil Rackers 47 Yd
Drive: 4 plays, 9 yds, 2:02 |
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FG |
Shaun Suisham 21 Yd
Drive: 14 plays, 68 yds, 8:10 |
4th Quarter |
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TD |
Anthony Henry 58 Yd Interception Return (Shaun Suisham Kick) |
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Passing |
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CP/AT |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
D. Bledsoe |
19/24 |
220 |
1 |
0 |
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Rushing |
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ATT |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
M. Barber |
27 |
127 |
2 |
28 |
T. Thompson |
4 |
19 |
0 |
8 |
D. Bledsoe |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
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Receiving |
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REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
J. Witten |
5 |
71 |
0 |
34 |
T. Glenn |
3 |
65 |
0 |
32 |
K. Johnson |
6 |
54 |
1 |
12 |
M. Barber |
2 |
15 |
0 |
11 |
B. Pierce |
1 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
L. Polite |
1 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
P. Price |
1 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
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Fumbles |
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FUM |
LOST |
REC |
YDS |
D. Bledsoe |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
A. Johnson |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Kicking |
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FG |
LG |
XP |
PTS |
S. Suisham |
2/2 |
21 |
4/4 |
10 |
Punting |
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NO |
AVG |
I20 |
LG |
M. McBriar |
3 |
53.3 |
0 |
55 |
Kickoff Returns |
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NO |
AVG |
TD |
LG |
T. Thompson |
3 |
27.7 |
0 |
33 |
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Punt Returns |
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NO |
AVG |
TD |
LG |
P. Price |
3 |
8.3 |
0 |
11 |
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Defense |
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T-A |
SCK |
INT |
FF |
R. Williams |
7-0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
B. James |
4-3 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
A. Henry |
6-0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
M.Spears |
2-2 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
G. Ellis |
2-1 |
2.0 |
0 |
0 |
K. Davis |
2-1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
S. Shanle |
2-1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
D. Ware |
2-0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
L. Glover |
1-1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
T. Newman |
1-1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
S. Fujita |
1-0 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
A. Glenn |
1-0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
C. Canty |
1-0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
D. Nguyen |
1-0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
J. Ferguson |
1-0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
A. Singleton |
1-0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
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Next game; Sunday October 30th at home against the Arizona Cardinals. A game the Cowboys should be favored in but if their offense doesn't start producing every game will be a nail biter.
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