ST. LOUIS - Maybe not even a banged-up Tony Romo could have prevented what
coach Wade Phillips called the "worst game this team's played since I've been
here."
What linebacker Zach Thomas called "frustrating . . . just a rough day."
What wide receiver Terrell Owens summarized concisely: "The Rams came out and
kicked our butts."
Wearing a ball cap and a protective wrap on his fractured right little
finger, Romo, the Cowboys' Pro Bowl quarterback, watched the seemingly
unthinkable Sunday afternoon - his team dominated by the hapless Rams, who rank
near the bottom of the league in every major statistical category.
Beaten? A realistic possibility considering the mounting injuries across the
roster (Romo, running back Felix Jones, cornerback Terence Newman and punter Mat
McBriar come to mind first) further complicated by safety Roy Williams' new arm
fracture, which will sideline him at least another six weeks and could send him
to injured reserve.
But not the 34-14 beating St. Louis (2-4) delivered at the Edward Jones Dome
- a loss Jerry Jones said "sobers me up more than I have at any point this year
about the job we've got to do to get a good team, hopefully a healthier team, in
a position so we can compete near the end of the year."
Sobering, indeed, since the Cowboys (4-3) haven't dropped three of four games
since the end of the 2006 season, a five-month rollercoaster ride under Bill
Parcells that ended one week later in the wild-card round.
These Cowboys have much higher expectations. But on a subdued flight home
from St. Louis, they found themselves 1 1/2 games behind in the division and
conference standings with a pair of 2007 playoff teams - the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers and the NFC-leading New York Giants - up next.
Romo stayed ready as the active backup to veteran fill-in Brad Johnson, but
he remained limited physically and there appeared little reason to risk further
damage to his injured finger once the Cowboys fell behind 21-7 in the first
quarter - the first time since 2001 (the "Greatest Show on Turf" days) that a
Rams team produced three touchdowns in the opening frame. And certainly not
after St. Louis took an insurmountable 24-point lead in the second half on
Steven Jackson's 56-yard TD run.
"Tony was throwing the ball alright (in warm-ups)," Phillips said, "but I
don't know that he was ready to play (physically). And it wasn't a situation
where we were really in the game."
The 40-year-old Johnson struggled in his first start since Dec. 17, 2006,
completing just 17 of 34 passes for 234 yards, one touchdown and three
interceptions (45.5 passer rating). But the Cowboys' problems extended well
beyond the quarterback.
"It was a big component of it," Jerry Jones said, "but the drop-off between
Tony and Brad is not the troubling thing for me about this ball game. The
troubling thing is our overall mistakes."
Like the defense's renewed vulnerability against deep passes (Rams
quarterback Marc Bulger's 42-yard TD to Donnie Avery; another would-be TD
dropped by Avery in the second quarter) and rare struggles against the run
(Jackson's season-high 160 yards).
Or the Cowboys' eight penalties for 56 yards, several of which helped extend
the Rams' drives and cripple their own.
Or, despite improved coverage, two critical miscues on special teams - new
punter Sam Paulescu's wobbly punt from his own end zone that started St. Louis'
second scoring drive on the Cowboys' 44-yard line, and Nick Folk's missed field
goal that morphed into a 10-point scoring swing when Jackson hit his 56-yarder
two plays later.
Simply put, nothing seemed to go right after the Cowboys' balanced opening TD
drive, when Johnson went 2-of-3 for 29 yards and Marion Barber had seven carries
for 45 yards, including a 35-yard run.
"You thought you'd have a successful day," Johnson said. "As the day went on,
we had miscues across the board. It kind of just got worse from there."
Thus, a dismal ending to an up-and-down week that included Adam "Pacman"
Jones' indefinite suspension (the Cowboys replaced him with rookie Mike Jenkins)
and the acquisition of Pro Bowl receiver Roy Williams, who did not have a catch
in limited duty.
After taking a 7-0 lead, the Cowboys never led again and ultimately lost by
the widest margin of the season.
"I don't have an answer for it," Phillips said. "If I did, we wouldn't have
played like we did. But we're going to do something about it."
Jerry Jones also tried to remain positive, and players said the team owner
gave an inspirational speech in the post-game locker room.
But the road won't get any smoother for the Cowboys, who might have to play
at least another week without Romo and several more starters.
"It is not the time to sit around and moan and feel sorry," Jones said. "Our
fans are expecting more and they expect us all to get in there and come up with
anything we can do to make us better."
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