IRVING, Texas - It's one of the oldest clichés in coachspeak: Whoever wins the turnover battle will win the game.
Through 47 games this season, that has been the case in all but eight contests. Most teams aren't good enough to overcome giveaways, and enough takeaways can help even marginal teams win games.
Of those eight games in which the fewest takeaways prevailed, the Cowboys have won three of them. They lost in turnover ratio 1-0 in Cleveland, 2-1 against Philadelphia, and 2-1 Sunday in Green Bay. So how is a team with a 5-2 turnover differential still undefeated through three weeks?
Part of it has to be the strength of their offense, which is averaging a league-best 440 yards per game and scoring 32 points per contest, third best in the NFL.
Only the Broncos and Chargers are averaging more points each week.
The time and place of some of the Cowboys turnovers have had a hand in overcoming the numbers as well. Three of the Cowboys turnovers have come in the red zone as they were driving to score, meaning the other team probably had a long field to drive, except for Sunday's interception and 61 yard return by Nick Collins.
Additionally the Cowboys have capitalized whenever their defense got the ball back for them, driving for the game-winning score against the Eagles and kicking a field goal to get an early lead after Adam "Pacman" Jones picked up a fumble Sunday.
Of the teams with a negative turnover margin, only the Cowboys, Patriots and Buccaneers have a winning record, and the Cowboys are the only unbeaten team. The season is just three weeks old, but teams with more takeaways than giveaways are 22-16.
The Cowboys realize despite their high-scoring offense, they won't get away with giving up the ball more than they take it away for long, particularly those interceptions and fumbles in the red zone.
Redskins Missing Jason Taylor
When the Washington Redskins traded for former Dolphins pass rusher Jason Taylor, they figured they were getting a guy who could pressure the division's quarterbacks - if Tony Romo, Donovan McNabb and Eli Manning have all day to throw, those guys will beat you.
At the very least, Washington thought they were getting a durable player. As it turns out, Taylor hasn't been either, thus far. He had just one sack through three games, and is now out for what would have been his first Redskins/Cowboys game after undergoing a short surgery on his calf Monday. At some point during
Washington's win against Arizona Sunday, Taylor was kicked in the leg. After the game he lost feeling in his ankle when blood began to pool.
Taylor did not register a sack when the Cowboys visited Miami last season, working mainly against left tackle Flozell Adams.
Taylor was acquired after Washington lost their top pass rusher, Phillip Daniels, in the preseason. Former Cowboy Demetric Evans is expected to get the starting nod in Taylor's absence, with ex-Viking Erasmus James and second-year end Chris Wilson, an undrafted free agent, splitting snaps at the other end of the line.
Felix A Nominee Again
After taking both the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week award and the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his Week Two kickoff-return touchdown, Felix Jones is again in the running for the top rookie honors.
He finished Sunday's game in Green Bay with 76 rushing yards on six carries, including a 60-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys a 10-6 lead with 6:15 to go in the second quarter. He is the first Cowboys rookie to score a touchdown in each of his first three games, breaking Bob Hayes' mark of two, set in 1965.
Also nominated for the honors are Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Dolphins defensive end Phillip Merling and Texans running back Steve Slaton. Vote for the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week at http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=rookies.
Playing the Rating Game
Sunday's Cowboys vs. Packers game was the second-highest rated episode of Sunday Night Football in the NBC show's history. Only the 2007 opener, the Colts-Giants Manning Bowl had a higher rating, and technically it was played on a Thursday.
Sunday's game was watched by 22.2 million people around the country, just 400,000 short of the record set by Colts-Giants. The Manning Bowl probably didn't have the competition Sunday's game did however, as Cowboys-Packers was aired at the same time as the Emmy Awards and the Yankee Stadium finale.
Some of the game's potential viewers were drawn away by those shows, but the Cowboys game easily won the time slot. The Cowboys-Saints game from Dec. 10, 2006 drew 19.9 million viewers, fifth best in the history of Sunday Night Football.
Short Shots
Felix Jones played 13 snaps on offense Sunday, only two at the same time as starter Marion Barber. The two were actually in the backfield together just once, flanking Tony Romo in the shotgun formation . . . Packers cornerback Al Harris may be out for the season after rupturing his spleen during Sunday night's game . . . The Cowboys are 56-38-2 all-time against Washington, though they have split the last four meetings . . . A win Sunday would give the Cowboys their 11th 4-0 start in franchise history.
Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Josh Ellis - 
