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IRVING, Texas - Terrell Owens got to spend three hours up close and personal with Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs on Sunday afternoon. That personal touch meant frustration most of the day for Owens, who didn't get a real chance to get involved until the second half of the Cowboys' 26-24 loss to the Washington Redskins at Texas Stadium.
Owens only had one catch for seven yards in the first half, the Cowboys needing to kick a last-second field goal to draw within seven, 17-10 at halftime. He would finish with 7 catches for 71 yards and one touchdown, somewhat imparting his will on the game.
"It's no secret, when I get the ball things move, we move," said Owens, who was held to just two catches for 17 yards in last Sunday night's victory over Green Bay. "If not, you see a stagnate in the offense."
Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said the Cowboys had to take what the Redskins were giving them, which meant altering the game plan and making changes due to the heavy coverage on Owens and their ability to handle the Cowboys' normally potent game.
"They do a good job in their man-to-man coverage. Their corners are physical, they climb up all over the receivers," Garrett said.
Quarterback Tony Romo said the Redskins did a good job in one-on-one match-ups, pressuring the team's wide receivers. While Romo did end up throwing for 300 yards for the 13th time in his career, the Cowboys were unable to come up with any trademark big plays.
"You can't take anything away from them," he said. "I don't know that there was anything exact, you just got to win some one-on-one matchups, whether it's me throwing in a tight window or whether it's a receiver getting around."
Owens, who said last week that he didn't mind getting fewer touches when the team wins, was frustrated he didn't get enough opportunities to make plays.
"Most of the time, I was getting in my routes and coming out of them, the ball was already going in another direction," he said. "They were really congesting the middle, played a lot of bump and runs, safety over top."
No New Injuries
Some good news to come out of Sunday's loss was no Cowboys player sustained any serious injuries.
Linebacker Greg Ellis described what happened as a twist, but not a sprain or anything serious.
"It felt like somebody kicked me. It got stretched or something like that; it wasn't my Achilles," he said, referencing his injury from two seasons ago. "I felt the pain and stayed out for one or two plays and then came back in and that was it."
Ellis is expected to fully participate in all practices this week.
Safety Patrick Watkins tweaked his right shoulder, but said he didn't feel any pain and it just got "dinged up" in the game. He is also expected to practice this coming week.
Nose tackle Tank Johnson played Sunday after being listed as questionable on Friday with a sore right ankle.
Sunday's game was the first one back for wide receiver Sam Hurd after suffering a high ankle sprain in the final preseason game against the Vikings. Hurd finished the game with no receptions.
James Shines In Loss
With the Cowboys 3-0 heading into Sunday's game, defensive coordinator Brian Stewart was asked what under-the-radar defender was playing really well. His answer: Linebacker Bradie James.
Sunday, James' play was a secret no longer, the sixth-year LSU linebacker flashing all over the field. In the official stat book he finished with 10 total tackles and a pass defense. He played tight defense on the Redskins' Chris Cooley on a first quarter play, batting down a pass to the tight end to force a third-and-long situation.
Four of James' tackles were solos. Fellow middle linebacker Zach Thomas led the team with 12. For a defense that allowed 164 rushing yards, it's hard to find strength anywhere in the front seven, but James play-making was obvious.
Not surprisingly, personal success was no consolation following the tough loss.
"This one hurt because it's the next one," James said, downplaying a rivalry factor. "We have to get this one out of our system, take what we can from it and move on."
- Josh Ellis
The One That Got Away
Last summer, Wade Phillips gave receiver Sam Hurd an important lesson as the Cowboys worked on onside kicks during training camp. If you can't get the ball yourself, knock it back in so someone else can fall on it.
Good advice, it turned out, because Hurd batted the ball to keep it from going out of bounds in the closing seconds of a dramatic win over Buffalo last year. Sunday's loss to Washington had all the makings of a sequel.
The Cowboys were all out of timeouts after driving for a touchdown to shave Washington's lead to two. All they needed was a field goal, but first they would have to perfectly execute the onside kick. Nick Folk gave Hurd a chance with his kick, but the ball was just a bit too high, skimming Hurd's fingertips before going out of bounds. If nothing else the Cowboys' two-minute drill and their history of converting onside kicks at least gave Washington a reason to worry.
"I don't know if I have a headache from calling plays or from watching the clock," Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. "It was a very, very difficult game to watch at the end there."
- Josh Ellis
Redskins At Texas Stadium, By The Book
Assuming the two teams don't meet here in the playoffs, Sunday's game was the last for the Redskins at Texas Stadium. There was no George Allen ripping down signs at the end of the game and Clint Longley didn't make an appearance, but Sunday was a noteworthy day in the stadium's timeline nonetheless.
The Cowboys won the all-time series at the open-roofed venue 26-10, and outscored Washington 877-612 over the years. The win Sunday was just Washington's second in their last 13 games in Irving. Some Texas Stadium series records:
- Passing - Jason Campbell (348), Nov. 18, 2007
- Rushing - Emmitt Smith (155), Nov. 28, 1996
- Receiving - Terrell Owens (173), Nov. 18, 2007
- Points - Dallas (44), Sept. 9, 1985
- Total Yards - Dallas (507), Nov. 23, 1978
- Josh Ellis
Short Shots
The Cowboys ran out of time when trying to mount a fourth quarter comeback. The reason? The Redskins had the ball more than one quarter more than the Cowboys. Final time of possession - Washington 38:09, Dallas 21:51 . . . With a two-point Washington win, 38 of the 97 meetings between the two teams have been won by a touchdown or less . . . Dallas has now lost five of the past seven encounters between the two teams.
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