ARLINGTON, Texas - For the first time all season, the Cowboys dressed five receivers for a game. At least for now, it may stay that way.
That's because the Cowboys were able to get contributions out of all five receivers, whether it was on offense or special teams, or in Patrick Crayton's case, both.
But however you slice it, the receivers came up big in Dallas' convincing 38-17 win over the Seahawks here Sunday at Cowboys Stadium.
Miles Austin, fresh off 421 yards in his first two starts, again had a huge role, catching a touchdown - his fifth in three starts now - and drew two big pass interference penalties that led to touchdowns.
Sam Hurd scored his first touchdown since the 2007 season opener, taking a crossing route to the house for a 36-yard touchdown - his only catch of the game.
Roy Williams wasn't a huge factor, but did catch his second touchdown of the season on a slant pass just before halftime.
Crayton, who was demoted to the second-team offense because of Austin's emergence, filled his role as a slot receiver, catching three balls for 39 yards, mostly working the middle of the field. But his biggest play occurred on special teams, where he became just the second player in franchise history to return a punt for a touchdown in consecutive games. Crayton's 82-yard score in the fourth quarter easily put the game out of reach for the hapless Seahawks.
And if that wasn't enough, rookie Kevin Ogletree, playing just his second career game, had a catch in the fourth quarter and nearly squirted through the wave of defenders for an even bigger gain than his 19-yard reception. Ogletree also had a key block on Crayton's punt return for a touchdown.
"This was a big day for our receivers," Williams said. "Everybody scored except Ogletree, and he almost scored on that screen. So we had a good day overall - once again another team victory."
If there was one drawback regarding the receivers, it would be Williams and quarterback Tony Romo still having some problems communicating on the field. Even head coach Wade Phillips, who usually isn't that critical, especially after a win, commented on their lack of chemistry so far.
"I still see Roy and Romo - they're not on the same page yet. They're getting closer," Phillips said. "I just think it's a feel as far as some of the routes you can run, it depends on what the receiver does and it depends on what the quarterback sees to what the receiver does to what we do. We're still not quite there yet."
Maybe not, but at least the Cowboys are getting enough contributions from other receivers to pick up the slack.
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Nick Eatman - 
