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Week 4 Game Recap: St. Louis Rams 7, Dallas Cowboys 35
What you need to know
| St. Louis Rams |
QB Marc Bulger had another tough outing against the Cowboys. Entering the game with injured ribs, a banged up offensive line, and without his star RB, Bulger felt the pressure from the Cowboys from the opening kickoff. He failed to lead the Rams on any scoring drives and looked awfully tentative in the pocket. Bulger finished the game 11 of 24 for 114 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.
RB Steven Jackson missed the game with a groin injury, and rookie RB Brian Leonard got his first start of the season. Leonard didn't look bad, but was unable to get much going on the ground with 58 yards on 16 carries.
WR Torry Holt led the Rams with 52 yards on five receptions, but the St. Louis passing attack was neutralized by the Dallas secondary for most of the game.
The Rams defense was able to keep the game close in the first half, forcing one turnover and not giving Dallas any big play opportunities, but just wore down in the second half. The Cowboys came out of the locker room on fire in the second half, scoring 21 third quarter points against the Rams defense that was just on the field too much.
| Dallas Cowboys |
Dallas QB Tony Romo continued his early season abuse of opposing defenses, torching the St. Louis defense for 339 passing yards and three touchdowns. He did turn the ball over in the first half, but also led the club on two scoring drives, one of which he capped off with a 15 yard touchdown run of his own. Romo came out with guns blazing in the second half, throwing three third quarter touchdowns before being relieved in the fourth by backup QB Brad Johnson.
The running back by committee continued for Dallas, with RBs Julius Jones and Marion Barber splitting carries to combine for over 100 yards. Jones led the way with 13 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown, and Barber chipped in with 50 yards on eight attempts. Backup RB Tyson Thompson entered the game in the fourth quarter and chipped in with 47 yards on eight attempts.
Terrell Owens actually had a quiet game against the Rams with three catches for 33 yards, but Patrick Crayton delivered in a big way for Dallas, finishing with seven receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns.
The Dallas defense knew the Rams were beat up on the offensive line, and came into the game ready to impose their will on the St. Louis offense. They pressured QB Marc Bulger on nearly every pass play, blowing by the line and either forcing Bulger to rush his throws or finishing off plays with sacks. The Cowboys secondary was able to keep the Rams wideouts in check and limit any big plays downfield, and they were able to relax in the third quarter after their offense exploded to put the game away.
What you ought to know
| QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 11 - 24 - 114 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - -2 - 0 |
Bulger's struggles continued against Dallas, as Bulger was pressured all game long by the Cowboys defense, and seemed like a sitting duck behind his battered offensive line. He just did not look like the quarterback you're accustomed to seeing when you watch Bulger play, as his throws lacked both zip and accuracy and you could see the injured ribs were taking a toll on him. To his credit, though, Bulger tried to play through the pain and lead his club, but Dallas was too much. He finished 11 of 24 for 114 yards, no touchdowns and a bad interception in the end zone before giving way to backup QB Gus Frerotte.
| QB Gus Frerotte, Pass: 3 - 6 - 29 - 0 TD / 0 INT |
Frerotte entered the game in relief of Bulger after the game was out of reach, completing three of six passes for 29 yards.
| RB Brian Leonard, Rush: 16 - 58 - 0, Rec: 1 - 1 - 0 (2 targets) |
Leonard got the first start of his career for the injured Steven Jackson and led the Rams in rushing with 58 yards on 16 attempts. He seemed to be sure of himself when he hit the holes, but just did not have the burst to get into the second level of the Dallas defense for any big runs. His long for the game was just 11 yards and Leonard did not get much help from his offensive line. His only catch in the passing game went for a one yard game.
| RB Steven Jackson |
Jackson missed the game with a partial groin tear.
| WR Torry Holt, Rec: 5 - 52 - 0 (12 targets) |
Holt led the club in targets, with 12, and came down with five receptions for 52 yards. He wasn't helped much by the play of his injured quarterback and the Dallas defense did a great job containing Holt for most of the game. He did seem to be open on one of the Rams' trips in the red zone, but Bulger was sacked on the play and could not get the ball out quick enough to connect with him. Holt was targeted five times on third downs, showing he is still Bulger's go to receiver. He did have a fumble on a short pass completion, but was able to fall on the ball and retain possession.
| WR Drew Bennett, Rec: 2 - 20 - 0 (6 targets) |
Bennett was targeted six times, catching two passes for 20 yards. He did receive a target in the red zone on a third down play, but could not come down with the catch.
| WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 1 - 24 - 0 (3 targets) |
Bruce had a quiet game, catching just one pass for 24 yards on just three targets. Bruce was forced to leave the game with what seemed to be a hamstring injury, and the extent of the injury was not known immediately after the game.
| TE Randy McMichael, Rec: 3 - 24 - 0 (5 targets) |
McMichael was targeted five times, catching three passes for 24 yards.
| PK Jeff Wilkins 0 - 1 FG, 1 - 1 XP, 1 points |
Wilkins missed a 28 yard field goal attempt and kicked one extra point to finish the game with one point.
| STL Rush Defense |
The Rams rush defense could not stop the high powered Dallas offense, giving up 171 rushing yards (at 5.2 yards per carry) and two scores on the ground. With the ineffectiveness of their offense, the St. Louis defense was just on the field too much to be able to slow down the Cowboy offense.
DB Corey Chavous led the way with six solo tackles, one assist and a sack and LB Will Witherspoon added six solo tackles for the St. Louis defense.
| STL Pass Defense |
The Rams were able to keep the Dallas passing attack in check in the first half, and picked off a Tony Romo pass attempt that helped set up a field goal attempt for the offense. Unfortunately, K Jeff Wilkins missed the attempt on one of the few scoring opportunities the offense did have for the game. Where things went wrong for the St. Louis defense came in the third quarter, where they were burned for three touchdowns through the air that blew the game open. Their defensive backfield was beaten for three big plays against a Dallas offense that just kept coming at them, and there was nothing they could do to slow it down.
DB OJ Atogwe came through with the Rams only turnover in the game, intercepting a Romo pass at the end of the first quarter. Unfortunately for St. Louis, it all went downhill from there.
| QB Tony Romo, Pass: 21 - 33 - 339 - 3 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 24 - 1 |
Romo continued his strong play for the Cowboys, completing 21 of 33 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns through the air, along with 24 yards rushing and a score on the ground. Despite an interception in the first half, and the offense struggling to get going early on, Romo kept his cool and just continued to make plays. On one play in the first half, Romo was in the shotgun, and the snap was centered over his head. Romo juggled the ball after trying to pick it up, and when he got control, was able to turn what should have been a big loss into a short gain that resulted in a first down. He added a 15 yard touchdown run on a scramble play in the first half that put Dallas up 14-7 at halftime. In the third quarter, Romo exploded. He threw three touchdowns, two to WR Patrick Crayton from 59 and 37 yards out, and one to TE Jason Witten from 17 yards out to put the game away. Ahead 35-7, Romo gave way to backup Brad Johnson who finished out the game.
| QB Brad Johnson, Rush: 1 - -2 - 0 |
Johnson entered in the fourth quarter, and did not attempt a pass. He finished out the game handing the ball off and running out the clock.
| RB Julius Jones, Rush: 13 - 52 - 1, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) |
Jones led the Cowboys rushing attack, with 13 carries for 52 yards that included a two yard touchdown run on the club's first scoring drive of the game. He added one reception for 11 yards on his only target in the passing game. The touchdown run was a plus for Jones owners, because those short yardage scores usually go to his counterpart Barber.
| RB Marion Barber III, Rush: 8 - 50 - 0, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (3 targets) |
Barber split carries with Julius Jones, rushing for 50 yards on eight attempts, along with two receptions for 22 yards on three targets in the passing game. While Barber had just eight rushes, he still seems like the more talented, more productive runner. He did have a touchdown opportunity taken away from Jones, who scored from two yards out.
| RB Tyson Thompson, Rush: 8 - 47 - 0 |
Thompson entered the game in the fourth quarter, and made the most of his playing time, rushing for 47 yards on eight attempts.
| WR Patrick Crayton, Rec: 7 - 184 - 2 (7 targets) |
Crayton had the game of his career, catching seven passes for 184 yards and adding touchdowns from 59 and 37 yards out. He was targeted seven times, catching all seven passes. Four of his receptions resulted in first downs, to go along with the two touchdown receptions.
| WR Terrell Owens, Rec: 3 - 33 - 0 (9 targets) |
Owens had a quiet game from a numbers standpoint, with three receptions for 33 yards, but made a huge block downfield on Patrick Crayton's first touchdown reception. While he didn't put up big numbers, Owens was still the most targeted receiver with nine for the game.
| WR Terry Glenn |
Glenn missed the game and still has not played this year.
| TE Jason Witten, Rec: 6 - 71 - 1 (8 targets) |
Witten continued to be a reliable target for Romo, catching six of the eight passes thrown his way for 71 yards and a touchdown from 17 yards out. He was too much for the St. Louis defense over the middle, as they had no defender that could shut him down.
| PK Nick Folk 0 - 0 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 5 points |
Folk did not attempt a field goal in the game, but came through with five extra points to finish with five points.
| DAL Rush Defense |
The Cowboys defense did not have to worry about St. Louis RB Steven Jackson, who missed the game due to injury, and their aggressiveness showed in shutting down Jackson's replacement, RB Brian Leonard. For the game, they held the Rams to 62 yards on 3.0 yards per carry, and their long run for the game was just 11 yards.
DB Jacques Reeves led the club with five solo tackles and one assist and added a forced fumble.
| DAL Pass Defense |
The Dallas secondary played admirably, shutting down the St. Louis receivers and not allowing them to get anything going downfield. They were helped by the pressure the front seven was able to put on Marc Bulger, who was trying to escape the Dallas pressure all game long.
DB Ken Hamlin came down with an interception, and DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis chipped in with one and one a half sack, respectively.
