Dallas Cowboys 21, Carolina Panthers 7

by PegNews wire

ARLINGTON — The Dallas Cowboys finally got their first home win in the exalted new digs Monday night, defeating the Carolina Panthers 21-7. The win improved Dallas to 2-1 on the season, good for second in the ultra-competitive NFC East.

Photo not provided by the Dallas Cowboys

The win was cause for celebration in the owner's skybox.

For the Cowboys, the game could have been broken in two halves: a frustrating, scoreless first half followed by a dominating second that ultimately proved too much for the 0-3 Panthers. For the first 30 minutes of the game, Dallas' offense was incapable of scoring while their defense was incapable of making a basic tackle, and the Cowboys found themselves in a 0-7 hole after Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme woke up in the final minute of the second quarter and shredded Dallas' secondary for a late touchdown.

The second half, however, was grade-A Cowboys football, as the offense put up 14 points and the defense sealed the deal with a fourth-quarter touchdown of their own. For the game, Dallas outgained Carolina by nearly 200 yards and fifteen minutes of possession, while running for 212 yards.

Photo not provided by the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas secondary kept the Panthers bottled up in the second half.

Felix Jones was phenomenal, rushing eight times for 94 yards but injuring his knee on a 40-yard run that set up a score. Jones became the first running back since Bo Jackson in 1987 to run for 400 yards on fewer than 50 career carries.

After Jones left the game, Tashard Choice picked up the slack, carrying the ball 18 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. Cowboys QB Tony Romo also bounced back from last week's terrible outing, going 22-for-33 for 255 yards, and no touchdowns or interceptions.

More importantly, in the second half the Dallas defense finally woke up, stopping Carolina on two key three-and-outs early and icing the win with a Terence Newman interception in the fourth quarter to make it a two-touchdown game.

The Cowboys next game is on the road in Denver, facing a 3-0 Broncos team which has beaten some of the easiest opponents in the NFL (Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Oakland).

Posted by Todd M.