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It was a game of streaks, as the Rams proved to be a much more potent foe than most Cowboys fans expected.
It was almost over for the Dallas Cowboys in the first half. The St. Louis Rams came out on the first drive and marched effortlessly down the field for a touchdown. DeMarco Murray fumbled for the third time in three games (all in the opening quarter) which the Rams capitalized for another touchdown. Then Tony Romo threw a pick six where he seemed to feel the pressure of the rush a bit too much, completely losing sight of Janoris Jenkins.
The offensive line Dallas fans have so much faith in was getting pushed around. The defense could not get a stop. Dallas' run game was being stymied. Another new, young quarterback was making pinpoint passes all over the field. Down 21-0, the game looked to be out of hand in the second quarter. It would take a comeback like Dallas had never managed before.
Last year, we know what would have happened. But this year, things are a little different, and the Cowboys would climb back all the way to win the game.
It would have been easy for the Cowboys to give up, but they didn't. First, with a little help from a pass interference call in the end zone, Dallas got a touchdown on a Murray run. A bad snap inside two minutes by the Rams let the Cowboys add a field goal. Then to open the second half Tony Romo went play-action. The Rams completely blew coverage and let Dez Bryant get open by about twenty yards, and he scored perhaps the easiest Dallas touchdown of the season.
Although the defense was still having trouble getting off the field, they came up huge on a fourth and inches deep at the Dallas 15. Anthony Hitchens, filling in for the injured Rolando McClain, stuffed the run. Dallas then got another field goal from Dan Bailey, and the lead was cut to one point, 21-20.
The Rams came right back, moving quickly down the field, but Jared Cook had a touchdown pass bounce off his fingers and the Rams had to settle for a field goal to make it 24-20.
Then, for perhaps the first time this season, a little of the Tony Romo of old emerged. Facing a third and thirteen at his own 13-yard line, Romo faced a three-man rush. The Rams had the receivers covered, but they left a lot of empty space in front of the quarterback, and he scrambled for fifteen yards, throwing in a little juke to get the final five yards. A pass interference call on Bryant helped the team get into place for a touchdown to Terrance Williams, and Dallas had it's first lead of the game at 27-24.
The defense then had its best moment, and Davis made perhaps his biggest mistake of the day, losing track of Bruce Carter, who intercepted the ball at the 25 and streaked to the end zone to boost the lead to 10 at 34-24. Carter was all over the field and looked much more like the player we thought he was.
It was a comeback that frankly had looked impossible early in the game, but the game was not yet over. The Rams would again show that they could move through the Dallas defense at will, marching down the field to score a touchdown with under three minutes left in the game. Clinging to a three point lead, it was looking grim as the Cowboys were unable to extend the drive even with the help of a questionable defensive holding call. It came down to whether the Dallas defense could finally hold the Rams.
And with a big play, Morris Claiborne did just that. He had been abused for much of the game, but he picked off Davis with only 1:02 left. The Rams had no timeouts, and Dallas got out of St. Louis with a difficult come from behind win.
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