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Surrendering ground
Cowboys prove to be better team
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 21, 2008
Green Bay - The Dallas Cowboys brought the Green Bay Packers back to reality Sunday night at Lambeau Field.
Bludgeoning their way behind the inside-outside rushing combination of Marion Barber and Felix Jones, the Cowboys left no doubt which was the better team in a 27-16 victory.
Barber powered for 142 yards in 28 carries and Jones sped for 76 in six as the Cowboys rolled up 217 yards on the ground and 453 overall in an impressive display of offensive muscle and balance.
Dallas improved to 3-0, winning its first game ever in Green Bay after five defeats. Now 12-1 in its last 13 road games, the Cowboys joined the New York Giants as the teams without a defeat in the NFC.
"It was a big game and a great measuring stick for our football team," coach Mike McCarthy said. "The Dallas Cowboys are farther ahead than we are right now. And that's the facts. And it's Week 3.
"How far ahead? Time will answer that question."
The Packers were 2-9 against Dallas during the 16-year career of Brett Favre. His successor, Aaron Rodgers, had a long, dreary, mistake-punctuated night, finishing with a passer rating of 80.1 and going down five times on sacks.
"I thought (Rodgers) was steady, for the most part," McCarthy said. "He was in some tough situations. We just weren't very sharp in the red zone or on third down."
Offense was only part of the problem for the Packers. Their defense caved in against the Cowboys' offensive line, the largest in the league, and their special teams committed a flock of penalties and didn't get much of a lift from punter Derrick Frost.
"Any time someone runs for over 200 yards that's significant," said McCarthy. "We made some mistakes, particularly on the long run (by Jones). It was an alignment error. They were able to run the ball for four quarters and kind of wear our defense down."
Home wreckers
The Packers had been on a 20-4 roll under McCarthy, including an 11-2 mark in his last 13 appearances at Lambeau Field.
"It's frustrating, it's disappointing losing at Lambeau," McCarthy said. "I don't like it, that's for sure. I definitely thought we had that going in the right direction."
After a fast-paced first half, the Cowboys' 3-4 defense took command of the line of scrimmage.
Dallas' power-based pass rush gradually wore down the Packers' offensive line, and Rodgers was left scrambling against constant pressure and bolting the pocket somewhat prematurely on other occasions.
Quarterback Tony Romo blew the game open with two long completions to speedster Miles Austin, the Cowboys' No. 3 wide receiver. First, Austin took advantage of a lapse in coverage by Nick Collins for a 63-yard bomb, and then he beat Tramon Williams for a 52-yard touchdown.
The Packers set up their defense to stop the pass in the first half. Coordinator Bob Sanders assigned Charles Woodson to Terrell Owens and then had Collins provide help over the top.
In addition, Brandon Chillar started at strongside linebacker for Brady Poppinga, a move to get a faster player in coverage against tight end Jason Witten.
"(Chillar) gave us a little added dimension in the passing game," general manager Ted Thompson said. "You've got to design defenses for (Witten) because they go to him so much."
The strategy succeeded in reducing Owens' role. He caught two of the four first-half passes thrown to him for 17 yards.
It failed to stop Witten, who had seven receptions for 67 yards in the game.
Ground into submission
And it also made the Packers extremely vulnerable to the run. The Cowboys exploited Chillar, who is less powerful at the point of attack than Poppinga, and had 149 yards rushing in the first half alone.
"Barber is a really good running back," said Thompson. "They knocked us back a little bit. The big run by Felix is what hurt us."
Jones, the rookie from Arkansas, took a handoff left midway in the second quarter and broke into the clear when Woodson missed the tackle eight yards downfield. Jones turned the corner when Witten handled Michael Montgomery by himself at the point.
Charlie Peprah, who was subbing for Collins, gave up the sideline and Jones was gone.
"He's unbelievable fast," Thompson said. "He did that at Arkansas. He seemed to get out there (to the edge) pretty fast."
The Packers got off to a terrible start when Ryan Grant fumbled on the second play and the Cowboys took possession at the Green Bay 14. But the defense held and Nick Folk kicked a 25-yard field goal.
Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for completions worth 26 and 18 yards, giving Green Bay first down at the Dallas 11. But after Grant gained 1 and Donald Lee caught a pass for 3, cornerback Anthony Henry sacked Rodgers for minus-11 when the quarterback held the ball too long.
After Dallas drove from its 19 to a third-and-13 at the Green Bay 14, Collins stepped in front of a forced pass from Romo to Witten in the end zone and returned the interception 61 yards to the Dallas 43.
"He's got those kind of skills," Thompson said of Collins, who returned a pick 42 yards for a touchdown last week. "If he didn't get it, I think Aaron (Rouse) would have."
Lacking finish
But from there, the Packers' red-zone problems persisted.
Rodgers made a great play on third and 7, eluding a dead-to-rights sack by nose tackle Jay Ratliff and throwing off balance to Jennings for 14 and a first down at the 26.
Then Rodgers threw errantly between two receivers and, on third and 4 couldn't connect with James Jones on a slant at the 12. Jones had a chance to make the catch but Adam Jones appeared to dig it out as Jones hit the ground.
Dallas increased its lead to 13-6 at halftime on Folk's 39-yard field goal. The drive stalled when Cullen Jenkins beat tackle Flozell Adams inside and sacked Romo for minus-5 on second down.
The Packers made their third trip inside the red zone early in the third quarter. Spelling Grant, Brandon Jackson ripped off three carries for 20 yards. Then Driver beat Adam Jones badly on a double move, hauling in a 50-yard bomb to the 8.
After Grant gained 2, Rodgers ran into one sack and then Henry came off the right side unblocked for an 8-yard sack. Crosby's 33-yard field goal made it 13-9.
The Cowboys increased their lead to 20-9 on Barber's 2-yard run. Miles Austin appeared to surprise Collins with his blazing speed, outrunning the safety for 63 yards to the 3.
Late in the third quarter, the Cowboys committed two penalties and had to punt on fourth and 33 from their 15. Mat McBriar got off a 65-yarder and, coupled with an unnecessary roughness penalty on rookie Jermichael Finley, the Packers were forced to start from their 13.
On third and 20, Romo lobbed a 52-yard touchdown pass to Austin, who adjusted better than Tramon Williams when the ball came down tight to the sideline at the 12.
Cowboys prove to be better team
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Sept. 21, 2008
Green Bay - The Dallas Cowboys brought the Green Bay Packers back to reality Sunday night at Lambeau Field.
Bludgeoning their way behind the inside-outside rushing combination of Marion Barber and Felix Jones, the Cowboys left no doubt which was the better team in a 27-16 victory.
Barber powered for 142 yards in 28 carries and Jones sped for 76 in six as the Cowboys rolled up 217 yards on the ground and 453 overall in an impressive display of offensive muscle and balance.
Dallas improved to 3-0, winning its first game ever in Green Bay after five defeats. Now 12-1 in its last 13 road games, the Cowboys joined the New York Giants as the teams without a defeat in the NFC.
"It was a big game and a great measuring stick for our football team," coach Mike McCarthy said. "The Dallas Cowboys are farther ahead than we are right now. And that's the facts. And it's Week 3.
"How far ahead? Time will answer that question."
The Packers were 2-9 against Dallas during the 16-year career of Brett Favre. His successor, Aaron Rodgers, had a long, dreary, mistake-punctuated night, finishing with a passer rating of 80.1 and going down five times on sacks.
"I thought (Rodgers) was steady, for the most part," McCarthy said. "He was in some tough situations. We just weren't very sharp in the red zone or on third down."
Offense was only part of the problem for the Packers. Their defense caved in against the Cowboys' offensive line, the largest in the league, and their special teams committed a flock of penalties and didn't get much of a lift from punter Derrick Frost.
"Any time someone runs for over 200 yards that's significant," said McCarthy. "We made some mistakes, particularly on the long run (by Jones). It was an alignment error. They were able to run the ball for four quarters and kind of wear our defense down."
Home wreckers
The Packers had been on a 20-4 roll under McCarthy, including an 11-2 mark in his last 13 appearances at Lambeau Field.
"It's frustrating, it's disappointing losing at Lambeau," McCarthy said. "I don't like it, that's for sure. I definitely thought we had that going in the right direction."
After a fast-paced first half, the Cowboys' 3-4 defense took command of the line of scrimmage.
Dallas' power-based pass rush gradually wore down the Packers' offensive line, and Rodgers was left scrambling against constant pressure and bolting the pocket somewhat prematurely on other occasions.
Quarterback Tony Romo blew the game open with two long completions to speedster Miles Austin, the Cowboys' No. 3 wide receiver. First, Austin took advantage of a lapse in coverage by Nick Collins for a 63-yard bomb, and then he beat Tramon Williams for a 52-yard touchdown.
The Packers set up their defense to stop the pass in the first half. Coordinator Bob Sanders assigned Charles Woodson to Terrell Owens and then had Collins provide help over the top.
In addition, Brandon Chillar started at strongside linebacker for Brady Poppinga, a move to get a faster player in coverage against tight end Jason Witten.
"(Chillar) gave us a little added dimension in the passing game," general manager Ted Thompson said. "You've got to design defenses for (Witten) because they go to him so much."
The strategy succeeded in reducing Owens' role. He caught two of the four first-half passes thrown to him for 17 yards.
It failed to stop Witten, who had seven receptions for 67 yards in the game.
Ground into submission
And it also made the Packers extremely vulnerable to the run. The Cowboys exploited Chillar, who is less powerful at the point of attack than Poppinga, and had 149 yards rushing in the first half alone.
"Barber is a really good running back," said Thompson. "They knocked us back a little bit. The big run by Felix is what hurt us."
Jones, the rookie from Arkansas, took a handoff left midway in the second quarter and broke into the clear when Woodson missed the tackle eight yards downfield. Jones turned the corner when Witten handled Michael Montgomery by himself at the point.
Charlie Peprah, who was subbing for Collins, gave up the sideline and Jones was gone.
"He's unbelievable fast," Thompson said. "He did that at Arkansas. He seemed to get out there (to the edge) pretty fast."
The Packers got off to a terrible start when Ryan Grant fumbled on the second play and the Cowboys took possession at the Green Bay 14. But the defense held and Nick Folk kicked a 25-yard field goal.
Rodgers hit Greg Jennings for completions worth 26 and 18 yards, giving Green Bay first down at the Dallas 11. But after Grant gained 1 and Donald Lee caught a pass for 3, cornerback Anthony Henry sacked Rodgers for minus-11 when the quarterback held the ball too long.
After Dallas drove from its 19 to a third-and-13 at the Green Bay 14, Collins stepped in front of a forced pass from Romo to Witten in the end zone and returned the interception 61 yards to the Dallas 43.
"He's got those kind of skills," Thompson said of Collins, who returned a pick 42 yards for a touchdown last week. "If he didn't get it, I think Aaron (Rouse) would have."
Lacking finish
But from there, the Packers' red-zone problems persisted.
Rodgers made a great play on third and 7, eluding a dead-to-rights sack by nose tackle Jay Ratliff and throwing off balance to Jennings for 14 and a first down at the 26.
Then Rodgers threw errantly between two receivers and, on third and 4 couldn't connect with James Jones on a slant at the 12. Jones had a chance to make the catch but Adam Jones appeared to dig it out as Jones hit the ground.
Dallas increased its lead to 13-6 at halftime on Folk's 39-yard field goal. The drive stalled when Cullen Jenkins beat tackle Flozell Adams inside and sacked Romo for minus-5 on second down.
The Packers made their third trip inside the red zone early in the third quarter. Spelling Grant, Brandon Jackson ripped off three carries for 20 yards. Then Driver beat Adam Jones badly on a double move, hauling in a 50-yard bomb to the 8.
After Grant gained 2, Rodgers ran into one sack and then Henry came off the right side unblocked for an 8-yard sack. Crosby's 33-yard field goal made it 13-9.
The Cowboys increased their lead to 20-9 on Barber's 2-yard run. Miles Austin appeared to surprise Collins with his blazing speed, outrunning the safety for 63 yards to the 3.
Late in the third quarter, the Cowboys committed two penalties and had to punt on fourth and 33 from their 15. Mat McBriar got off a 65-yarder and, coupled with an unnecessary roughness penalty on rookie Jermichael Finley, the Packers were forced to start from their 13.
On third and 20, Romo lobbed a 52-yard touchdown pass to Austin, who adjusted better than Tramon Williams when the ball came down tight to the sideline at the 12.
