MrMom
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Penalties, penalties, penalties
Todd Archer/Reporter
Wade Phillips was proud to say the Cowboys had the fewest penalties in the NFL through two games. Well, they had nine on Monday for 80 yards.
The Cowboys had six games last year with at least nine penalties, but that can't happen this year if they want to be successful. They have to stop making things so difficult on them. If they could get out of their own way at times, then they could breathe a lot easier.
It wasn't so much the how many, but the when that hurt the Cowboys the most Monday.
We delve into the nine penalties after the jump.
Penalty #1 - Marvin White holding on a punt return.
What happened: Instead of starting at the 21, the Cowboys start at the 11. Drives of 80 yards are not easy. Drives of 90 yards are even harder.
Penalty #2 - Martellus Bennett holding
What happened: Felix Jones' 3-yard gain to the Carolina 37 is wiped out, pushing the Cowboys back to midfield for a first-and-20.
The result: The Cowboys are out of field goal range and get back to the Carolina 38 after three plays forcing a punt.
Penalty #3 - Felix Jones leg whip
What happened: Instead of a second and 10 from the Dallas 47, the Cowboys face first and 25 from their 32.
Penalty #4 - Marc Colombo holding
What happened - Even after Jones' penalty, the Cowboys were in position for a first down with a 19-yard catch by Patrick Crayton. Colombo grabbed Damione Lewis for an instant as Tony Romo scrambled and was caught.
The result: With Crayton's catch, they would have had momentum and inched closer to field goal range. Instead they were eventually forced to punt.
Penalty #5 - Flozell Adams false start.
What happened - Going against speed rushers, you have to live with false starts at times. This was one of those and the Cowboys picked up 40 yards on the next play.
Penalty #6 - John Phillips false start
What happened - The rookie flinched at the goal line, killing a potential fourth-down try from the Carolina 1 where the Cowboys could have tied the score with a touchdown.
The result: Nick Folk connects on a 24-yard field goal attempt to cut the score to 7-3.
Penalty #7 - Flozell Adams false start.
What happened - It appeared as if this one might fall on Romo for changing something at the line because Jason Witten flinched on the right side as well.
The result: Instead of third and 6 from the Dallas 49 it was third and 11, which they converted anyway, leading eventual to a Folk field goal.
Penalty #8 - Sam Hurd illegal block above the waist
What happened - Instead of starting at their 30 the Cowboys are at their 20, and those 10 yards meant something later in the drive.
Penalty #9 - Tony Romo grounding
What happened: Jon Beason came untouched on a blitz, forcing Romo to throw the ball away to an open space. After conferring for what seemed like forever, the officials called it grounding.
The result: The Cowboys went from a makeable third-and-8 to third-and-18 from the Carolina 47 and were pushed out of field goal range after a 9-yard Romo scramble.
