Week 1,For those that thought the Cowboys might not be worthy of all the preseason hype, they certainly gave every indication that they would be a definite contender during this 2008 season with a 28-10 win at Cleveland.While the stars of Dallas certainly lived up to their reputations, it was the work of a dominating offensive line that made the success possible. Flozell Adams, Corey Procter, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo simply dominated in the trenches.Behind the work of this mammoth front, the Cowboys passed for 320 yards and ran for another 167 with quarterback Tony Romo going 24-for-32 with a touchdown while running back Marion Barber rambled 80 yards on 16 carries before leaving the game to have his injured ribs examined.
Week 2,In a Monday night barn-burner for the ages, the last one to ever be played at the Cowboys' venerable home, Dallas and Philadelphia traded punches like two heavyweight prize fighters, the offenses racking up the yardage while both defenses fought desperately to stop the bleeding.Almost from the beginning, the game appeared set to come down to whoever had the ball last would win, the two teams trading the lead seven times during the night. But, after Tony Romo brought his team back from a fourth-quarter deficit, the Dallas defense finally held when they had to, securing a riveting 41-37 victory.
Week 3,The Dallas Cowboys traveled to Green Bay having never won a game at famed Lambeau Field, going winless in five previous appearances dating back to 1960. There was also the added pressure of facing a playoff-caliber team who had the same 2-0 record, not to mention visiting a Packers club with revenge on their minds after Dallas' 37-27 victory over Green Bay back in Texas in November of last year.And if that wasn't enough, the Packers were hosting alumni night with many of their hall-of-fame greats watching from the sidelines.But Dallas never let the sideshows distract them, handling the Packers and their venerable stadium for a comfortable 27-16 victory. It was a night where the team's change-of-pace versatility kept the Packers defense guessing and eventually defeated.
Week 4, In their last 12 meetings here at Texas Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys had defeated their NFC East rivals, the Washington Redskins, in 11 of those matchups. The lone loss came in 2005 and was due in large part to Redskins' wide receiver Santana Moss.And while Moss, with his 145 yards in receiving, again had a hand in defeating Dallas 26-24,the real battle was won on the ground. Washington, behind the strength of running back Clinton Portis, totaled 161 yards rushing and maintained possession for 38:09 while the Cowboys managed just 44 yards in the running game, holding onto the ball for only 21:51.
Week 5,While it wasn't exactly pretty, and may have raised concerns in other areas - namely untimely interceptions, difficulties on the kickoff return coverage and a trend that has seen the team outscored by 13 points combined this year in the second quarter - at least those original questions were seemingly put to rest in the Cowboys' 31-22 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Cowboys got their ground game going with Barber and Jones combining for 180 of the team's 198 rushing yards while three different receivers also caught touchdown passes as quarterback Tony Romo went 14-23 for 176 yards.
Week 6,It was almost a tale of two halves. The first an uncharacteristic sloppy one that saw the high-powered offenses for both teams stumble their way through bad plays, turnovers and penalties. The second bringing out more of the point production that was supposed to make this a high-scoring shootout.In the end, it was the Cardinals who came out on top in exciting fashion, blocking an overtime punt attempt and walking the recovery into the end zone to take the 30-24 victory.
Week 7,After a crazy week of injuries, a suspension and the acquisition of a new star player, the Dallas Cowboys were hoping that backup quarterback Brad Johnson, starting in place of the injured Tony Romo, could just hold down the fort against St. Louis. After all, this was a Rams team that was only 1-4 and had seen its own share of frustrations and changes this season.But in the end, it would be the Cowboys who would continue to struggle as they fell to 4-3 on the season with a 34-14 defeat that the Rams made look easy. And while the finger could obviously be pointed at Johnson and an offense that rarely seemed in sync, the defense and special teams units didn't provide much help either on this day.
Week 8,With the Cowboys hampered by injuries and the bitter taste of last week's offensive ineffectiveness still fresh in their mouths, the team came into this game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needing a boost from their defense.And in this 13-9 Cowboys victory, they got it.Week 9,Nine penalties for 55 yards, seven of which were charged to the defense and special teams, and four Dallas turnovers, three in the first half that resulted in 14 Giants points, paved the way for an easy 35-14 victory for New York. The loss dropped the Cowboys to 5-4 on the season, three games behind the first place Giants in the NFC East, all but assuring that Dallas will need a Wild Card berth to reach the playoffs.
Bye Week,Sun,Nov 9
Week 10,For the last month, the Dallas Cowboys had been anxiously waiting for the bye week to come and go, knowing that this Nov. 14 game at FedExField against the Washington Redskins would see the return of several of their injured players.Some considered it all hype, stressing that there were more problems to this Cowboys team than the return of a few healthy players could fix. But in a game that saw Dallas outlast their NFC East rivals,14-10, the impact of their returnees, Tony Romo, Terence Newman and even Kyle Kosier could not go unnoticed.Week 11,It took a little while for the Dallas Cowboys offense to wake up, a full quarter to be exact, but once they finally did get going, the outcome over the San Francisco 49ers was basically never in doubt. The Cowboys managed only 25 yards of offense in the first 15 minutes, but after a 75-yard scoring strike from quarterback Tony Romo to wide receiver Terrell Owens just three plays into the second quarter gave the team the lead, they never looked back, going on to a convincing 35-22 victory.Week 12,In order to keep their march towards the playoffs alive, the Dallas Cowboys knew they had to take care of business against an overmatched Seattle Seahawks squad.And they did just that on the field,defeating their opponents 34-9 in the final Thanksgiving Day game to be played at Texas Stadium.
Week 13,Turnovers were the story for the Dallas Cowboys in their 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a frigid day at Heinz Field. There were five in all, three interceptions and two fumbles.Week 14,In a week defined by words - reports of verbal dissention inside the Cowboys' locker room leading up to the season's most critical game yet - Romo's subtle gesture spoke volumes.The only message that mattered Sunday night was his team's growing playoff chances following a 20-8 victory over the NFC East champion New York Giants, who have lost two straight and look less and less like a Super Bowl juggernaut without wide receiver Plaxico Burress.
Week 15, Four decades of Cowboys alumni, each wearing a personal honorary jersey, huddled in the tunnel and greeted the current players as they filed into the locker room. Ring of Honor inductee Lee Roy Jordan shook hands with tight end Jason Witten before he limped through the door on a sprained knee.Witten and his teammates wish they could have given their predecessors - and 38-year old Texas Stadium - a better send-off.Instead, Baltimore Ravens running backs Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain provided the lasting images from Saturday's farewell game - two devastating touchdown runs in the final four minutes that squashed a potential Cowboys rally and handed the hosts a playoff-damaging 33-24 loss.Week 16,The Dallas Cowboys' worst-case scenario for Sunday's regular-season finale grew into an ugly reality.First, the Philadelphia Eagles learned 15 minutes before kickoff that they, too, could clinch the NFC's final playoff spot after getting the necessary inter-conference help earlier in the day.Then they stole the postseason from the Cowboys. In stunning fashion.A season that began with championship aspirations dissolved into a season-ending 44-6 loss at Lincoln Financial Field, the Cowboys' worst margin of defeat (38 points) in 20 years.There will be no Super Bowl appearance. Not even a chance to end the franchise's 12-year stretch without a playoff win.
Wild Card Weekend,Saturday's Games(AFC-Team1,Team2,Team1,Team2)Sunday's Games(NFC-Team1,Team2,Team1,Team2)Divisional Playoff,Saturday's Games(NFC-Team1,Team2)(AFC-Team1,Team2)Sunday's Games(NFC-Team1,Team2,)(AFC-Team1,Team2,)Conference Playoff,Winners NFC(Team)AFC (Team)
