Julius Jones did not have the monster game he had a year ago against Carolina, but in some ways he had a better game. He ran tough, picking up 92 yards on 24 carries. He got the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, thanks to a huge block by Kyle Kosier. The line continued to do a solid job, not getting bogged down after negative plays.
RUN DEFENSE
B+
After allowing Tiki Barber to go over the 100-yard mark, the Cowboys redeemed themselves by shutting down DeShaun Foster. Marcus Spears was more active than he had been in previous weeks, as was Akin Ayodele. The only poor play came when end Jay Ratliff bit on a run fake during Steve Smith's 24-yard reverse for a score.
PASS OFFENSE
B+
Except for one poor pass in the first quarter, which was intercepted and led to a touchdown, Tony Romo was efficient and more than a bus driver. The big three – Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn and Jason Witten – were involved. Witten and Owens had their biggest games. The line, dogged by many in recent weeks, gave up only two sacks.
PASS DEFENSE
B+
Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson were kept in check. Jake Delhomme did not complete a pass longer than 22 yards. However, the pass rush was lacking. Terence Newman spent most of the game blanketing Smith. Anthony Henry was called for two pass interference penalties on Johnson. Roy Williams' third interception of the season sealed it.
SPECIAL TEAMS
B+
The unit changed the game when Sam Hurd's fumble recovery (after Mike Vanderjagt's field goal had cut the Carolina lead to a point) set up the go-ahead touchdown. It made up for Vanderjagt's miss in the first quarter. Tyson Thompson helped get the momentum back in the first quarter with a 37-yard kickoff return, setting up a score.
COACHING
A
The offensive plan kept Romo out of bad positions, which was a must. Things could have turned sour for the Cowboys when they were trailing 14-0, but they remained calm and stuck with the running game. Defensively, they did not allow a big play, a nice change of pace. They attacked with the blitz but mostly relied on players to win one-on-one battles.
OVERALL
A
With Tony Romo making his first regular-season start at quarterback and a defense that had allowed too many big plays through six games, this had the makings of a bad night for the Cowboys. But they pulled out a win when they needed one most: at the start of a three-game road trip. The victory brought good feelings to a team that had been up and down through the first 1½ months of the season and faces a game at rival Washington next Sunday. Beating a team like the Panthers on the road is the type of result that could jump-start a team that is in need of a jump-start.
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