For the sixth straight game, Julius Jones did not average four yards a carry, but Bill Parcells is resting him for the stretch run. Marion Barber ran for a season-high 83 yards on 16 carries. After struggling against the Colts' similar defense, the Cowboys simplified their blocking scheme. They finished with 137 yards (on 37 carries), with 101 coming in the second half – when the Bucs knew the Cowboys were trying to run out the clock.
RUN DEFENSE
C
Carnell Williams averaged 4.6 yards per carry and broke a number of tackles for big gains, but the Bucs had the ball for only 6:49 in the second half. Bradie James and Jason Ferguson were stout up the middle, as usual, but when Ferguson was not in the game the Bucs had some success. The defense has 10 days to get ready for the only runner to have more than 100 yards against it – the Giants' Tiki Barber – with the NFC East title possibly at stake.
PASS OFFENSE
A
As good as Tony Romo's game was, it could have been better. He missed Terry Glenn with a deep ball on the first drive because he didn't put enough air under the ball. Still, Romo set a Texas Stadium record for a Cowboys quarterback with five touchdown passes to three receivers. Marion Barber had the first two touchdown catches of his career, and Terrell Owens had his eighth touchdown catch of the season. Terry Glenn had Nos. 5 and 6.
PASS DEFENSE
B+
Seeing Joey Galloway grab a 53-yard catch on the opening drive was the only negative. Roy Williams came back two drives later with an interception on a deep pass intended for the former Cowboy. The turnover led to a touchdown. In the second quarter, Anthony Henry came up with a big deflection of what could have been a touchdown for Galloway. Bucs rookie Bruce Gradkowski had a ridiculously low passer rating (29.2).
SPECIAL TEAMS
B
Terence Newman came within inches of returning a punt all the way but settled for 24 yards. That return set up the Cow- boys' first touch- down. Mike Vanderjagt made his only field goal try (22 yards), drawing a mock cheer from the sellout crowd – still upset about his two misses Sunday against the Colts. Rookie Miles Austin had a 34-yard kick return. The kickoff coverage unit allowed 22.5 yards per return and was nearly scored on with the score tied.
COACHING
A
Bill Parcells said some coaches wondered if he had worked them too hard the day after Dallas beat the Colts, but he followed the same plan that nearly worked a year ago against Denver. The defensive coaches deserve credit for a plan that was vastly different than the one devised to stop Indianapolis. They got more players into the mix even before it became a blowout. And the Cowboys attacked the Bucs' poor secondary and never let up.
OVERALL
A
For the first time under Bill Parcells, the Cowboys won all three games during their 11-day stretch that ends on Thanksgiving. As a result, the Cowboys are in a position to control their fate for the rest of the season. Aside from an early breakdown defensively that resulted in a 53-yard completion and a sack on the offense's first drive, the Cowboys were dominant. The offense gained a season-high 435 yards and the defense allowed only 211 yards – the second-best outing of the season.
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