Cowboys vs. Dolphins: What Went Right, What Went Wrong

We review the Dallas Cowboys victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, determining what went right and what went wrong.

That sound you hear is the sound of millions of Dallas Cowboys fans exhaling. After the long dark autumn of life without quarterback Tony Romo, the Cowboys have finally stepped back into the shining light of the most prolific passer in franchise history.

Dallas coughed up an early two touchdown lead against the Miami Dolphins, but they were able to rally back and win by 10 points. After winning for the first time in two months, let’s take a look at what went right and what didn’t for the Cowboys on Sunday against the Dolphins.

What Went Right

The Cowboys defense played their best game in some time on Sunday in South Florida. The team was mostly dominant on the day. Miami had 11 possessions in Sunday’s game and Dallas forced a punt on seven of those drives. Couple that with an interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Rolando McClain, and a fourth down sack on the games final play and you have the type of performance the Cowboys haven’t seen from the defense in nearly eight weeks.

Perhaps the best number for the Dallas defenders is the fact that they held Miami to only nine first downs n the game. If the Cowboys can count on their defense to come through like they did on Sunday on a consistent basis, they will have a good shot at staying relevant down the stretch.

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Dallas was able to get back to running the football effectively against the ‘Phins after a down performance in Week 10 against Tampa Bay. The Cowboys were lead once again by lead back Darren McFadden who rushed 29 times for 129 yards, and the team was able to control the clock because of it. Give a lot of credit to the offensive line in this one as they opened running lanes for McFadden and the newly signed Robert Turbin. Turbin finally gave Dallas a capable number two back to spell McFadden and had 35 yards on seven carries in his first game as a Cowboy.

The real star of the running game however was arguably rookie offensive lineman La’el Collins. On several plays in the second half Collins pulled from his left guard spot and led McFadden through the hole like a Mack truck barreling down an interstate highway. Dallas will need to continue to dominate on the ground if they are going to be able to claw back into playoff position.

Unquestionably the biggest difference for Dallas on Sunday was the return of Romo. The Cowboys starter is the type of player who allows his teammates to better players. Nowhere was Romo’s ability to elevate his team more evident than on a play in the driving rain of the early first quarter. After being backed up by an excellent punt by the Dolphins’ Matt Darr, Romo and the Cowboys faced a 3rd & 10 from their own 3 1/2 yard line.

As the ball is snapped, the Cowboys protection almost immediately breaks down and Romo is left scrambling for his life in his own endzone. If this is any of the other quarterbacks that Dallas has used in Romo’s absence it would almost certainly result in a safety. Instead, Romo the Magnificent spins out to his left and pushes a left hand pass to McFadden who runs out to the 13 yard line to set up a much more manageable punting situation. While it didn’t result in a first down this is the type of play that Tony Romo routinely makes to take pressure of his teammates.

What Went Wrong

When doing a fair evaluation of Romo’s play on Sunday, you must recognize that the Cowboys quarterback had two crucial plays that cost his team an opportunity for points. Faced with blitzes on two separate occasions, Romo floated passes that were intercepted. Thankfully these ill advised throws did not cost the Cowboys the game, but Dallas needs to have Romo shake off the rust of inactivity and eliminate these kinds of mistakes going forward. Against a better team, these interceptions could have been fatal and the Cowboys need to be near perfect going forward.

Many of Romo’s issues on Sunday were caused by a sub-par game in pass protection from the Dallas offensive line. The Cowboys front was faced with a Dolphins defensive line that has played much better since the firing of head coach Joe Philbin, and even though the big guys up front only gave up two sacks Romo was under pressure for much of the second half.

The Great Wall of Dallas will face another tough assignment in the undefeated Carolina Panthers front seven on Thanksgiving Day and they must do a better job of slowing the pass rush if the Cowboys are going to keep their postseason dreams alive.

Dallas had 10 penalties on Sunday, and the offensive line lead the way in this regard. In some ways it is difficult to blame the lineman for being called for so many holding and false start penalties. After all, Romo had been sidelined for seven games coming in, and the line almost certainly felt they needed to do whatever necessary to keep their star QB upright. The offensive penalties put unneeded pressure on several drives, and if not for Romo’s ability to convert a 2nd & 27 into a third down touchdown strike to wide out Terrance Williams, the outcome on Sunday could have been very different.

Next: Five Cowboys who earned their Stars in Miami

Sunday’s game at Sun Life Stadium in Miami illustrated perfectly the difference between the Dallas Cowboys with Tony Romo and the Cowboys without their superstar. Had the team been forced to play this game without their Pro Bowl passer, the Dolphins almost certainly would have run away with the game after tying it up in the second half.

As it was however, Romo was able to take the momentum back from Miami and lead the Cowboys on a successful clock killing drive in the fourth quarter. Here’s hoping we can see more of these types of performances from the Cowboys going forward in 2015.

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