By RANDY GALLOWAY
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
ARLINGTON — Desperately needing a win, check. Hopeful of a breakthrough kind of performance in the early season, check.
But beating Atlanta here Sunday, and also crashing through the ho-hum barrier that seemed to define the Dallas Cowboys, came with a huge bonus.
Frequent flier Miles.
Miles Austin. Him again.
Lighting up the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago for franchise-record receiving yardage (250 and two touchdowns) led the doubters to suggest "one-hit wonder."
"And if I have a bad game next week, then I’ll hear two-hit wonder," said Austin, with that pleasant grin of his.
Tony Romo gets a week of peace. So do Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett. All of Valley Ranch will have a cloud-lifting the next few days.
But after Austin ignited a 37-21 thrashing of the Falcons, keeping the Cowboys in sight of TCU for the title of best football team in Tarrant County, this is the pertinent question:
What’s next for Miles?
After two touchdowns and 171 yards on Sunday, giving him the most prolific back-to-back performances in team history, is this the elusive playmaker that helps take the offense, and the team, to expectations beyond the current NFL label of mediocre?
Not that long ago, like three games ago, "the perception of Austin was as a fourth receiver — or a third, fourth or fifth kind of guy," said Romo. "Now you see this. In some ways, it hard to be what Miles has become ... until you are thrust out there, you don’t know sometimes."
Now, however, enough is known to totally rethink what the Cowboys’ offense will have to offer in the near future.
"First, the kind of kid Miles is, I couldn’t be happier for him" said tight end Jason Witten. "Second, I couldn’t be happier for our offense, to see this kind of weapon emerge.
"Today, we were kind of lagging there on offense. Not doing a lot. Then boom. [Offensive coordinator] Jason [Garrett] made a great call, Tony threw a great ball, and Miles catches it, shakes loose, and he’s on his way, and we’re on our way."
Witten was referring to a second-quarter bomb that Romo dropped on Austin after a DeMarcus Ware bull-rush and hand-slap that caused Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan to lose a fumble.
The Falcons led 7-3 at the time, and had the field position to add more until Ware made his play.
On first down at the 41, Romo immediately went upstairs, got what amounted to single coverage from safety Thomas DeCoud, and it was a no-contest catch-and-run to the end zone, 59 yards in all.
Fast-forward to the third quarter, after the Falcons had cut a 10-point Cowboys lead at halftime to 17-14.
Romo started the next possession with a 32-yard beauty to Austin on the left sideline, then finished the series with a right sideline throw to Miles, who first beat cornerback Brent Grimes, then busted through Grimes’ attempted tackle to score on a 22-yard play.
On both of his TDs, it appeared Austin got the benefit of single coverage, but actually it was the Falcons in a zone. "It’s not single coverage, but it ends up being single coverage," said Romo.
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