Cowboys rally from 21 points down for historic 34-31 win

Maybe, just maybe the Dallas Cowboys aren’t who we thought they were.

Maybe they aren’t who they have been.

Certainly, time will tell with tougher opponents on the horizon.

But Sunday’s improbable 34-31 victory against the St. Louis Rams, overcoming a team-record tying 21-point deficit, spoke volumes about the team’s newfound character and run-oriented approach as well as a redemptive spirit that the Cowboys hope to build off of.

Add in marked progress from quarterback Tony Romo, who showed signs of his former self running and throwing, the Cowboys (2-1) left St. Louis on a two-game winning streak and feeling good.

Dallas is 2-1 for the fourth consecutive season, but they might be on the verge of a true makeover.

“That’s just huge,” vice president Stephen Jones said. “We’re starting to define our team as fighters. We’re never going to give up. We’re not going to give up on what we do well. I think obviously Tony was starting to look a little Tony-esque in that game.”

The Cowboys had to fight because they trailed 21-0 in the second quarter, thanks to a fumble by DeMarco Murray, his third in three games, and an interception return for a touchdown off Romo. Cornerback Janoris Jenkins jumped in front of receiver Dez Bryant to return it 25 yards for a touchdown.

But the Cowboys outscored the Rams 34-3 over the next 21/2 quarters. Maligned linebacker Bruce Carter’s 25-yard interception return for touchdown made it 34-27 with 5:58 left in the game.

The Rams came back to make it 34-31 on a touchdown pass from Austin Davis to Austin Pettis and then got the ball back following a Cowboys punt.

But cornerback Morris Claiborne, who was picked on all day, giving up the Davis touchdown as well a 51-yarder to Brian Quick in the first quarter, sealed the victory with a final interception.

It was third time in team history the Cowboys have rallied from 21 points down to win — in 1999 against Washington and in 1984 against New Orleans. Both of those games were in overtime.

The Rams helped the Cowboys with turnovers, costly penalties and a dropped touchdown pass by tight end Jared Cook. But there is no discounting the Cowboys making plays to win a game they almost assuredly would have lost in the past.

“We can play a lot better and we are going to get a lot of these things fixed,” tight end Jason Witten said. “I do think there is something to be said for coming back.”

Dallas didn’t abandon its new run-oriented philosophy despite the early deficit. Murray rebounded from the early fumble with 100 yards on 24 carries. It was his third consecutive game with at least 20 carries and 100 yards, a career-first for him.

He became the fourth back in team history to record three consecutive 100-yard games, joining Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett and Julius Jones.

Coach Jason Garret credits offensive coordinator Bill Callahan and play-caller Scott Linehan with sticking to the run.

“We’re never going to be a team that hands it to him every time,” Garrett said. “That’s not how you play offensive football in this league. Teams can take the run away. I thought Scott did a good job of that and I thought Bill Callahan, with the suggestions throughout the game to find a way to run the ball, to be persistent.”

Despite the early interception, Romo completed 18 of 23 passes for 217 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant in the third quarter when they caught the Rams peeking in the backfield on a double move.

But even more important, Romo started to look like himself again after now admittedly being less than comfortable in the first two games as he continues to make progress from December back surgery.

The test came on a fourth-quarter drive when Romo converted a third-and-13 with a 16-yard scramble. He converted a third-and-14 with a 20-yard pass to Terrance Williams. He then beat the blitz on third-and-2 with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Williams, giving the Cowboys their first lead of the game at 27-24.

“Yeah, it was a great drive, guys handled the environment well and we came back,” Romo said. “The run was good. I had to make one guy miss — that was obviously an exceptional move that I think he probably wants back. I felt better. I felt stronger, felt as if everything was firing, activation sequence, blah, blah, blah, stuff like that. That wasn’t necessarily as well as I wanted to probably the first couple of weeks.”

It all has owner Jerry Jones excited going into Sunday’s game with the New Orleans Saints (1-2) at AT&T Stadium.

“I was pleased to see, we had redeeming plays, guys who had made negative plays and all of a sudden you got guys that are making the plays that made the difference,” Jones said.

This story was originally published September 21, 2014 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Cowboys rally from 21 points down for historic 34-31 win."