2005 Dallas Cowboys season

"at Monster Park, San Francisco, California"
*Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST/ 3:05 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 72 °F, Sunny
*TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
*Game attendance: 68,247

The Dallas Cowboys did the exact opposite of what they did a week earlier by scoring 15 unanswered point in the fourth quarter to shock the 49ers 34-31, in a game that was decided with less than 2 minutes remaining. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20050925_DAL@SF Summary]

coring Summary

*Q1 - 3:29 - Arnaz Battle, 15 yard pass from Tim Rattay (Joe Nedney extra point is good) (SF 7-0)
*Q2 - 8:46 - Drew Bledsoe 6 yard run (Jose Cortez extra point fails) (SF 7-6)
*Q2 - 7:43 - Brandon Lloyd, 89 yard pass from Tim Rattay (Joe Nedney extra point is good) (SF 14-6)
*Q2 - 6:42 - Tony Parrish 34 yard interception return (Joe Nedney extra point is good) (SF 21-6)
*Q2 - 3:33 - Jason Witten, 6 yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Drew Bledsoe throws an incomplete pass to Dan Campbell for a failed two point conversion) (SF 21-12)
*Q2 - 0:15 - Joe Nedney 20 yard field goal (SF 24-12)
*Q3 - 9:24 - Julius Jones 1 yard run (Jose Cortez extra point is good) (SF 24-19)
*Q3 - 0:40 - Brandon Lloyd, 13 yard pass from Tim Rattay (Joe Nedney extra point is good) (SF 31-19)
*Q4 - 14:51 - Julius Jones 1 yard run (Jose Cortez extra point is good) (SF 31-26)
*Q4 - 1:51 - Keyshawn Johnson, 14 yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Drew Bledsoe throws to Keyshawn Johnson for a successful two point conversion) (DAL 34-31)

Week 4: at Oakland Raiders

"at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/ 12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 76 °F, Sunny
*TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver
*Game attendance: 62,278

Dallas hoped to continue playing great offensively as they did in the previous week by beating the New York Giants at home. Instead, they played very sloppily and Coach Parcells said his team was "fortunate" to win. The Cowboys were sacked 4 times for a loss of 36 yards and turned over the ball 4 times. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20051016_NYG@DAL Summary]

The Cowboys lost left tackle Flozell Adams for the remainder of the season when he tore an ACL in his knee. With an immobile quarterback like Drew Bledsoe, this would be devastating for the Dallas Cowboys later in the Season because Bledsoe would be sacked 36 more times (after being sacked "only" 13 times during the first six games), and he would throw 13 more interceptions after this game (while throwing only 4 picks during the first six games).

coring Summary

*Q1 - 10:36 - Jay Feely 50 yard field goal (NYG 3-0)
*Q2 - 8:42 - Jay Feely 45 yard field goal (NYG 6-0)
*Q2 - 0:40 - Jason Witten 2 yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Jose Cortez extra point is good) (DAL 7-6)
*Q4 - 12:44 - Jose Cortez 29 yard field goal (DAL 10-6)
*Q4 - 4:40 - Jose Cortez 28 yard field goal (DAL 13-6)
*Q4 - 0:19 - Jeremy Shockey 24 yard pass from Eli Manning (Jay Feely extra point is good) (13-13)
*OT - 11:13 - Jose Cortez 45 yard field goal (DAL 16-13)

Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks

"at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania"
*Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST/ 8:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 54 °F, Cloudy
*TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden, Samantha Ryan
*Game attendance: 67,739

The Cowboys came to Philadelphia hoping to sweep the Eagles for the first time since 1998, and beat them at Philadelphia for the first time since 1998. After trailing by 13 points late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys stunned the Eagles by scoring two touchdowns (one of which was an interception return) to win the game 21-20. Also, Donovan McNabb injured his knee and he would leave for the remainder of the season. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20051114_DAL@PHI Summary]

coring Summary

*Q1 - 8:54 - Brian Westbrook 15 yard run (PHI 7-0)
*Q1 - 0:55 - Marion Barber 1 yard run (Shaun Suisham extra point is good) (7-7)
*Q2 - 1:47 - Donovan McNabb 2 yard run (David Akers extra point is good) (PHI 14-7)
*Q3 - 8:06 - David Akers 48 yard field goal (PHI 17-7)
*Q4 - 9:12 - David Akers 20 yard field goal (PHI 20-7)
*Q4 - 3:04 - Terry Glenn 20 yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Shaun Suisham extra point is good) (PHI 20-14)
*Q4 - 2:43 - Roy Williams interception return for a touchdown (Shaun Suisham extra point is good) (DAL 21-20)

Week 11: vs. Detroit Lions

"at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/ 12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 30 °F (Wind chill: 23 °F), Cloudy
*TV announcers (FOX):
*Game attendance: 78,645

In this season's rematch, the New York Giants made the Dallas Cowboys pay for an overtime 16-13 win earlier in the season, but both teams had a sloppy performance overall. Both teams threw two interceptions, but the Cowboys lost two fumbles. Drew Bledsoe was sacked 4 times for a loss of 21 yards, both quarterbacks completed under 40% of their passes, and both teams missed a field goal. The Giants ran for 127 yards rushing (including 115 yards by Tiki Barber) and one rushing touchdown which made the difference in the game. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20051204_DAL@NYG Summary]

coring Summary

*Q2 - 10:00 - Brandon Jacobs 1 yard run (Jay Feely extra point is good)
*Q2 - 3:58 - Jay Feely 27 yard field goal
*Q3 - 14:48 - Antonio Pierce 12 yard fumble return (Jay Feely extra point is good)
*Q3 - 10:03 - Billy Cundiff 34 yard field goal (10-10)
*Q3 - 3:52 - Terry Glenn, 7 yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Billy Cundiff extra point is good)

Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

"at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/ 12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 60 °F, Sunny
*TV announcers (FOX):
*Game attendance: 73,436

Going into the game, the Panthers needed a win to secure a playoff spot. The Cowboys needed a win to stay alive in the playoff race after losing three out of the last four games. Despite falling behind 0-10 early in the game, the Cowboys rallied to outscore Carolina 17-3 for almost three quarters, including two Julius Jones touchdowns. Julius Jones rushed for 194 yards, the fourth best in franchise history [ [http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id=5FC90922-AF30-A004-EACB882882E2855D DallasCowboys.com - News ] ] . Late in the fourth quarter while trailing 17-20, Billy Cundiff attempted to tie the game on a 33 yard field goal, but missed. The only reason Dallas still managed to win the game was because Carolina was penalized for "running into the kicker" and Terry Glenn scored a touchdown with one hand to take the lead (he dislocated his hand early in the game). [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20051224_DAL@CAR Summary]

Billy Cundiff had a 32-yard field goal attempt blocked, and missed a 33-yard attempt. He already missed two field goals earlier in the season, including one that cost Dallas the game on Thanksgiving against Denver, so two days after the game he was fired by coach Parcells [http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/DAL/9117483] . Carolina won next week to secure a wildcard spot in the playoffs, but despite several likely playoff scenarios Dallas was eliminated from the playoffs before their last game when the Panthers, the Redskins, and the Giants all won a week later.

coring Summary

*Q1 - 10:05 - John Kasay 24 yard field goal (CAR 3-0)
*Q1 - 9:49 - Drew Carter, 32 yard pass from Jake Delhomme (John Kasay extra point is good) (CAR 10-0)
*Q1 - 7:00 - Julius Jones 8 yard run (Billy Cundiff extra point is good) (CAR 10-7)
*Q2 - 11:00 - Billy Cundiff 24 yard field goal (10-10)
*Q2 - 6:50 - John Kasay 47 yard field goal (CAR 13-10)
*Q3 - 4:50 - Julius Jones 43 yard run (Billy Cundiff extra point is good) (DAL 17-13)
*Q4 - 2:32 - Ricky Proehl, 35 yard pass from Jake Delhomme (John Kasay extra point is good) (CAR 20-17)
*Q4 - 0:24 - Terry Glenn, 2 yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Billy Cundiff extra point is good) (DAL 24-20)

Week 17: vs. St. Louis Rams

"at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas"
*Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 75 °F, Clear
*TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, Suzy Kolber
*Game attendance: 63,131

Only minutes before the game, the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoff race when the Washington Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles The deflated Cowboys only managed to score 10 points against the St. Louis Rams, who came into the game 5-10. After running for a meager 35 yards, Julius Jones had 993 yards for the season, painfully just 7 yards short of 1,000 yards. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20060101_STL@DAL Summary]

Just days after the game, head coach Bill Parcells announced he was staying for at least one more season, and his contract was extended through 2007. At the time, there had been some speculation he would be retiring. [http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/DAL/9149081]

coring Summary

*Q1 - 2:36 - Jason Witten, 19 yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Shaun Suisham extra point is good) (DAL 7-0)
*Q2 - 14:15 - Jeff Wilkins 49 yard field goal (DAL 7-3)
*Q2 - 1:52 - Aveion Cason 8 yard run (Jeff Wilkins extra point is good) (STL 10-7)
*Q2 - 0:03 - Shaun Suisham 22 yard field goal (10-10)
*Q4 - 11:57 - Arlen Harris 1 yard run (Jeff Wilkins extra point is good) (STL 17-10)
*Q4 - 1:05 - Jeff Wilkins 20 yard field goal (STL 20-10)

Division standings

References