2006 Dallas Cowboys season

"at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 75 °F, sunny
*TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa
*Game attendance: 69,143

After their Bye Week, the Cowboys traveled to LP Field to face the Tennessee Titans. Rookie Quarterback Vince Young made his first NFL start for the Titans. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw two touchdowns in the first half to Terry Glenn. Each of the three Cowboys running backs, Julius Jones, Marion Barber, and Tyson Thompson, rushed for a touchdown in the second half. Bradie James returned an interception 15 yards for his first career touchdown. Tony Romo played during the final two drives after Dallas took a 38-14 lead. Kicker Mike Vanderjagt missed a 26 yard field goal wide right late in the first half, but later kicked a 43 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Despite breaking a finger two weeks earlier, wide receiver Terrell Owens started and caught five passes for 88 yards. Also, rookie Pat Watkins returned a lost Titans fumble 53 yards during the fourth quarter. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20061001_DAL@TEN Stats]

During the game, Tennessee Titans linebacker Albert Haynesworth stomped on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode. Haynesworth was suspended for five games without pay. [http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/sports/football/15662345.htm] . Later during the week, Terrell Owens accidentally overdosed on painkillers causing a media circus, but recovered within a day. [http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/DAL/9692258]

coring Summary

*Q1 - 7:26 - 33 yard FG by Rob Bironas (3-0 TEN)
*Q1 - 0:34 - 13 yard TD pass from Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn (7-3 DAL)
*Q2 - 12:43 - 13 yard TD pass from Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn (14-3 DAL)
*Q2 - 0:00 - 39 yard FG by Rob Bironas (14-6 DAL)
*Q3 - 11:53 - 5 yard TD run by Julius Jones (21-6 DAL)
*Q3 - 6:38 - 1 yard TD run by Marion Barber (28-6 DAL)
*Q3 - 3:40 - 17 yard TD pass from Vince Young to Ben Troupe, and Vince Young run for two point conversion (28-14 DAL)
*Q4 - 13:04 - 43 yard FG by Mike Vanderjagt (31-14 DAL)
*Q4 - 8:23 - 15 yard TD interception return by Bradie James (38-14 DAL)
*Q4 - 5:43 - 5 yard TD run by Tyson Thompson (45-14 DAL)

Week 5: at Philadelphia Eagles

"at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas"
*Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 63 °F, clear
*TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Joe Theismann
*Game attendance: 63,512

Hoping to build on their win over the Houston Texans, the Cowboys stayed at home for a Monday Night match-up with their NFC East rival, the New York Giants. On the Giants opening drive, Eli Manning threw a 50-yard touchdown to Plaxico Burress. Later in the first quarter after Jeff Feagles punted inside the one yard line, LaVar Arrington sacked Drew Bledsoe in the endzone for a safety. In the second quarter, Giants kicker Jay Feely kicked a 31-yard field goal. Dallas would score before halftime as Bledsoe ran 1 yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak. Bledsoe also threw a costly interception just before halftime that would have given the Cowboys a 14-12 lead at the break. Due to Bledsoe's abysmal performance, head coach Bill Parcells replaced him with backup quarterback Tony Romo at the start of the second half. Not much had changed for the Giants in the third quarter as Manning threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey and Brandon Jacobs got a 3-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, the Romo completed an 8-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens, and Romo ran into the endzone for a two-point conversion. The Giants pulled away as Feely kicked a 32-yard field goal, while rookie cornerback Kevin Dockery would return an interception 96 yards for a touchdown. Even though Romo threw a 53-yard touchdown to Patrick Crayton, the damage had already been done. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20061023_NYG@DAL Stats]

coring Summary

*Q1 - 12:01 - 50 yard TD pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress (7-0 NYG)
*Q1 - 3:59 - Safety by LaVar Arrington (9-0 NYG)
*Q2 - 11:51 - 31 yard FG by Jay Feely (12-0 NYG)
*Q2 - 3:51 - 1 yard TD run by Drew Bledsoe (12-7 NYG)
*Q3 - 14:01 - 13 yard TD pass from Eli Manning to Jeremy Shockey (19-7 NYG)
*Q3 - 1:26 - 3 yd TD run by Brandon Jacobs (26-7 NYG)
*Q4 - 13:01 - 8 yd TD pass from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens-Tony Romo on Suc. 2-Point Conv. (26-15 NYG)
*Q4 - 3:54 - 32 yd FG by Jay Feely (29-15 NYG)
*Q4 - 2:33 - 96 yd TD interception return by Kevin Dockery (36-15 NYG)
*Q4 - 2:03 - 53 yd TD pass from Tony Romo to Patrick Crayton (36-22 NYG)

Week 8: at Carolina Panthers

"at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona"
*Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST/3:15 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 75 °F, sunny
*TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan
*Game attendance: 63,926

The Cowboys bounced back from a painful loss by beating the Cardinals, who came into the game with the league's worst record at 1-7. Tony Romo passed for 308 yards in his best game to date as a starter. Greg Ellis was also lost for the year in this game due to a torn achilles, costing the Cowboys a key contributor and one of only 2 players who could consistently rush the passer. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20061112_DAL@ARI Stats]

coring Summary

*Q1 - 0:37 - 28 yard FG by Mike Vanderjagt (3-0 DAL)
*Q2 - 8:33 - 30 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Patrick Crayton, Mike Vanderjagt extra point is good (10-0 DAL)
*Q2 - 3:31 - 28 yard FG by Neil Rackers (10-3 DAL)
*Q2 - 0:00 - 38 yard FG by Mike Vanderjagt (13-3 DAL)
*Q3 - 5:15 - 51 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens, Mike Vanderjagt extra point is good (20-3 DAL)
*Q4 - 14:17 - 5 yard TD run by Marion Barber, Mike Vanderjagt extra point is good (27-3 DAL)
*Q4 - 11:53 - 3 yard TD run by Matt Leinhart, Neil Rackers extra point is good (27-10 DAL)

Week 11: vs. Indianapolis Colts

"at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey"
*Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST/3:15 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 45 °F, sunny (wind chill was 38 °F)
*TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Pam Oliver
*Game attendance: 78,666

The Cowboys extended their winning streak to four straight wins in a close game when newly signed place kicker Martin Gramatica kicked a 46 yard field goal with one second remaining. The Giants lost their fourth straight game and the Cowboys secured a two-game lead over the Giants. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20061203_DAL@NYG Stats]

This game was moved from the originally scheduled time at 1:00pm to 4:15pm (EST) because of the NFL's new "flex scheduling" policy.

coring Summary

*Q1 - 4:39 - 17 yard TD pass from Eli Manning to Jeremy Shockey (7-0 NYG)
*Q1 - 1:28 - 1 yard TD run by Marion Barber, Martin Gramatica extra point is good (7-7)
*Q2 - 0:01 - 41 yard FG by Martin Gramatica (10-7 DAL)
*Q3 - 4:32 - 23 yard FG by Jay Feely (10-10)
*Q3 - 0:05 - 35 yard FG by Martin Gramatica (13-10 DAL)
*Q4 - 9:44 - 22 yard FG by Jay Feely (13-13)
*Q4 - 3:33 - 7 yard TD run by Marion Barber, Martin Gramatica extra point is good (20-13 DAL)
*Q4 - 1:06 - 5 yard TD pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress (20-20)
*Q4 - 0:01 - 46 yard FG by Martin Gramatica (23-20 DAL)

Week 14: vs. New Orleans Saints

"at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas"
*Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST/4:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 50 °F, Clear
*TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels and John Madden
*Game attendance: 62,839Following a Saturday thrashing over the Falcons, the Cowboys returned home, donned their 1960s throwbacks again, and prepared for an NFC East rematch on Christmas day with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the first quarter, the 'Boys trailed early with QB Jeff Garcia completing a 25-yard TD pass to TE Matt Schobel for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, Philadelphia's lead increased with kicker David Akers nailing a 25-yard field goal. Dallas would get its only score of the game with QB Tony Romo completing a 14-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens. Afterwards, the Eagles wrapped up the half with Akers kicking a 45-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Philly's lead increased with Akers' 21-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the fourth quarter, Dallas fell with RB Correll Buckhalter's 1-yard TD run. With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 9-6 and out of first place in the NFC East. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20061225_PHI@DAL Stats]

coring Summary

*Q1 - 4:00 - 25 yard TD from Jeff Garcia to Matt Schobel (7-0 PHI) (David Akers kick)
*Q2 - 5:16 - 25 yard FG by David Akers (10-0 PHI)
*Q2 - 0:36 - 14 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens (10-7 PHI) (Martin Gramatica kick)
*Q2 - 0:00 - 45 yard FG by David Akers (13-7 PHI)
*Q3 - 12:14 - 21 yard FG by David Akers (16-7 PHI)
*Q4 - 6:54 - 1 yard TD run by Correll Buckhalter (23-7 PHI) (David Akers kick)

Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions

"at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas"
*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
*Game weather: 45 °F, Parly Cloudy
*TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert and Brian Baldinger
*Game attendance: 63,008Following their loss to the Eagles, the Cowboys wrapped up the regular season at home against the 2-13 Detroit Lions. In the first quarter, Dallas shockingly trailed early as Lions kicker Jason Hanson nailed a 33-yard and a 25-yard field goal, while QB Jon Kitna completed a 20-yard TD pass to WR Roy Williams. In the second quarter, the Cowboys took the lead with RB Marion Barber getting a 1-yard TD run, while QB Tony Romo completed a 6-yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton. However, Detroit regained its lead with Kitna and Williams hooking up with each other again on a 15-yard TD pass. In the third quarter, the back-and-forth battle began with Dallas CB Terence Newman returning a punt 56 yards for a touchdown. However, the Lions regained the lead with Hanson kicking a 26-yard field goal, while Kitna completed a 13-yard TD pass to WR Mike Furrey. Afterwards, Cowboys kicker Martin Gramatica helped Dallas with a 39-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys took the lead with Romo completing a 56-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens. However, Detroit regained the lead with Kitna completing a 21-yard TD pass to WR Mike Williams and Hanson kicking a 23-yard field goal. Late in the game, Dallas had one last chance to take back the lead, but on 4th & Goal, Romo's run towards the endzone was stopped one yard short. With the shocking loss, the Cowboys ended the regular season at 9-7 and with the NFC's #5 seed. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20061231_DET@DAL Stats]

coring Summary

*Q1 - 11:08 - 33 yard FG by Jason Hanson (3-0 DET)
*Q1 - 5:13 - 25 yard FG by Jason Hanson (6-0 DET)
*Q1 - 2:37 - 20 yard TD pass from Jon Kitna to Roy Williams, Jason Hanson extra point is good (13-0 DET)
*Q2 - 11:38 - 1 yard TD run by Marion Barber, Martin Gramatica extra point is good (13-7 DET)
*Q2 - 2:48 - 6 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Patrick Crayton, Martin Gramatica extra point is good (14-13 DAL)
*Q2 - 0:02 - 15 yard TD pass from Jon Kitna to Roy Williams, Jason Hanson extra point is good (20-14 DET)
*Q3 - 12:16 - 56 yard TD punt return by Terence Newman, Martin Gramatica extra point is good (21-20 DAL)
*Q3 - 6:06 - 26 yard FG by Jason Hanson (23-21 DET)
*Q3 - 4:16 - 13 yard TD pass from Jon Kitna to Mike Furrey, Jason Hanson extra point is good (30-21 DET)
*Q3 - 0:04 - 39 yard FG by Martin Gramatica (30-24 DET)
*Q4 - 8:09 - 56 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens, Martin Gramatica extra point is good (31-30 DAL)
*Q4 - 4:24 - 21 yard TD pass from Jon Kitna to Mike Williams, failed 2 pt. conversion from Jon Kitna to Mike Williams (36-31 DET)
*Q4 - 2:58 - 23 yard FG by Jason Hanson (39-31 DET)

Postseason

The Cowboys secured a playoff berth after the Minnesota Vikings lost to the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their season ended after a 21-20 loss.

NFC Wild-Card Playoffs: at Seattle Seahawks

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Cowboys
R1=3|R2=7|R3=7|R4=3|RT=20
Home=Seahawks
H1=3|H2=3|H3=7|H4=8|HT=21
*Gametime: 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST
*Gameweather: 44°F, Overcast
*Television commentators (NBC): Al Michaels, John Madden and Andrea Kremer
*Game Attendance: 68,058Entering the NFC playoffs as the fifth-seed, the Cowboys began their playoff run at Qwest Field against the fourth-seeded Seattle Seahawks. In the first quarter, both teams started off even as Seahawks kicker Josh Brown nailed a 23-yard field goal, while Martín Gramática helped Dallas with a 50-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Seattle retook the lead with Brown kicking a 30-yard field goal. Dallas got the lead before halftime as QB Tony Romo completed a 13-yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton. In the third quarter, the Seahawks retook the lead as QB Matt Hasselbeck completed a 15-yard TD pass to TE Jerramy Stevens. Following Seattle's TD drive, the Cowboys retook the lead with rookie WR Miles Austin returning a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Dallas increased its lead with Gramatica kicking a 29-yard field goal. However, the Seahawks came back to retake the lead with a safety coming off a Terry Glenn fumble from Seattle CB Kelly Jennings, along with Hasselbeck completing a 37-yard TD pass to Stevens (followed up with a failed 2-point conversion). Dallas managed to put themselves in a position to retake the lead, but on the 19 yard field goal try Romo botched the hold. He picked up the loose ball and attempted to run with it, but was tackled at Seattle's two yard line by Jordan Babineaux thus turning the ball over on downs. On the ensuing possession, Hasselbeck then handed the ball off four times before the Seahawks were forced to punt. With only 2 seconds left, Romo threw a Hail Mary pass to the Seattle endzone that fell incomplete, ending the Cowboys season and leaving the franchise still without a playoff win since 1996. [http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/gamebook/NFL_20070106_DAL@SEA Stats]

With the loss, Dallas ended its season with three-straight losses and an overall record of 9-8.

coring Summary

*Q1 - 11:13 - 23 yard FG by Josh Brown (3-0 SEA)
*Q1 - 4:50 - 50 yard FG by Martin Gramatica (3-3)
*Q2 - 5:14 - 30 yard FG by Josh Brown (6-3 SEA)
*Q2 - 0:11 - 13 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Patrick Crayton, Martin Gramatica extra point is good (10-6 DAL)
*Q3 - 6:08 - 15 yard TD pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Jerramy Stevens, Josh Brown extra point is good (13-10 SEA)
*Q3 - 5:57 - 93 yard TD kickoff return by Miles Austin, Martin Gramatica extra point is good (17-13 DAL)
*Q4 - 10:15 - 29 yard FG by Martin Gramatica (20-13 DAL)
*Q4 - 6:32 - Safety (20-15 DAL)
*Q4 - 4:24 - 37 yard TD pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Jerramy Stevens, failed 2 pt. conversion from Matt Hasselbeck to Deion Branch (21-20 SEA)

Division standings

Other Information

* The Cowboys have had nine starting quarterbacks since Troy Aikman retired in 2000. They are Quincy Carter(started 32 games), Vinny Testaverde(started 15), the other games have been started by Ryan Leaf(3), Anthony Wright(3), Clint Stoerner(2 games), Chad Hutchinson(9), Drew Henson(1 game), Drew Bledsoe (22), and now Tony Romo is starting.
* The Cowboys had not had an 1,000-yard rusher since Emmitt Smith had 1,021 yards in 2001. Herschel Walker was the last running back before Smith to rush for over 1,000 yards in 1988. Julius Jones snapped that streak of futility for Dallas by posting 1,084 yards in 2006. In the previous season, Jones fell just short of the mark (993).
* DeMarcus Ware had 11.5 sacks in 2006, the most in team history by a linebacker.

References