Final
Cowboys dismantle Bills
Nov 13, 2011 - 11:38 PM Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Tony Romo was nearly flawless in the first half and the Dallas Cowboys welcomed Chan Gailey back with a 44-7 dismantling of the Buffalo Bills.Romo completed his first 13 passes of the game and finished 23-for-26 with 270 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys (5-4), who have won two straight after being humiliated by Philadelphia in Week 8.
"It was a pretty good game out there today," said Romo. "A lot of this is the guys in front of me and if they give you that extra second, it makes things much more easier for me."
DeMarco Murray had 135 yards and a score on 20 carries while Laurent Robinson caught two scores and Dez Bryant also caught a touchdown pass for Dallas, which has won three straight over Buffalo.
"I think we played pretty well and the guys came out with the right demeanor," said Dallas head coach Jason Garrett. "They worked hard all week in practice and they came out with focus. We executed in all three areas of the game."
Gailey went 18-14 over a two-year stint with Dallas from 1998-99, but was fired by owner Jerry Jones after short playoff exits in both of those seasons.
Gailey then had a couple of coordinator positions along with a six-year stint at Georgia Tech before taking over the reins in Buffalo last season.
One of the surprise teams of the season, the Bills (5-4) won their first three games and came into the contest tied with New England and the New York Jets for the top spot in the AFC East, but have dropped their past two games.
Ryan Fitzpatrick's touchdown pass to David Nelson in the second quarter was the only offensive highlight of the day for Buffalo as Fitzpatrick finished the game 20-for-31 with just 146 yards and three interceptions. Fred Jackson carried the ball 13 times for 114 yards.
"No one at no phase played well, and that's stating the obvious," said Gailey. "But we have a good team here and we're going to work to get better. But today was a good where we didn't start good and we didn't do anything good."
The Cowboys were clicking on all cylinders from their first drive of the game as Romo needed just five plays to find the end zone. On 3rd-and-4, he hit Jesse Holley for 25 yards and followed that with a 34-yard scoring strike to Bryant for a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in.
After a three-and-out from Buffalo, Dallas again went on a successful drive, but needed 12 plays to get into the end zone.
On 3rd-and-3, Romo hit Jason Witten on a five-yard pass and followed that with a 13-yard reception from Bryant. The drive was capped on a five-yard score to Robinson for a 14-0 lead with just over three minutes to play in the first.
Buffalo got into scoring position on its next drive, but Dave Rayner missed his 52-yard attempt to the right and Dallas took over at the 42.
Romo wasted no time, as he found Robinson on a deep post near the Buffalo 10 and he took it into the end zone on a 58-yard score for a 21-0 lead just under three minutes into the second.
The Bills got on track on their next drive and moved 80 yards in seven plays, helped by a 21-yard pass interference call to Dallas and a 19-yard run from Jackson. The drive was finished on a three-yard catch in the end zone from Nelson to make it a 21-7 game.
However, Dallas answered with its fourth scoring drive in as many touches. Romo's first incompletion in 14 attempts hardly mattered as his next five passes were completed and Murray capped the 76-yard march with a one-yard score for a 28-7 lead with just over a minute left in the first half.
Dallas' fifth drive of the game was the first the team didn't score on, but the Cowboys did get field goals of 45 and 36 yards from Dan Bailey in the third quarter for a 34-7 lead.
Meanwhile, Buffalo's possessions in the third quarter saw a failed fourth down attempt at the Dallas 17, a three-and-out and an interception.
A 31-yard field goal from Bailey in the latter half of the fourth quarter was followed by a 43-yard interception return for a score by Terrence Newman, completing the scoring in the rout.
Game Notes
Newman had two interceptions in the game...Witten moved past Ozzie Newsome for third place among tight ends in career receptions. Newsome had 662 while Witten now has 666 on his career after catching five passes for 37 yards on Sunday...Bryant finished the game with six catches for 74 yards...Dallas totaled 433 yards and controlled the ball for 34:32...The Bills fell to 1-3 on the road this season...Dallas is 4-1 as the host.
- BUFFALO: 7
DALLAS: 44
Final
Nov 13 3:54 PM - Dallas Touchdown - Ryan Fitzpatrick pass intercepted by Terence Newman at the Buffalo 43 and returned for 43 yards.
Bills 7, Cowboys 43 4th - 4:54Nov 13 3:41 PM - BUFFALO: 7
DALLAS: 34
End of 3rd
Nov 13 3:17 PM - Dan Bailey kicked off 72 yards from the Dallas 35 to the Buffalo -7. C.J. Spiller to the Buffalo 19 for 26 yards. Buffalo has the ball, 1st and 10 on the Buffalo 19.
Bills 7, Cowboys 34 3rd - 0:10Nov 13 3:16 PM - BUFFALO: 7
DALLAS: 28
Halftime
Nov 13 2:19 PM - Dallas Touchdown - DeMarco Murray rushed left for 1 yard.
Bills 7, Cowboys 27 2nd - 1:05Nov 13 2:11 PM - Buffalo Touchdown - Ryan Fitzpatrick pass to David Nelson for 3 yards.
Bills 6, Cowboys 21 2nd - 8:16Nov 13 1:55 PM - Dallas Touchdown - Tony Romo pass to Laurent Robinson for 58 yards.
Bills 0, Cowboys 20 2nd - 12:17Nov 13 1:44 PM - BUFFALO: 0
DALLAS: 14
End of 1st
Nov 13 1:35 PM - Dallas Touchdown - Tony Romo pass to Laurent Robinson for 5 yards.
Bills 0, Cowboys 13 1st - 3:05Nov 13 1:25 PM - Dallas Touchdown - Tony Romo pass to Dez Bryant for 34 yards.
Bills 0, Cowboys 6 1st - 12:12Nov 13 1:06 PM - BUFFALO: 0
DALLAS: 0
1st Quarter - 15:00
Nov 13 1:02 PM
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