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Romo throws three TDs as Cowboys rout Rams, remain undefeated

Sep 30, 2007 - 10:58 PM By John Tranchina Special to PA SportsTicker

IRVING, Texas (Ticker) -- Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys did not fall into the trap.

Thanks to another outstanding performance by Romo, who passed for three touchdowns and ran for another score, the Cowboys rolled to a 35-7 victory Sunday over the winless St. Louis Rams.

Dallas (4-0) remained atop the NFC East Division and is off to its best start since 1995. Conversely, the Rams (0-4) are off to their worst start since 2002.

Romo continued his dominant start to the season, completing 21-of-33 passes for 339 yards with one interception. Romo, who finished just six passing yards shy of his career high, also gained 24 yards rushing - including a 15-yard TD run that gave Dallas a 14-7 lead late in the second quarter.

"It's not just Tony, even though Tony is the kind of guy that thrives on competing and enjoying what he's doing," Dallas coach Wade Phillips said. "We have quite a few guys like that."

Dallas has now scored more points (151) in the first four games of a season than any other Cowboys' club since 1968.

With the Rams focusing much of their defensive attention on Terrell Owens, Romo turned to Patrick Crayton, who hauled in career highs of seven receptions for 184 yards and two TDs.

It was just the fourth career start for Crayton, who filled in more than admirably for the injured Terry Glenn.

"Patrick stepped up today," Romo said. "He has great hands."

"The offensive scheme allows us to keep going with the ball and keep putting up points," Crayton said. "Defensive coordinators have to figure out what we will do. They just have some decisions to make in how to cover us."

Tight end Jason Witten had six catches for 71 yards and a score while Owens finished with just 33 yards on three receptions.

"I'm learning that's going to be the case all along, anybody's going to have a huge day," Owens said. "One day, it's me, then it's Crayton, then Witten. But today was Crayton's day."

"We knew they had weapons," said St. Louis defensive tackle La'Roi Glover, a former Cowboy. "Obviously, (Owens) is one of them. We did what we could to contain them. It's a combination of all those players, and they're clicking. Romo is taking charge there."

With the Rams missing star running back Steven Jackson, three-fifths of their starting offensive line and with quarterback Marc Bulger fighting through two cracked ribs that eventually forced him out late in the third quarter, few observers gave them a chance.

But St. Louis wide receiver Isaac Bruce was confident heading into the contest, predicting that the Rams would win.

"We never fell into the trap, especially before the week of practice, we hear that guarantee," Crayton said. "All that does is push and motivate us, and we're considering ourselves one of the top half teams in the league."

But early on, it looked like St. Louis just might have an opportunity to pull off the upset. Dallas got off to a slow start and the Rams capitalized, forging a 7-7 tie on Dante Hall's 85-yard TD off a punt return with 2:11 left in the first half.

"Instead of taking it right up the field, I tried the cut," Hall said. "(Special teams coach) Al Roberts told me to try it. It worked to perfection on that one, fortunately.

"At that particular time, I thought maybe that was where we would turn it around."

But Dallas' high-octane offense finally got untracked and produced touchdowns on its next four possessions, including all three in the third quarter.

Romo put the Cowboys gave the Cowboys the lead for good just before the half as he raced into the end zone from 15 yards out with just 11 seconds to play.

That drive was kept alive by an incredible recovery by Romo on a 3rd-and-3 at midfield. The snap sailed over the head of Romo, who had to chase it back to the Dallas 15 before scooping it up and scrambling back upfield for the first down.

"I was thinking, 'Don't give up a touchdown and don't get killed,'" Romo said. "Once you pick up the ball, you try to make the play."

That seemed to energize the Cowboys, and they rolled over the Rams after that.

"It just goes to show you what kind of athlete (Romo) is," Witten said. "I thought the whole day, he made a lot of good plays for us, but that one especially to get that first down was a big one on his part.

"He just keeps plugging away and he's doing a great job, and a lot of our success has to go to him. I think that was a huge play. I think the team rallied behind that play."

Romo also connected on scoring passes to Crayton of 59 and 37 yards within the first 5 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to break open the game and give the Cowboys a commanding 28-7 lead.

"We kept plugging away, we had some big plays in the game that turned the tide for us," Phillips said. "We finish good, this team finishes really well, we've done that in all four games."

In each of their last three victories, the Cowboys have been slow to get started offensively, and this game followed the same script.

After a scoreless first quarter in which they compiled just 49 total yards, the Cowboys finally broke through in the second. Julius Jones opened the scoring with his first touchdown of the season just past the midway point of the second quarter on a 2-yard run.

"For some odd reason, we're giving up stuff in the first half, but we're finding it in the second," Romo said. "It's different looks and that's good to see. Then we become very hard to stop sometimes."

The Rams, already decimated by injuries entering the contest, lost Bruce with a hamstring injury as well as offensive tackle Adam Goldberg with a knee injury and starting safety Corey Chavous with a left shoulder strain.

"Not to make excuses, but injuries are killing us right now," Hall said. "They are taking our swagger away right now. I've never played where every week it seems like we're losing someone."

"I am sick and tired of losing," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "I think everybody else in the locker room can tell you the same. Injuries seem to be a part of the game that we have had our share of, but we've got to find ways to win football games."

Bulger struggled through another poor performance, finishing just 11-for-24 for 114 yards and an interception.

"My health is fine," Bulger said. "If (Linehan) says we need a spark to help the team win, then that's what I want to do. It's as frustrating as it looks. I can't speak for anyone else, but I hate to lose."

Rookie Brian Leonard had a decent game in his first start replacing the injured Jackson, who is sidelined with a torn groin muscle. Leonard carried 16 times for 58 yards.