10 plays that shaped the Dallas Cowboys' season

You can look back at every season and find a few plays here or there that determined whether it ended with success or failure.

That wasn’t the case for the Cowboys this season.

the Cowboys had two or three plays that determined the direction of the franchise. Trust me, that doesn’t happen often.

Tony Romo’s entire season changed on an interception against the Giants, while Roy Williams’ rib injury gave Miles Austin an opportunity he may never have had.

Austin’s 10-catch, 250-yard performance against the Chiefs made him the team’s No. 1 receiver and showed this team wasn’t the selfish, agenda-driven team of the past.

then there was DeMarcus Ware’s inspiring return against the unbeaten Saints and his spectacular performance.

At several different junctures, these Cowboys proved they weren’t the same old collection of faux stars who found creative ways to lose.

this team removed all its baggage – the awful Decembers, the playoff drought – and served notice that it will be a contender to win a championship during the next few seasons.

Sept. 20, Giants at Cowboys

The play: Kenny Phillips intercepts Tony Romo’s pass

The score: Dallas, 24-20, with 36 seconds left in the third quarter

The situation: First-and-10 at new York’s 46

The significance: Romo spent the entire off-season preaching ball security. then in the first game at Jerry Jones’ $1.15 billion stadium, Romo heaved a ball toward the goal line with no one but Phillips standing there.

The fallout: The Giants regained the lead four plays later on Steve Smith’s 22-yard touchdown reception.

Lawrence Tynes’ field goal on the game’s final play gave the Giants a 33-31 victory. new York converted three interceptions into 21 points.

Taylor’s take: This could be the game that shapes Romo’s career.

instead of making excuses as he had done the previous season, Romo took full responsibility.

Romo also made a concerted effort to reduce his impulse throws and poor decisions. the quarterback, who had never gone more than three games without an interception, had streaks of 142 and 167 passes without an interception.

never has a three-interception performance provided such an impetus.

Oct. 4, Cowboys at Broncos

The play: Roy Williams suffers bruised ribs on a hit by linebacker D.J. Williams

The score: Dallas, 10-7, with 9:55 left in the game

The situation: Third-and-3 at Dallas’ 29

The significance: Romo sailed a pass over Roy Williams’ head. the receiver attempted to snag it, exposing his ribs, and D.J. Williams drilled him.

Roy Williams returned on the next series and caught a 15-yard pass, but the pain in his side steadily increased to the point that he couldn’t play.

The fallout: The game ended with Romo directing two consecutive passes in the end zone to Sam Hurd, who was being covered by Champ Bailey as Williams watched from the sideline.

Bailey, as you would expect, broke up both passes, and the Broncos, undefeated at the time, celebrated a 17-10 victory while critics questioned Williams’ toughness.

they figured a guy with a six-year, $45 million contract should’ve been on the field – even if he was just a decoy – with the game on the line.

Taylor’s take: Williams’ injury gave Miles Austin an opportunity to start the next week against Kansas City.

Austin, who had five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown through four games, became a star. He finished with 81 catches for 1,320 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. He had five 100-yard games and earned a Pro Bowl berth. He set an NFL record with 250 yards in his first start and 421 yards in his first two starts.

more important, he gave Romo a game-changer. a playmaker. a guy capable of dominating a game. He gave Romo a No.1 receiver.

Oct. 11, Cowboys at Chiefs

The play: Miles Austin catches a 60-yard touchdown pass

The score: Tied, 20-20, with 8:33 left in overtime

The situation: Second-and-15 at Dallas’ 40

The significance: Austin nearly surpassed his totals for the season in the first half with four catches for 71 yards.

He also dropped two potential touchdown passes.

Austin finished with 10 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns. it was the most productive day by a receiver in franchise history. Quite impressive for a franchise that has Bob Hayes and Michael Irvin in the Hall of Fame.

The fallout: The questions about who would be the Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver began fading after Austin’s performance.

a month later, it wasn’t even an issue, because everyone on the team knew Austin was the top receiver.

All he had done was take advantage of an opportunity that Roy Williams’ injury provided.

Austin proved his big day wasn’t a fluke with his performance against Seattle in his next game when he caught eight passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Taylor’s take: The Cowboys spent a king’s ransom to acquire Roy Williams, but it didn’t take long to see he couldn’t handle the job. after Austin proved his huge day in Kansas City was no fluke, he made the entire offense better.

Jason Garrett took advantage of his versatility by using him on both sides of the field and the slot. He even lined him up in the backfield a couple of times.

Not bad for an undrafted free agent.

Dec. 18, Cowboys at Saints

The play: DeMarcus Ware sacks Drew Brees, forcing a fumble

The score: Dallas, 24-17, with 12 seconds left in the game

The situation: Second-and-10 at Dallas’ 42

The significance: The Saints’ league-leading offense, shut down for three quarters, found its rhythm in the fourth quarter.

when Nick Folk banged a 24-yard field goal attempt off the right upright with 2:19 left, it opened the door for the Saints.

Ware sacked Brees, forcing a fumble that Jay Ratliff recovered with six seconds left.

The fallout: The Cowboys, losers of their first two games in December, shut out Washington on the road and the Eagles in the regular-season finale at home, marking the first time in franchise history the team had recorded consecutive shutouts.

An October overtime triumph over Kansas City showed the Cowboys would play as long as it took to win. Beating new Orleans proved they could compete with the NFL’s best teams.

Taylor’s take: Not many folks outside the Cowboys’ Valley Ranch training complex figured Dallas could beat the undefeated Saints in the Superdome. even fewer thought Ware would play after leaving the field on a stretcher the week before with a strained neck.

Ware’s presence inspired the Cowboys.

the Cowboys returned from the bayou convinced they were among the NFL’s best teams and capable of contending.

Jan. 17, Cowboys at Vikings

The play: Shaun Suisham misses a 48-yard field goal attempt

The score: Tied, 0-0

The situation: Fourth-and-1 at Minnesota’s 30

The significance: The Cowboys’ short-yardage offense struggled the final month of the season. Wade Phillips wanted points – even a first-quarter field goal – to put pressure on the Vikings.

Shaun Suisham had made four of five field goal tries since joining the Cowboys in December. the kick was long enough, but he missed it wide left.

four plays later, Brett Favre threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice, giving the Vikings a 7-0 lead.

the Cowboys never recovered.

The fallout: The Cowboys’ defense didn’t play great, but it played well enough to stay within two touchdowns through three quarters. Suisham was 1-for-3. If he had converted all three, the Cowboys would’ve trailed 17-9.

the longer Dallas stayed in the game, the more pressure Minnesota would’ve felt.

Suisham’s misses prevented that.

Taylor’s take: Kicker Nick Folk did a terrific job for the Cowboys for 2 ½ seasons, making 60 of 68 kicks.

but he fell apart after eight games in 2009. Folk missed seven of his last 11 field goal attempts, including a 24-yarder with a little more than two minutes left against new Orleans. Dallas released him and signed Suisham, who was no better.

If Wade Phillips had moved quicker, he would’ve had more options than Suisham. the kicking problems in the second half of the season affected the way he coached.

Jan. 9, Eagles at Cowboys

The play: Replay officials overturn an interception by the Eagles’ Sean Jones

The score: Tied, 7-7, with 13:13 left in second quarter

The situation: First-and-10 at Dallas’ 15

The significance: The Cowboys had seized control of the wild-card playoff game and grabbed a 7-0 lead.

then Jeremy Maclin caught a 76-yard touchdown pass to tie the score in the second quarter. On the Cowboys’ next play from scrimmage, Tony Romo threw a pass that Sean Jones appeared to intercept.

Wade Phillips challenged the call, and replay officials overturned the interception.

The fallout: Given a second chance, the Cowboys wasted no time taking ba&#
99;k control of the game.

Romo drove the Cowboys 85 yards in 10 plays, completing three of four passes. Roy Williams delivered a clutch 17-yard catch on third-and-7 to preserve the drive.

then Romo hit Jason Witten for 18 yards to the Philadelphia 1 on the next play. Tashard choice ended the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Cowboys a 14-7 lead.

the Eagles never threatened again.

Taylor’s take: The first mental hurdle the Cowboys cleared this season was putting together a winning record after Dec. 1.

Next, came beating the Eagles to win the NFC East title. the final thing the Cowboys accomplished was ending their wretched 12-year streak without winning a playoff game.

now they can move into 2010 without any of the baggage that brought them down in previous seasons. they don’t have to answer any more questions about the past.

These Cowboys will enter training camp knowing they can compete with the league’s best teams. That wasn’t the case when training camp began in July.

Nov.18, Cowboys at Eagles

The play: Marcus Spears tackles Donovan McNabb for no gain

The score: Tied, 13-13, with 11:01 left in the game

The situation: Fourth-and-1 at Dallas’ 45

The significance: Returning to Philadelphia for the first time since their humiliating 44-6 loss in the final game of the 2008 season, the Cowboys made their finest defensive stand of the season with the Eagles driving to take the lead.

On fourth down, film study told Marcus Spears what was coming.

McNabb, all 6-2, 240 pounds of him, gained nothing.

The fallout: No offensive coordinator wants to face third-and-14, but Jason Garrett figured that was as good a time as any to take a shot deep.

He felt even better with Sheldon Brown on Miles Austin.

Austin hadn’t caught a pass. Actually, Romo had rarely looked his way.

Brown bit hard on the slant – Romo’s pump fake helped sell it – and Austin blew past him. Romo hit Austin in stride and he sprinted into the end zone with a 49-yard catch-and-run for a 20-13 lead.

Taylor’s take: The players wanted redemption, even though they attempted to downplay it after the win.

In a season filled with building blocks, this victory created the positive vibe that lay the foundation for the Cowboys to win some important games in December.

Dec. 6, Cowboys at Giants

The play: Brandon Jacobs’ 74-yard touchdown catch

The score: Dallas, 17-14, with 3:52 left in the third quarter

The situation: First-and-10 at new York’s 26

The significance: Leading, 17-10, late in the third quarter, the Cowboys fell apart.

Brandon Jacobs caught a 5-yard pass in the flat and turned it into a big play when linebacker Anthony Spencer took a poor angle.

Suddenly, the 6-4, 270-pound running back began gaining speed. Jacobs outran Bradie James, tip-toeing along the sideline at the Cowboys’ 25 to stay in bounds, to complete the 74-yard touchdown.

The fallout: The Cowboys never recovered from Jacobs’ touchdown.

the victory gave the Giants, who swept the Cowboys, a tiebreaker over Dallas and put the Cowboys’ quest for the playoffs in peril.

Taylor’s take: There was no tangible evidence the Cowboys could stop yet another December free fall after they blew a 10-0 lead over the Giants.

Once again, it seemed like the Cowboys were going to be a collection of faux stars who played their worst football when it mattered most.

the biggest positive is that Cowboys’ locker room vibe never wavered. they players didn’t point fingers or assign blame to the coaches.

Dec. 13, Chargers at Cowboys

The play: Linebackers Tim Dobbins and Brandon Siler stopped Marion Barber for no gain

The score: San Diego, 10-3, with 2:23 left in the second quarter

The situation: Fourth-and-1 at San Diego’s 1

The significance: three times Marion Barber slammed into the left side of San Diego’s defensive line. three times, one of the NFL’s best goal-line runners failed to gain a single yard.

There’s really nothing else to say about it, considering the Cowboys’ massive offensive line averages 326.8 pounds and the Cowboys ran behind 353-pound Pro Bowl guard Leonard Davis.

The fallout: The defense took the ball away on a Terrence Newman interception at the San Diego 27. the Cowboys failed to get a first down, and Nick Folk missed a 42-yard field goal try.

At the end of the game, their second consecutive loss in December, putting their playoff chances in jeopardy, the Cowboys looked back at wast
ed opportunities.

Taylor’s take: This was the game, I figured, that ended the season.

the Cowboys had lost consecutive games in December, DeMarcus Ware had been taken off the field on a cart with a neck injury and they had a game on the road against the unbeaten Saints in six days.

Oct. 25, Falcons at Cowboys

The play: Patrick Crayton 73-yard punt return

The score: Dallas, 27-14, with 8:55 left in the third quarter

The situation: Fourth-and-2 at Atlanta’s 28

The significance: Patrick Crayton had just experienced the worst two weeks of his NFL career.

a week earlier, Roy Williams had returned from an injury, sending Crayton to the bench. then the Cowboys signed veteran Allen Rossum to return kicks and punts.

“I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t mad,” Crayton said. “I used it as motivation.”

Rossum strained his knee on the opening kickoff against Atlanta. He didn’t play another snap for the Cowboys, in part, because Crayton took advantage of his second opportunity.

With the Cowboys leading, 27-14, Crayton fielded a punt, made a couple of quick moves, hit the seam hard and scored his first TD on a punt return.

The fallout: Crayton made himself another weapon on a team that thrives on big plays.

Taylor’s take: The way Crayton accepted his demotion showed the difference between the 2009 Cowboys and the 2008 Cowboys.

the players finally figured out they needed to be accountable to each other before they could succeed.

10 plays that shaped the Dallas Cowboys' season