2009 Dallas Cowboys season
Encyclopedia
The 2009
Dallas Cowboys
season is the 50th season for the team in the National Football League
. It is the team's first season playing at Cowboys Stadium. Their victory over the Oakland Raiders
on November 26 extended their Thanksgiving winning streak to four in a row and also ended a three game losing streak to the Raiders. They also ended the Saints' bid for a perfect season
after a 13–0 start with a 24–17 victory on December 19, 2009. The Cowboys punched their ticket to the playoffs on December 27 beating the Washington Redskins
17–0. On January 3, 2010, the Cowboys clinched their division with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles
, 24–0. In the wild-card opening round of the playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys, once again, beat the Eagles, 34–14, to score their first playoff win since 1996 and sweep all three games played against Philadelphia this season. They lost to the Minnesota Vikings
in the divisional round of the playoffs, 34–3.
for a Week 1 duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
. In the first quarter, Dallas shot first as kicker Nick Folk
got a 51-yard and a 22-yard field goal. The Buccaneers responded in the second quarter as running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams
got a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys regained the lead as quarterback Tony Romo
completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin
.
Dallas increased their lead in the third quarter as Romo completed a 66-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roy Williams
. In the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay answered with running back Derrick Ward
getting a 1-yard touchdown run, yet the Cowboys struck right back with Romo completing an 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Patrick Crayton
, along with running back Marion Barber
getting a 6-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, Tampa Bay's rally only produced a 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Byron Leftwich
to tight end Kellen Winslow
.
With the win, Dallas began its season at 1–0.
.
In the first quarter, Dallas trailed early as Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes
got a 30-yard field goal. Dallas responded with running back Marion Barber
getting a 2-yard touchdown run, but New York retook the lead as cornerback Bruce Johnson
returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, the Giants added a Tynes 28-yard field goal to make the score 13–7. The Cowboys responded with a 1-yardTony Romo
touchdown pass to tight end Jason Witten
, yet New York went back on top as quarterback Eli Manning
complted a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham
, this pass however was juggled but still ruled as a touchdown. Dallas closed out the half as kicker Nick Folk
made a 47-yard field goal.
The Cowboys would regain the lead in the third quarter as Romo ran for a 3-yard touchdown. However, in the fourth quarter, the Giants again got the lead as Manning completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith
, followed by Tynes kicking a 36-yard field goal. Dallas responded with a 7-yard touchdown run from running back Felix Jones
. With minutes remaining New York drove the length of the field and Tynes kicked the game-winning 37-yard field goal as time expired.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 1–1.
. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas trailed in the second quarter as Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme
completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dante Rosario
. The Cowboys took control in the third quarter as kicker Nick Folk
nailed a 24-yard field goal, followed by running back Tashard Choice
getting a 5-yard touchdown run. Dallas pulled away with Folk's 19-yard field goal and cornerback Terence Newman
returning an interception 27 yards for a touchdown (with Choice getting the 2-point conversion run).
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 2–1.
for a Week 4 interconference duel with the Denver Broncos
. Dallas would deliver the opening shots in the first quarter with kicker Nick Folk
making a 49-yard field goal, followed by running back Marion Barber
's 1-yard touchdown run. The Broncos would answer in the second quarter with quarterback Kyle Orton
completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Knowshon Moreno
. After a scoreless third quarter, Denver would take control in the fourth. The Broncos would tie the game with a 28-yard field goal from kicker Matt Prater
, and then they would take the lead with Orton's 51-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Marshall
. The 'Boys would get a late game drive all the way down to Denver's 1-yard line, but the Broncos' defense would hold on the for the win.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 2–2.
, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 5 interconference duel with the Kansas City Chiefs
. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas would trail in the second quarter as Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop
booted a 47-yard field goal and quarterback Matt Cassel
hooking up with linebacker Mike Vrabel
on a 1-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys would close out the half with a 22-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk
.
Kansas City came out in the third quarter with Succop's 38-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys began to take control as running back Tashard Choice
got a 36-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Dallas took the lead as Folk nailed a 28-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Tony Romo
completing a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin
. However, the Chiefs would tie the game with Cassel's 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe
. In overtime, the 'Boys came out on top as Romo hooked up with Austin again on a game-winning 60-yard touchdown pass.
With the win, the Cowboys went into their bye week at 3–2.
. Dallas would trail in the first quarter as Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan
found wide receiver Roddy White
on a 4-yard touchdown pass. In the second quarter, the Cowboys came out shooting as kicker Nick Folk
made a 38-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Tony Romo
completing a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin
and a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Patrick Crayton
.
Atlanta tried to catch up in the third quarter with running back Michael Turner's 2-yard touchdown run, yet Dallas answered with Romo finding Austin again on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys would increase their lead in the fourth quarter with Folk nailing a 46-yard field goal and Crayton returning a punt 73 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons tried to come back with Ryan's 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eric Weems
, yet Dallas closed out the game with Folk's 34-yard field goal.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 4–2.
. Dallas would trail early in the first quarter as Seahawks kicker Olindo Mare
nailed a 43-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys answered with quarterback Tony Romo
completing a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sam Hurd
. In the second quarter, Dallas increased their lead as running back Marion Barber
got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Seahawks would reply with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck
's 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deion Branch
, yet the Cowboys came right back with Romo's 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roy Williams
.
Dallas would greatly increase their lead in the third quarter with Romo hooking up with wide receiver Miles Austin
on a 3-yard touchdown pass, followed by wide receiver Patrick Crayton
returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys solidified their win with kicker Nick Folk
nailing a 40-yard field goal. Seattle would close out the game's scoring with Hasselbeck's 4-yard touchdown pass to fullback Justin Griffith
.
With the win, Dallas improved to 5–2.
Crayton would join "Bullet Bob" Hayes
as the only Cowboys to have back-to-back games with a punt return for a touchdown.
for a Week 9 NFC East duel with the Philadelphia Eagles
with both teams fighting for the division lead. Dallas would deliver the opening shot in the first quarter as running back Tashard Choice
got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would answer in the second quarter as kicker David Akers
made a 45-yard and a 48-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys came right back with a 22-yard field goal from kicker Nick Folk
.
Philadelphia would take the lead in the third quarter as quarterback Donovan McNabb
completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek
. Afterwards, Dallas would regain the lead in the fourth quarter as Folk booted a 33-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Tony Romo
hooking up with wide receiver Miles Austin
on a 49-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles tried to rally as Akers nailed a 52-yard field goal, yet the 'Boys would run out the clock and grab the lead in the NFC East.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 6–2.
for a Week 10 duel with the Green Bay Packers
. After a scoreless first quarter, the Packers would acquire the only points of the opening half as kicker Mason Crosby
booted a 48-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, Green Bay would extend their lead in the fourth quarter as quarterback Aaron Rodgers
got a 1-yard touchdown run and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Spencer Havner
. Dallas tried to rally as quarterback Tony Romo
hooked up with wide receiver Roy Williams
on a 9-yard touchdown pass, but the Packers' defense would shut down any further attempt. In this game, the Cowboys avoided a shutout in the final minutes. Their previous shutout was in 2003 against the New England Patriots
in which they lost 0–12.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 6–3.
. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas trailed early after Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham
nailed a 45-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Suisham booted a 31-yard field goal to keep the Redskins in front, yet in the fourth quarter, Dallas took the lead with quarterback Tony Romo
completing a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Patrick Crayton
.
With the close win, the Cowboys improved to 7–3.
. In the first quarter, Dallas began their dominating day with kicker Nick Folk
booting a 36-yard field goal. The Cowboys would add onto their lead in the second quarter as running back Felix Jones
got a 46-yard touchdown, followed by quarterback Tony Romo
finding wide receiver Miles Austin
on a 9-yard touchdown pass.
The Raiders would try to rally in the third quarter as quarterback Bruce Gradkowski
completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey
, yet Dallas would pull away in the fourth quarter as Romo hooked up with wide receiver Roy Williams
.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 8–3.
Romo (18/29, 309 yards, 2 TDs), Austin (7 receptions, 145 yards, 1 TD), & tight end Jason Witten
(5 receptions, 107 yards) were named CBS
's All-Iron Award winners.
for the final time to face off against their NFC East rival the New York Giants
.
With a scoreless first quarter the Cowboys scored a field goal and touchdown by Tony Romo
to Roy Williams. However the Giants countered by scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter. Nick Folk
missed a 57 yard field goal just before halftime.
In the third quarter, both teams scored touchdowns and Nick Folk missed a 42 yard field goal which would have put the Cowboys in front. In the fourth quarter the Giants scored two touchdowns, one being a 79 yard punt return by Domenik Hixon
. Dallas would score a late touchdown from Romo to Miles Austin
but the game ended with the Giants sweeping the series.
Dallas fell to 8–4 with the loss.
and caused the ball to be fumbled. Anthony Spencer
recovered the ball to put it in Dallas' hands. The Saints only points of the half were from a 43-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley
.
In the second half, the Cowboys scored their only touchdown in the third quarter with a two yard touchdown run by Marion Barber. Finally in the fourth quarter New Orleans got a touchdown when running back Mike Bell scored from one yard out to make a 24–10 Dallas lead. Drew Brees also made a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lance Moore
. After that, Nick Folk
attempted a 24-yard field goal, but the kick was no good. With a big advantage to take the lead as the clock was expiring, the Saints were driving for the game-tying score, but DeMarcus Ware made his second sack on Drew Brees, which again caused the ball to be fumbled. This time the ball was recovered by nose guard Jay Ratliff
. With the ball in possession, Dallas took a knee to conclude the game.
With a huge win over the once-undefeated Saints, the Cowboys extended their chances to make the playoffs and ended a two-game losing streak. They improved their record to 9–5.
The Cowboys got a 23-yard field goal in the second half by their new kicker Shaun Suisham
who had played for the Redskins prior to the game. The Redskins continued to be scoreless and ended the game being shutout. This was the first shutout victory over the Redskins since the Cowboys beat them 27–0 on December 14, 2003 and the first time they swept the Redskins since the 2004 season.
With the victory, the Cowboys would clinch a spot in the playoffs and improved from their final 9–7 record from the previous season. The win also closed the doors on the 8–7 New York Giants, who had a 41–9 loss to the Carolina Panthers earlier that day. With the win, the Cowboys improved to 10–5.
in the first quarter. In the second quarter, wide receiver Patrick Crayton
completed a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo. Shaun Suisham also nailed a 44-yard field goal. The Cowboys scored their final touchdown of the game when running back Felix Jones
ran a 49-yard touchdown. The Eagles could not score the entire game with quarterback Donovan McNabb
getting sacked four times.
With the victory, the Cowboys would once again, reclaim first place in their division and improve to 11–5 to top off their regular season. This is the first time the Cowboys have swept the series since 2005, and also to snap Dallas's 9-regular season finale losing streak, as well as being the first time the Cowboys won a January game since 2000. The Cowboys would face off with the Eagles again in their first game of the playoffs the next week. This is also the first time Dallas posted back to back shutouts and Tony Romo broke his old team record for single season passing. They finished the regular season with an 11–5 record.
, in a rematch of their week 17 victory.
After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas delivered the opening shot in the second quarter with quarterback Tony Romo
completing a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Phillips
. The Eagles responded with quarterback Michael Vick
's 76-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin
when cornerback Mike Jenkins
fell on the route. Then the Cowboys exploded with points, starting with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Tashard Choice
, a 25-yard field goal from kicker Shaun Suisham
, Romo's 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin
and Suisham's second field goal of the quarter, from 48 yards.
Dallas went back to work in the third quarter with running back Felix Jones
' 76-yard touchdown run. Philadelphia tried to rally in the fourth quarter as quarterback Donovan McNabb
completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson
, but the 'Boys would drain every last bit of hope needed for a comeback.
The Cowboys and Eagles combined to set an NFL record for the most penalty yards in a playoff game, ever. The two teams were penalized 23 times for 228 yards.
With the win, not only did the Cowboys improve to 12–5, they finally won their first postseason game since 1996, and head coach Wade Phillips
finally got his first postseason win.
for the NFC Divisional Round against the No. 2 Minnesota Vikings
. Dallas would trail in the first quarter as Vikings quarterback Brett Favre
completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sidney Rice
. The Cowboys would respond in the second quarter with kicker Shaun Suisham
making a 33-yard field goal, but Minnesota struck again as Favre found Rice again on a 16-yard touchdown pass, followed by kicker Ryan Longwell
getting a 23-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, the Vikings pulled away in the fourth quarter with Longwell booting a 28-yard field goal, followed by Favre' 45-yard touchdown pass to Rice and an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe
.
With the loss, the Cowboys' season ended with an overall record of 12–6 and their first playoff win since 1996.
on February 9, 2009. Their next move was to release backup quarterback Brad Johnson
on February 26, 2009 and to not re-sign QB Brooks Bollinger. The Cowboys had been 1–3 when Johnson started in 2008. Two days later, the Cowboys traded starting cornerback Anthony Henry, age 32, to the Detroit Lions
in exchange for quarterback Jon Kitna
to back up starting quarterback Tony Romo
. The same day the team signed five-time Pro Bowl
, two-time second-team All-Pro
linebacker Keith Brooking
away from the Atlanta Falcons
. The 33-year-old Brooking had led the Falcons in tackles the previous eight seasons, and he signed a three-year deal worth $7.8 million and includes $2.5 million guaranteed.
The team lost starting defensive end Chris Canty to the New York Giants
on March 1, 2009. To fill the need left by Canty's departure, the team signed former Chargers defensive end Igor Olshansky
to a four-year, $18 million contract, with $8 million guaranteed on March 6, 2009. Linebacker Matt Stewart, who played for Wade Phillips in Atlanta, and had 108 tackles in 2003, signed a one-year contract on March 3, 2009. Stewart helped replace free-agent linebacker Kevin Burnett
, who signed a two-year contract worth $5.5 million with a $2 million signing bonus to play for the San Diego Chargers
.
On March 4, 2009, the Cowboys cut Terrell Owens
, a five-time All-Pro wide receiver who ranks second in NFL history in career touchdowns. The next morning, the team also released five-time Pro Bowl
strong safety Roy Williams
. Williams had struggled to excel in the 3–4 defense Phillips installed when he became head coach. The Cowboys bolstered its secondary in the wake of Williams' departure by signing strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh
, who started 13 games in 2008 for the Jacksonville Jaguars
, to a one-year, $1.75 million deal.
In April, the Cowboys addressed their restricted free agents, whose signing period ran through April 17, 2009. Offensive lineman Cory Procter
signed a one-year tender offer on April 4, 2009. Defensive end Stephen Bowen
also signed a tender offer two days later. Wide receiver Sam Hurd
signed a one-year offer worth $1.545 million on April 20, 2009. The team signed their final restricted free agent, wide receiver Miles Austin
, and both exclusive-rights free agents, running back Alonzo Coleman
and tight end Rodney Hannah
, to one-year contracts worth $1.54 million, $385,000, and $310,000 respectively on April 23, 2009.
The team released thirty-four year-old, Pro-Bowl defensive end Greg Ellis on June 2, 2009. The move saved the Cowboys $4.15 million.
2009 NFL season
The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at...
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
season is the 50th season for the team in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. It is the team's first season playing at Cowboys Stadium. Their victory over the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on November 26 extended their Thanksgiving winning streak to four in a row and also ended a three game losing streak to the Raiders. They also ended the Saints' bid for a perfect season
2009 New Orleans Saints season
The 2009 New Orleans Saints season is the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League and the most successful in franchise history in which they won Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 victories, an improvement on their 8–8 record and fourth place finish in the...
after a 13–0 start with a 24–17 victory on December 19, 2009. The Cowboys punched their ticket to the playoffs on December 27 beating the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
17–0. On January 3, 2010, the Cowboys clinched their division with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 24–0. In the wild-card opening round of the playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys, once again, beat the Eagles, 34–14, to score their first playoff win since 1996 and sweep all three games played against Philadelphia this season. They lost to the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in the divisional round of the playoffs, 34–3.
Preseason
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Game Site | TV | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||||
| 1 | August 13 | 9:00 pm CDT | at Oakland Raiders 2009 Oakland Raiders season The 2009 Oakland Raiders season is the 50th season for the original American Football League team, and its 40th in the NFL. On September 6, 2009, The Raiders traded a 2011 draft pick to the New England Patriots for 5x Pro Bowl Defensive Lineman Richard Seymour. With their loss to Dallas on November... |
L 31–10 | 0–1 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Local | Recap |
| 2 | August 21 | 7:00 pm CDT | Tennessee Titans 2009 Tennessee Titans season The 2009 Tennessee Titans season is the 50th season for the original American Football League team, their 40th in the NFL, and 13th in Tennessee. The Titans aimed to equal or improve on their 2008 NFL best 13–3 record; however, they lost the first 6 games of that season... |
W 30–10 | 1–1 | Cowboys Stadium | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap |
| 3 | August 29 | 7:00 pm CDT | San Francisco 49ers 2009 San Francisco 49ers season The 2009 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 64th season, and the first full year with Mike Singletary as head coach after being named interim head coach in 2008. It is the seventh year in which the 49ers have their seventh offensive coordinator... |
L 20–13 | 1–2 | Cowboys Stadium | NBC NBC The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago... |
Recap |
| 4 | September 4 | 7:00 pm CDT | at Minnesota Vikings 2009 Minnesota Vikings season The 2009 Minnesota Vikings season was the franchise's 49th season in the NFL. The Vikings improved upon their 10–6 record and defended their NFC North title from 2008; it was the first time that they had retained a divisional title since they won six NFC Central titles in a row between 1973 and 1978... |
W 35–31 | 2–2 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
Recap |
Regular season
| Week | Date | Kickoff | Opponent | Results | Game Site | TV | NFL Recap | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | ||||||||
| 1 | September 13 | 1:00 pm EST | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 34th season as a franchise in the NFL. The Buccaneers looked to improve on their 9–7 record from their 2008 season and 3rd place finish in the NFC South but failed to do so as they finished the season at 3–13, missing the playoffs for the... |
W 34–21 | 1–0 | Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events... |
Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| 2 | September 20 | 8:20 pm EST | New York Giants 2009 New York Giants season The 2009 New York Giants season was the 85th season for the team in the National Football League. It was the team's final season in Giants Stadium; In 2010, the Giants moved into New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants hoped to improve upon their 12–4 record, avenge their divisional round loss to the... |
L 33–31 | 1–1 | Cowboys Stadium | NBC NBC Sunday Night Football NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color... |
Recap | |
| 3 | September 28 | 8:30 pm EST | Carolina Panthers 2009 Carolina Panthers season The 2009 Carolina Panthers season was the 15th season for the team in the National Football League. They failed to improve on their franchise-record 12–4 season in 2008 and also failed to make the playoffs.-2009 NFL Draft:-Trades:... |
W 21–7 | 2–1 | Cowboys Stadium | ESPN Monday Night Football Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series... |
Recap | |
| 4 | October 4 | 4:15 pm EST | at Denver Broncos 2009 Denver Broncos season The 2009 Denver Broncos season was their 40th season in the NFL and 50th season overall. The Broncos matched their 8–8 regular season record from 2008 but did not make the playoffs. The Broncos welcomed many new defensive players signed during free agency, including veteran Eagles safety Brian... |
L 17–10 | 2–2 | Invesco Field at Mile High INVESCO Field at Mile High Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001... |
Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| 5 | October 11 | 1:00 pm EST | at Kansas City Chiefs 2009 Kansas City Chiefs season The 2009 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 50th season, and first with head coach Todd Haley at the helm. It was also the first season with Scott Pioli as the team's general manager. The Chiefs attempted to improve on their 2–14 record from 2008 with the third overall selection in the... † |
W 26–20 (O.T.) | 3–2 | Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.... |
Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| 6 | Bye Bye (sports) A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing... |
||||||||
| 7 | October 25 | 4:15 pm EST | Atlanta Falcons 2009 Atlanta Falcons season The 2009 Atlanta Falcons season was the 44th season for the team in the National Football League. The team looked to match or improve upon their 11–5 record from 2008 and return to the playoffs, however the Falcons were eliminated from contention in Week 15... |
W 37–21 | 4–2 | Cowboys Stadium | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| 8 | November 1 | 1:00 pm EST | Seattle Seahawks 2009 Seattle Seahawks season The 2009 Seattle Seahawks season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League. The Seahawks improved in Jim Mora's first season as their head coach, after a disappointing 4–12 record and a 3rd place finish in what was Mike Holmgren's final season coaching the team... |
W 38–17 | 5–2 | Cowboys Stadium | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| 9 | November 8 | 8:20 pm EST | at Philadelphia Eagles 2009 Philadelphia Eagles season The 2009 Philadelphia Eagles season was the 77th season for the team in the National Football League. After advancing to their fifth NFC Championship game in eight years, the Eagles improved upon their 9–6–1 record and second-place finish in the NFC East in their 2008 campaign... |
W 20–16 | 6–2 | Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 . It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th streets, also aside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex... |
NBC NBC Sunday Night Football NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color... |
Recap | |
| 10 | November 15 | 4:15 pm EST | at Green Bay Packers 2009 Green Bay Packers season The 2009 Green Bay Packers season was the 89th season in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and the 91st season for the team overall... |
L 17–7 | 6–3 | Lambeau Field Lambeau Field Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field... |
Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| 11 | November 22 | 1:00 pm EST | Washington Redskins 2009 Washington Redskins season The 2009 Washington Redskins season is the 77th season for the team in the National Football League. They failed to improve upon their 8–8 record from 2008, which resulted in Jim Zorn being fired after two seasons.-Movement:... |
W 7–6 | 7–3 | Cowboys Stadium | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| 12 | November 26 Thanksgiving Classic The National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic is a series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the league's inception in 1920. Since 2006, three games are played every Thanksgiving... |
4:15 pm EST | Oakland Raiders 2009 Oakland Raiders season The 2009 Oakland Raiders season is the 50th season for the original American Football League team, and its 40th in the NFL. On September 6, 2009, The Raiders traded a 2011 draft pick to the New England Patriots for 5x Pro Bowl Defensive Lineman Richard Seymour. With their loss to Dallas on November... † |
W 24–7 | 8–3 | Cowboys Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
Recap | |
| 13 | December 6 | 4:15 pm EST | at New York Giants 2009 New York Giants season The 2009 New York Giants season was the 85th season for the team in the National Football League. It was the team's final season in Giants Stadium; In 2010, the Giants moved into New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants hoped to improve upon their 12–4 record, avenge their divisional round loss to the... |
L 31–24 | 8–4 | Giants Stadium Giants Stadium Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to... |
Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| 14 | December 13 | 4:15 pm EST | San Diego Chargers 2009 San Diego Chargers season The 2009 San Diego Chargers season was the 50th season for the original American Football League team, and its 40th in the NFL. The Chargers improved upon their regular season record of 8–8 in 2008 and won their division for the fourth straight year and fifth time in six seasons... |
L 20–17 | 8–5 | Cowboys Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
Recap | |
| 15 | December 19 | 8:20 pm EST | at New Orleans Saints 2009 New Orleans Saints season The 2009 New Orleans Saints season is the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League and the most successful in franchise history in which they won Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 victories, an improvement on their 8–8 record and fourth place finish in the... |
W 24–17 | 9–5 | Louisiana Superdome Louisiana Superdome The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA... |
NFLN NFL Network NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation... |
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| 16 | December 27 | 8:20 pm EST | at Washington Redskins 2009 Washington Redskins season The 2009 Washington Redskins season is the 77th season for the team in the National Football League. They failed to improve upon their 8–8 record from 2008, which resulted in Jim Zorn being fired after two seasons.-Movement:... |
W 17–0 | 10–5 | FedExField FedExField FedExField is a football stadium located in an unincorporated area near the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, near the site of the old Capital Centre . FedExField is the home of the Washington Redskins football team... |
NBC NBC Sunday Night Football NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color... |
Recap | |
| 17 | January 3, 2010 | 4:15 pm EST | Philadelphia Eagles 2009 Philadelphia Eagles season The 2009 Philadelphia Eagles season was the 77th season for the team in the National Football League. After advancing to their fifth NFC Championship game in eight years, the Eagles improved upon their 9–6–1 record and second-place finish in the NFC East in their 2008 campaign... |
W 24–0 | 11–5 | Cowboys Stadium | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
Recap | |
| NOTES: Division games are in bold text. All game dates are on Sunday unless indicated otherwise.
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Week 1: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Cowboys began their season at Raymond James StadiumRaymond James Stadium
Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events...
for a Week 1 duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
. In the first quarter, Dallas shot first as kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
got a 51-yard and a 22-yard field goal. The Buccaneers responded in the second quarter as running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams
Carnell Williams
Carnell Lamar "Cadillac" Williams is an American football running back for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
got a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys regained the lead as quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
.
Dallas increased their lead in the third quarter as Romo completed a 66-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roy Williams
Roy Williams (wide receiver)
Roy Eugene Williams, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions seventh overall in the 2004 NFL Draft...
. In the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay answered with running back Derrick Ward
Derrick Ward
Derrick LaRon Ward is an American football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Fresno State University and Ottawa University...
getting a 1-yard touchdown run, yet the Cowboys struck right back with Romo completing an 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Patrick Crayton
Patrick Crayton
Patrick Jamel Crayton is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was a originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
, along with running back Marion Barber
Marion Barber III
Marion Sylvester Barber III is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota....
getting a 6-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, Tampa Bay's rally only produced a 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Byron Leftwich
Byron Leftwich
Byron Antron Leftwich is an American football quarterback in the National Football League who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars seventh overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall University.Leftwich has also played...
to tight end Kellen Winslow
Kellen Winslow II
Kellen Boswell Winslow, II is an American football tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns sixth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft...
.
With the win, Dallas began its season at 1–0.
Week 2: vs. New York Giants
Coming off their road win over the Buccaneers, the Cowboys would play their very first regular season home game at the new Cowboys Stadium. With an NFL-record regular season crowd on hand, Dallas would play a Sunday night game against their NFC East rival, the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
In the first quarter, Dallas trailed early as Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence James Henry Tynes is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001.-Early years:...
got a 30-yard field goal. Dallas responded with running back Marion Barber
Marion Barber III
Marion Sylvester Barber III is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota....
getting a 2-yard touchdown run, but New York retook the lead as cornerback Bruce Johnson
Bruce Johnson (American football)
Bruce Johnson is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent of the National Football League...
returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, the Giants added a Tynes 28-yard field goal to make the score 13–7. The Cowboys responded with a 1-yardTony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
touchdown pass to tight end Jason Witten
Jason Witten
Christopher Jason Witten is an American football tight end who plays for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Tennessee....
, yet New York went back on top as quarterback Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
complted a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham
Mario Manningham
Mario Cashmere Manningham is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, this pass however was juggled but still ruled as a touchdown. Dallas closed out the half as kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
made a 47-yard field goal.
The Cowboys would regain the lead in the third quarter as Romo ran for a 3-yard touchdown. However, in the fourth quarter, the Giants again got the lead as Manning completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith
Steve Smith (New York Giants)
Steve Smith is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
, followed by Tynes kicking a 36-yard field goal. Dallas responded with a 7-yard touchdown run from running back Felix Jones
Felix Jones
Felix Jones is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. After playing college football and majoring in kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Cowboys 22nd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...
. With minutes remaining New York drove the length of the field and Tynes kicked the game-winning 37-yard field goal as time expired.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 1–1.
Week 3: vs. Carolina Panthers
Hoping to rebound from their tough divisional loss to the Giants, the Cowboys stayed at home for a Week 3 Monday night duel with the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas trailed in the second quarter as Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dante Rosario
Dante Rosario
Dante Santiago Rosario is an American football tight end who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
. The Cowboys took control in the third quarter as kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
nailed a 24-yard field goal, followed by running back Tashard Choice
Tashard Choice
Tashard J. Choice , is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.Choice began his collegiate career at The University of Oklahoma but...
getting a 5-yard touchdown run. Dallas pulled away with Folk's 19-yard field goal and cornerback Terence Newman
Terence Newman
Terence Newman is a starting American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. He played in the 2008 pro-bowl and has 32 interceptions in his career....
returning an interception 27 yards for a touchdown (with Choice getting the 2-point conversion run).
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 2–1.
Week 4: at Denver Broncos
Coming off their Monday night home win over the Panthers, the Cowboys flew to Invesco Field at Mile HighINVESCO Field at Mile High
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, previously known as Invesco Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, is a multi-purpose stadium, in Denver, Colorado. It replaced the identically sized, but commercially obsolete Mile High Stadium in 2001...
for a Week 4 interconference duel with the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Dallas would deliver the opening shots in the first quarter with kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
making a 49-yard field goal, followed by running back Marion Barber
Marion Barber III
Marion Sylvester Barber III is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota....
's 1-yard touchdown run. The Broncos would answer in the second quarter with quarterback Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He played college football at Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Rockwell Moreno is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was selected 12th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He played college football at the University of Georgia.-Early years:Moreno grew up in Belford, a neighborhood in...
. After a scoreless third quarter, Denver would take control in the fourth. The Broncos would tie the game with a 28-yard field goal from kicker Matt Prater
Matt Prater
Matt Prater is an American football placekicker who plays for the Denver Broncos. He was originally signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at the University of Central Florida, where he majored in psychology.-High school career:Prater attended...
, and then they would take the lead with Orton's 51-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Marshall
Brandon Marshall
-2006:Before the regular season even began, Marshall suffered a slight tear to his PCL in a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions. Although the injury sidelined him for a couple of weeks, he was able to return and play 15 games during the regular season. Marshall had a total of 20 catches, 309...
. The 'Boys would get a late game drive all the way down to Denver's 1-yard line, but the Broncos' defense would hold on the for the win.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 2–2.
Week 5: at Kansas City Chiefs
Hoping to rebound from their tough road loss to the Broncos, the Cowboys flew to Arrowhead StadiumArrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 5 interconference duel with the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas would trail in the second quarter as Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop
Ryan Succop
Ryan Barrow Succop is an American football placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He is the 2009 Mr. Irrelevant after being selected by the Chiefs with the final pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Carolina.-Early years:Succop attended...
booted a 47-yard field goal and quarterback Matt Cassel
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan "Matt" Cassel is a quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
hooking up with linebacker Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
on a 1-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys would close out the half with a 22-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
.
Kansas City came out in the third quarter with Succop's 38-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys began to take control as running back Tashard Choice
Tashard Choice
Tashard J. Choice , is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.Choice began his collegiate career at The University of Oklahoma but...
got a 36-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Dallas took the lead as Folk nailed a 28-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
completing a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
. However, the Chiefs would tie the game with Cassel's 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe
Dwayne Bowe
-2007:On August 5, 2007, Bowe signed a five-year contract with the Chiefs, after holding out the first week of practice at training camp.Bowe scored his first NFL touchdown on a pass from Damon Huard in the first half of the Chiefs' game against the Chicago Bears on September 16, 2007.In his rookie...
. In overtime, the 'Boys came out on top as Romo hooked up with Austin again on a game-winning 60-yard touchdown pass.
With the win, the Cowboys went into their bye week at 3–2.
Week 7: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Coming off their bye week, the Cowboys went home for a Week 7 duel with the Atlanta FalconsAtlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Dallas would trail in the first quarter as Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Villacher SV of the Austrian Hockey League .-Playing career:...
found wide receiver Roddy White
Roddy White
Sharod Lamor White is an American football wide receiver playing for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League...
on a 4-yard touchdown pass. In the second quarter, the Cowboys came out shooting as kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
made a 38-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
completing a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
and a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Patrick Crayton
Patrick Crayton
Patrick Jamel Crayton is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was a originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
.
Atlanta tried to catch up in the third quarter with running back Michael Turner's 2-yard touchdown run, yet Dallas answered with Romo finding Austin again on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys would increase their lead in the fourth quarter with Folk nailing a 46-yard field goal and Crayton returning a punt 73 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons tried to come back with Ryan's 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eric Weems
Eric Weems
Eric Weems is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was signed by the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Bethune-Cookman.-Early years:Weems attended Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida and...
, yet Dallas closed out the game with Folk's 34-yard field goal.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 4–2.
Week 8: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Coming off their win over the Falcons, the Cowboys stayed at home for a Week 8 duel with the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. Dallas would trail early in the first quarter as Seahawks kicker Olindo Mare
Olindo Mare
Olindo Franco Mare is an American football placekicker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
nailed a 43-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys answered with quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
completing a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sam Hurd
Sam Hurd
Samuel George Hurd, III is an American football wide receiver for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.-Early life:...
. In the second quarter, Dallas increased their lead as running back Marion Barber
Marion Barber III
Marion Sylvester Barber III is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota....
got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Seahawks would reply with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
's 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deion Branch
Deion Branch
Anthony Deion Branch, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.He has also played for the Seattle Seahawks...
, yet the Cowboys came right back with Romo's 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roy Williams
Roy Williams (wide receiver)
Roy Eugene Williams, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions seventh overall in the 2004 NFL Draft...
.
Dallas would greatly increase their lead in the third quarter with Romo hooking up with wide receiver Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
on a 3-yard touchdown pass, followed by wide receiver Patrick Crayton
Patrick Crayton
Patrick Jamel Crayton is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was a originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys solidified their win with kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
nailing a 40-yard field goal. Seattle would close out the game's scoring with Hasselbeck's 4-yard touchdown pass to fullback Justin Griffith
Justin Griffith
Justin Montrel Griffith is an American football fullback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
.
With the win, Dallas improved to 5–2.
Crayton would join "Bullet Bob" Hayes
Bob Hayes
Robert Lee "Bullet Bob" Hayes was an Olympic sprinter turned American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. An American track and field athlete, he was a two-sport stand-out in college in both track and football at Florida A&M University...
as the only Cowboys to have back-to-back games with a punt return for a touchdown.
Week 9: at Philadelphia Eagles
Coming off their home win over the Seahawks, the Cowboys flew to Lincoln Financial FieldLincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 . It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th streets, also aside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
for a Week 9 NFC East duel with the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
with both teams fighting for the division lead. Dallas would deliver the opening shot in the first quarter as running back Tashard Choice
Tashard Choice
Tashard J. Choice , is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.Choice began his collegiate career at The University of Oklahoma but...
got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would answer in the second quarter as kicker David Akers
David Akers
David Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
made a 45-yard and a 48-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys came right back with a 22-yard field goal from kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
.
Philadelphia would take the lead in the third quarter as quarterback Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek
Brent Celek
Brent Steven Celek is an American football tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Cincinnati.-Early years:...
. Afterwards, Dallas would regain the lead in the fourth quarter as Folk booted a 33-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
hooking up with wide receiver Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
on a 49-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles tried to rally as Akers nailed a 52-yard field goal, yet the 'Boys would run out the clock and grab the lead in the NFC East.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 6–2.
Week 10: at Green Bay Packers
Coming off a huge divisional win over the Eagles, the Cowboys flew to Lambeau FieldLambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
for a Week 10 duel with the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. After a scoreless first quarter, the Packers would acquire the only points of the opening half as kicker Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby
Mason Walker Crosby , is a professional American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League. During his playing days at the University of Colorado, Crosby was widely considered the best kicker in college football, as evidenced by ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s...
booted a 48-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, Green Bay would extend their lead in the fourth quarter as quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
got a 1-yard touchdown run and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Spencer Havner
Spencer Havner
Spencer Rhett Havner [HAY-vner] is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
. Dallas tried to rally as quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
hooked up with wide receiver Roy Williams
Roy Williams (wide receiver)
Roy Eugene Williams, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions seventh overall in the 2004 NFL Draft...
on a 9-yard touchdown pass, but the Packers' defense would shut down any further attempt. In this game, the Cowboys avoided a shutout in the final minutes. Their previous shutout was in 2003 against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in which they lost 0–12.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 6–3.
Week 11: vs. Washington Redskins
Hoping to rebound from their frustrating loss to the Packers, the Cowboys returned home for their Week 11 NFC East rivalry match against the Washington RedskinsWashington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas trailed early after Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham
Shaun Suisham
Shaun Christopher Suisham is a Canadian placekicker of American football for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
nailed a 45-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Suisham booted a 31-yard field goal to keep the Redskins in front, yet in the fourth quarter, Dallas took the lead with quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
completing a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Patrick Crayton
Patrick Crayton
Patrick Jamel Crayton is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was a originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
.
With the close win, the Cowboys improved to 7–3.
Week 12: vs. Oakland Raiders
Coming off their win over the Redskins, the Cowboys stayed at home for a Week 12 Thanksgiving duel with the Oakland RaidersOakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In the first quarter, Dallas began their dominating day with kicker Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
booting a 36-yard field goal. The Cowboys would add onto their lead in the second quarter as running back Felix Jones
Felix Jones
Felix Jones is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. After playing college football and majoring in kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Cowboys 22nd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...
got a 46-yard touchdown, followed by quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
finding wide receiver Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
on a 9-yard touchdown pass.
The Raiders would try to rally in the third quarter as quarterback Bruce Gradkowski
Bruce Gradkowski
Bruce Raymond Gradkowski is an American Football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Toledo.Gradkowski has previously been a member of the Tampa...
completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey
Darrius Heyward-Bey
-Oakland Raiders:During Organized Team Activities following the draft, Heyward-Bey practiced early but was plagued by multiple hamstring injuries. On July 30, 2009, the Oakland Raiders agreed to terms on a five-year deal with Heyward-Bey.-External links:***...
, yet Dallas would pull away in the fourth quarter as Romo hooked up with wide receiver Roy Williams
Roy Williams (wide receiver)
Roy Eugene Williams, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions seventh overall in the 2004 NFL Draft...
.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 8–3.
Romo (18/29, 309 yards, 2 TDs), Austin (7 receptions, 145 yards, 1 TD), & tight end Jason Witten
Jason Witten
Christopher Jason Witten is an American football tight end who plays for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Tennessee....
(5 receptions, 107 yards) were named CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
's All-Iron Award winners.
Week 13: at New York Giants
Coming off their Thanksgiving win over the Raiders, the Cowboys went to Giants StadiumGiants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
for the final time to face off against their NFC East rival the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
With a scoreless first quarter the Cowboys scored a field goal and touchdown by Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
to Roy Williams. However the Giants countered by scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter. Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
missed a 57 yard field goal just before halftime.
In the third quarter, both teams scored touchdowns and Nick Folk missed a 42 yard field goal which would have put the Cowboys in front. In the fourth quarter the Giants scored two touchdowns, one being a 79 yard punt return by Domenik Hixon
Domenik Hixon
Domenik Hixon is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Akron.-Early years:Hixon was born to an African American...
. Dallas would score a late touchdown from Romo to Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
but the game ended with the Giants sweeping the series.
Dallas fell to 8–4 with the loss.
Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week 15: at New Orleans Saints
Hoping to end the two-game skid from their tough losses to the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers, the Cowboys went to the Superdome to take on the undefeated New Orleans Saints. The Cowboys took the lead in the first half by scoring two touchdowns with a 49-yard pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin and a 3-yard touchdown run by Marion Barber. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware made a big play as he sacked Saints quarterback Drew BreesDrew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
and caused the ball to be fumbled. Anthony Spencer
Anthony Spencer
Anthony E. Spencer II is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys 26th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-High school career:Spencer played high school football at Bishop Luers High...
recovered the ball to put it in Dallas' hands. The Saints only points of the half were from a 43-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley
Garrett Hartley
Garrett Hartley is an American football placekicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
.
In the second half, the Cowboys scored their only touchdown in the third quarter with a two yard touchdown run by Marion Barber. Finally in the fourth quarter New Orleans got a touchdown when running back Mike Bell scored from one yard out to make a 24–10 Dallas lead. Drew Brees also made a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lance Moore
Lance Moore
Lance Andrew Moore is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
. After that, Nick Folk
Nick Folk
Nicholas "Nick" Alexander Folk is an American football kicker who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
attempted a 24-yard field goal, but the kick was no good. With a big advantage to take the lead as the clock was expiring, the Saints were driving for the game-tying score, but DeMarcus Ware made his second sack on Drew Brees, which again caused the ball to be fumbled. This time the ball was recovered by nose guard Jay Ratliff
Jay Ratliff
Jeremiah "Jay" Ratliff is an American football nose tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at Auburn.-Early years:...
. With the ball in possession, Dallas took a knee to conclude the game.
With a huge win over the once-undefeated Saints, the Cowboys extended their chances to make the playoffs and ended a two-game losing streak. They improved their record to 9–5.
Week 16: at Washington Redskins
Coming off a huge win over the New Orleans Saints, the Cowboys went to FedEx Field to take on the Washington Redskins. In the first quarter, Tony Romo made a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roy Williams. In the second quarter, Marion Barber made a 3-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys ended the first half of the game holding Washington to no points.The Cowboys got a 23-yard field goal in the second half by their new kicker Shaun Suisham
Shaun Suisham
Shaun Christopher Suisham is a Canadian placekicker of American football for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
who had played for the Redskins prior to the game. The Redskins continued to be scoreless and ended the game being shutout. This was the first shutout victory over the Redskins since the Cowboys beat them 27–0 on December 14, 2003 and the first time they swept the Redskins since the 2004 season.
With the victory, the Cowboys would clinch a spot in the playoffs and improved from their final 9–7 record from the previous season. The win also closed the doors on the 8–7 New York Giants, who had a 41–9 loss to the Carolina Panthers earlier that day. With the win, the Cowboys improved to 10–5.
Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Coming off their shutout victory against Washington, the Cowboys stayed home for their regular season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles in a regular season-sealing claim for the NFC East crown. The Cowboys scored their first touchdown of the game when Tony Romo completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jason WittenJason Witten
Christopher Jason Witten is an American football tight end who plays for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Tennessee....
in the first quarter. In the second quarter, wide receiver Patrick Crayton
Patrick Crayton
Patrick Jamel Crayton is an American football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He was a originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
completed a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo. Shaun Suisham also nailed a 44-yard field goal. The Cowboys scored their final touchdown of the game when running back Felix Jones
Felix Jones
Felix Jones is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. After playing college football and majoring in kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Cowboys 22nd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...
ran a 49-yard touchdown. The Eagles could not score the entire game with quarterback Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
getting sacked four times.
With the victory, the Cowboys would once again, reclaim first place in their division and improve to 11–5 to top off their regular season. This is the first time the Cowboys have swept the series since 2005, and also to snap Dallas's 9-regular season finale losing streak, as well as being the first time the Cowboys won a January game since 2000. The Cowboys would face off with the Eagles again in their first game of the playoffs the next week. This is also the first time Dallas posted back to back shutouts and Tony Romo broke his old team record for single season passing. They finished the regular season with an 11–5 record.
NFC Wild-Card Game: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Entering the playoffs as the NFC's No. 3 seed, the Cowboys began their postseason run at home in "Round 3" against their rival, the No. 6 Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, in a rematch of their week 17 victory.
After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas delivered the opening shot in the second quarter with quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
completing a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Phillips
John Phillips (American football)
John Phillips is an American football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League...
. The Eagles responded with quarterback Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
's 76-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin
Jeremy Maclin
-2009 NFL Draft:Maclin was considered a top National Football League prospect following his second season, and roommate Sean Weatherspoon hoped to convince Maclin to return for his junior year instead of leaving Missouri for the 2009 NFL Draft. Weatherspoon’s efforts were unsuccessful, and on...
when cornerback Mike Jenkins
Mike Jenkins
Mike Patrick Jenkins is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League...
fell on the route. Then the Cowboys exploded with points, starting with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Tashard Choice
Tashard Choice
Tashard J. Choice , is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.Choice began his collegiate career at The University of Oklahoma but...
, a 25-yard field goal from kicker Shaun Suisham
Shaun Suisham
Shaun Christopher Suisham is a Canadian placekicker of American football for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
, Romo's 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
and Suisham's second field goal of the quarter, from 48 yards.
Dallas went back to work in the third quarter with running back Felix Jones
Felix Jones
Felix Jones is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. After playing college football and majoring in kinesiology at the University of Arkansas, he was drafted by the Cowboys 22nd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...
' 76-yard touchdown run. Philadelphia tried to rally in the fourth quarter as quarterback Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson
DeSean Jackson
Going to the 2008 NFL Draft Jackson was considered one of the top ten wide receivers available in a draft class littered with talented wide outs. The only knock on Jackson was his small frame, being measured at 5'9¾ " and just over 170 pounds. During the pre-draft period, Hall of Fame wide receiver...
, but the 'Boys would drain every last bit of hope needed for a comeback.
The Cowboys and Eagles combined to set an NFL record for the most penalty yards in a playoff game, ever. The two teams were penalized 23 times for 228 yards.
With the win, not only did the Cowboys improve to 12–5, they finally won their first postseason game since 1996, and head coach Wade Phillips
Wade Phillips
Wade Allen Phillips is the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans and former head coach for the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills. He was also an interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons...
finally got his first postseason win.
NFC Divisional: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Coming off their three-game sweep over the Eagles, the Cowboys flew to the Hubert H. Humphrey MetrodomeHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
for the NFC Divisional Round against the No. 2 Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. Dallas would trail in the first quarter as Vikings quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sidney Rice
Sidney Rice
-Minnesota Vikings :Rice was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He signed a four year contract with the Vikings in 2007....
. The Cowboys would respond in the second quarter with kicker Shaun Suisham
Shaun Suisham
Shaun Christopher Suisham is a Canadian placekicker of American football for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
making a 33-yard field goal, but Minnesota struck again as Favre found Rice again on a 16-yard touchdown pass, followed by kicker Ryan Longwell
Ryan Longwell
Ryan Walker Longwell is an American football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League. After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he started his professional football career with the San Francisco 49ers, but never played a game for the franchise...
getting a 23-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, the Vikings pulled away in the fourth quarter with Longwell booting a 28-yard field goal, followed by Favre' 45-yard touchdown pass to Rice and an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe
Visanthe Shiancoe
Visanthe Shiancoe is an American football tight end who currently plays for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.-High school:...
.
With the loss, the Cowboys' season ended with an overall record of 12–6 and their first playoff win since 1996.
Movement
After news reports about a 2007 shooting allegation surfaced, the Cowboys released talented but controversial cornerback Adam JonesAdam Jones (American football)
Adam "Pac-Man" Bernard Jones is an American cornerback and return specialist who is currently playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted in the first round with the sixth-overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He played college football at West Virginia.Jones has also...
on February 9, 2009. Their next move was to release backup quarterback Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson (American football)
James Bradley Johnson is a former National Football League Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the ninth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.-Early years:Brad went to Charles D...
on February 26, 2009 and to not re-sign QB Brooks Bollinger. The Cowboys had been 1–3 when Johnson started in 2008. Two days later, the Cowboys traded starting cornerback Anthony Henry, age 32, to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in exchange for quarterback Jon Kitna
Jon Kitna
Jon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
to back up starting quarterback Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
. The same day the team signed five-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
, two-time second-team All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
linebacker Keith Brooking
Keith Brooking
Keith Howard Brooking is a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech...
away from the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The 33-year-old Brooking had led the Falcons in tackles the previous eight seasons, and he signed a three-year deal worth $7.8 million and includes $2.5 million guaranteed.
The team lost starting defensive end Chris Canty to the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on March 1, 2009. To fill the need left by Canty's departure, the team signed former Chargers defensive end Igor Olshansky
Igor Olshansky
Igor Olshansky is a Ukrainian-born American football defensive end free agent in National Football League. He last played for the Miami Dolphins....
to a four-year, $18 million contract, with $8 million guaranteed on March 6, 2009. Linebacker Matt Stewart, who played for Wade Phillips in Atlanta, and had 108 tackles in 2003, signed a one-year contract on March 3, 2009. Stewart helped replace free-agent linebacker Kevin Burnett
Kevin Burnett
Kevin Bradley Burnett is an American football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee....
, who signed a two-year contract worth $5.5 million with a $2 million signing bonus to play for the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
On March 4, 2009, the Cowboys cut Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens has been one of the dominant receivers of his era...
, a five-time All-Pro wide receiver who ranks second in NFL history in career touchdowns. The next morning, the team also released five-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
strong safety Roy Williams
Roy Williams (safety)
Roy Lee Williams is a retired American football safety. He played college football at Oklahoma before he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys eighth overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He spent seven seasons with the Cowboys and earned five straight Pro Bowl selections from 2003–2007...
. Williams had struggled to excel in the 3–4 defense Phillips installed when he became head coach. The Cowboys bolstered its secondary in the wake of Williams' departure by signing strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh
Gerald Sensabaugh
Gerald Lind Sensabaugh, Jr. is an American football Safety who is currently a safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, who started 13 games in 2008 for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, to a one-year, $1.75 million deal.
In April, the Cowboys addressed their restricted free agents, whose signing period ran through April 17, 2009. Offensive lineman Cory Procter
Cory Procter
Cory Procter is an American football guard who is currently a member of the Miami Dolphins. He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
signed a one-year tender offer on April 4, 2009. Defensive end Stephen Bowen
Stephen Bowen (American football)
Stephen Alexander Bowen is an American football defensive end for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
also signed a tender offer two days later. Wide receiver Sam Hurd
Sam Hurd
Samuel George Hurd, III is an American football wide receiver for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.-Early life:...
signed a one-year offer worth $1.545 million on April 20, 2009. The team signed their final restricted free agent, wide receiver Miles Austin
Miles Austin
Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
, and both exclusive-rights free agents, running back Alonzo Coleman
Alonzo Coleman
Alonzo Coleman is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Hampton....
and tight end Rodney Hannah
Rodney Hannah
Rodney Hannah is an American football tight end for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Houston....
, to one-year contracts worth $1.54 million, $385,000, and $310,000 respectively on April 23, 2009.
The team released thirty-four year-old, Pro-Bowl defensive end Greg Ellis on June 2, 2009. The move saved the Cowboys $4.15 million.
Free agents in 2009
RFA: Restricted free-agent, UFA: Unrestricted free-agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent| Position | Player | Free agency tag |
Date signed | 2009 team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OG/OL | Joe Berger Joe Berger Joseph David Berger is an American football center for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan Tech.... |
UFA | February 27, 2009 | Miami Dolphins | |
| WR | Miles Austin Miles Austin Miles Jonathon Austin III is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006... |
RFA | April 23, 2009 | Dallas Cowboys | |
| QB | Brooks Bollinger Brooks Bollinger Brooks Bollinger is a retired American football quarterback. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... |
UFA | Florida Tuskers | ||
| DE | Stephen Bowen Stephen Bowen (American football) Stephen Alexander Bowen is an American football defensive end for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2006... |
RFA | April 6, 2009 | Dallas Cowboys | |
| LB | Kevin Burnett Kevin Burnett Kevin Bradley Burnett is an American football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.... |
UFA | March 10, 2009 | San Diego Chargers | |
| DE | Chris Canty | UFA | March 1, 2009 | New York Giants | |
| RB | Alonzo Coleman Alonzo Coleman Alonzo Coleman is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Hampton.... |
ERFA | April 23, 2009 | Dallas Cowboys | |
| OT | Marc Colombo Marc Colombo Marc Edward Colombo is an American football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played college football for Boston College... |
UFA | December 25, 2008 | Dallas Cowboys | |
| TE | Tony Curtis | UFA | April 24, 2009 | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| SS | Keith Davis Keith Davis Keith Lamont Davis is an American football safety for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002... |
UFA | May 21, 2009 | Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
|
| TE | Rodney Hannah Rodney Hannah Rodney Hannah is an American football tight end for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Houston.... |
ERFA | April 23, 2009 | Dallas Cowboys | |
| WR | Sam Hurd Sam Hurd Samuel George Hurd, III is an American football wide receiver for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.-Early life:... |
RFA | April 20, 2009 | Dallas Cowboys | |
| QB | Brad Johnson Brad Johnson (American football) James Bradley Johnson is a former National Football League Super Bowl-winning quarterback. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the ninth round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.-Early years:Brad went to Charles D... |
Released | February 26, 2009 | TBD | |
| DL | Tank Johnson Tank Johnson Terry "Tank" Johnson is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.... |
UFA | April 7, 2009 | Cincinnati Bengals | |
| CB | Adam Jones Adam Jones (American football) Adam "Pac-Man" Bernard Jones is an American cornerback and return specialist who is currently playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted in the first round with the sixth-overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He played college football at West Virginia.Jones has also... |
Released | February 9, 2009 | TBD | |
| P | Sam Paulescu Sam Paulescu Samuel Paulescu is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a street free agent in 2006... |
UFA | |||
| LB | Carlos Polk Carlos Polk Carlos Devonn Polk is a retired American football linebacker. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska. He has also played for the Dallas Cowboys... |
UFA | |||
| OG | Cory Procter Cory Procter Cory Procter is an American football guard who is currently a member of the Miami Dolphins. He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2005... |
RFA | April 4, 2009 | Dallas Cowboys | |
| LB | Zach Thomas Zach Thomas Zachary Michael Thomas is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Tech.... |
UFA | April 13, 2009 | Kansas City Chiefs |
2009 NFL Draft selections
| Draft order | Player name | Position | Height | Weight | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Pick | |||||
| 3 | 69 (from CLE) | Jason Williams Jason Williams (American football) Jason X. Williams is an American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
Outside linebacker | 6 ft 3 in | 235 lb | Western Illinois |
| 3 | 75 (from BUF) | Robert Brewster Robert Brewster Robert Brewster is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played for Ball State as they achieved a national ranking in 2008 for the first time in school history... |
Offensive tackle | 6 ft 4 in | 325 lb | Ball State |
| 4 | 101 (from DET) | Stephen McGee Stephen McGee Stephen Richard McGee is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for Texas A&M.... |
Quarterback | 6 ft 3 in | 222 lb | Texas A&M |
| 4 | 110 (from BUF) | Victor Butler Victor Butler Victor Butler is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State... |
Outside linebacker | 6 ft 2 in | 248 lb | Oregon State |
| 4 | 117 | Brandon Williams | Defensive end | 6 ft 5 in | 246 lb | Texas Tech |
| 5 | 156 | DeAngelo Smith DeAngelo Smith DeAngelo Lamar Smith is an American football safety for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
Cornerback | 5 ft 10 in | 191 lb | Cincinnati |
| 5 | 166 (from TEN) | Michael Hamlin Michael Hamlin Michael Hamlin is an American football safety who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Clemson.... |
Safety | 6 ft 2 in | 207 lb | Clemson |
| 5 | 172 | David Buehler David Buehler -Dallas Cowboys:He was drafted in the 5th round by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2009 NFL Draft, and the first kicker taken. He was the first USC kicker to be drafted since Cole Ford in 1995. He handles the team's kickoffs and missed his only field goal attempt in the Cowboys' opening regular season... |
Kicker | 6 ft 2 in | 220 lb | USC |
| 6 | 197 (from MIA) | Stephen Hodge Stephen Hodge (American football) Stephen Hodge is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football as a strong safety at Texas Christian University .-College career:Hodge did not start for TCU until the middle... |
Safety | 6 ft 0 in | 234 lb | TCU |
| 6 | 208 | John Phillips John Phillips (American football) John Phillips is an American football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League... |
Tight end | 6 ft 6 in | 250 lb | Virginia |
| 7 | 227 | Mike Mickens Mike Mickens Mike Mickens is a gridiron football cornerback for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Cincinnati.Mickens has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati... |
Cornerback | 5 ft 11 in | 176 lb | Cincinnati |
| 7 | 229 (from CHI) | Manuel Johnson Manuel Johnson Manuel Johnson was a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was cut in 2011. Johnson played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.-High school:... |
Wide receiver | 5 ft 11 in | 189 lb | Oklahoma |
- Selections 172 and 208 are compensatory selectionsNFL DraftThe National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
awarded by the league. - Dallas traded its first-round (No. 20), third-round (No. 84), and sixth-round selections in 2009 to Detroit in exchange for wide receiver Roy WilliamsRoy Williams (wide receiver)Roy Eugene Williams, Jr. is an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions seventh overall in the 2004 NFL Draft...
and a seventh-round selection in the 2010 draft. - Dallas traded its second-round selection (51st overall) to Buffalo for their third-round selection (75th overall) and a fourth-round selection (110th overall).
- Cleveland traded its third-round selection in 2009 (No. 69) to Dallas for Dallas' fourth-round selection in 2008 (No, 111: used to select tight end Martin RuckerMartin Rucker (American football)Martin Rucker is an American football tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Missouri....
). - Detroit traded its fourth-round selection in 2009 and third-round selection in 2008 (No. 111: traded to Cleveland, see above trade for Martin Rucker) to Dallas for Dallas' 2008 third-round selection (No. 92: used to select defensive end Cliff AvrilCliff AvrilClifford Samuel Avril is a defensive end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-Early years:...
). - The suspension of cornerback Pacman JonesAdam Jones (American football)Adam "Pac-Man" Bernard Jones is an American cornerback and return specialist who is currently playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted in the first round with the sixth-overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He played college football at West Virginia.Jones has also...
on October 15, 2008 triggered a clause in his trade agreement that required Tennessee to give Dallas its fifth-round selection. Had Jones not been suspended, Dallas would have owed Tennessee a sixth-round selection. - Miami traded its sixth-round selection in 2009 and sixth-round selection in 2008 (No. 167: used to select linebacker Erik WaldenErik WaldenErik Lashawn Walden is an American football linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
) to Dallas for defensive tackle Jason FergusonJason FergusonJason O. Ferguson is a former American football defensive tackle who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League, for the New York Jets—who originally selected in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft—, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins...
and Dallas' sixth-round selection (No. 195: used to select offensive guard Donald Thomas).
Opening training camp roster
| Dallas Cowboys 2009 opening training camp roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Flozell Adams Flozell "The Hotel" Adams is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.... T Travis Bright Travis Bright is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed an undrafted free agent in 2009 by the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at BYU.-High school career:... G Marc Colombo Marc Edward Colombo is an American football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played college football for Boston College... T Leonard Davis Leonard Barnett Davis is an American football guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.Davis has also played for the Dallas Cowboys.-Early years:Davis is the... G Doug Free Doug Free is an American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League... T Ryan Gibbons Ryan Gibbons is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2006... G/T Andre Gurode -Dallas Cowboys:Gurode was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft as a center.Gurode was selected to help shore up the center position and started fast by becoming the first rookie in club history to start at center on opening day.... C Montrae Holland Montrae Rondrell Holland is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... G Greg Isdaner Greg Isdaner is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2009... G Kyle Kosier Kyle Blaine Kosier is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.He was originally selected with the 37th pick of the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Arizona State University. He has also played for the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco... G Pat McQuistan Patrick Shawn McQuistan is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a member of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft... T Cory Procter Cory Procter is an American football guard who is currently a member of the Miami Dolphins. He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2005... G/C Mike Turkovich Michael Turkovich is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent in the Arena Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2009... T Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Keith Brooking Keith Howard Brooking is a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech... ILB Victor Butler Victor Butler is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State... OLB Bobby Carpenter (American football) Robert J. Carpenter III is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State.Carpenter has also played for the St... ILB Bradie James Bradie Gene James is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-High school career :... ILB Steve Octavien Steven Octavien is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Nebraska.... ILB Justin Rogers Justin Rogers is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft... OLB Anthony Spencer Anthony E. Spencer II is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys 26th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-High school career:Spencer played high school football at Bishop Luers High... OLB Demarcus Ware DeMarcus Ware is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Troy University... OLB Jason Williams (American football) Jason X. Williams is an American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft... ILB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Tim Anderson (American football) Timothy J. Anderson was an American football defensive tackle for the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft... NT (Active/PUP)  Stephen Hodge (American football) Stephen Hodge is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football as a strong safety at Texas Christian University .-College career:Hodge did not start for TCU until the middle... ILB (Active/PUP) Unsigned Draft Picks
Rookies in italics 80 Active, 0 Inactive, 1 Unsigned |
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Week 1 roster
| Dallas Cowboys 2009 week 1 roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Flozell Adams Flozell "The Hotel" Adams is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.... T Marc Colombo Marc Edward Colombo is an American football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played college football for Boston College... T Leonard Davis Leonard Barnett Davis is an American football guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.Davis has also played for the Dallas Cowboys.-Early years:Davis is the... G Doug Free Doug Free is an American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League... T Andre Gurode -Dallas Cowboys:Gurode was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft as a center.Gurode was selected to help shore up the center position and started fast by becoming the first rookie in club history to start at center on opening day.... C Montrae Holland Montrae Rondrell Holland is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... G Kyle Kosier Kyle Blaine Kosier is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.He was originally selected with the 37th pick of the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Arizona State University. He has also played for the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco... G Pat McQuistan Patrick Shawn McQuistan is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a member of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft... T Duke Preston Raymond Newton "Duke" Preston, III is a former American football center. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois.... C Cory Procter Cory Procter is an American football guard who is currently a member of the Miami Dolphins. He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2005... G/C Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Keith Brooking Keith Howard Brooking is a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech... ILB Victor Butler Victor Butler is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State... OLB Bobby Carpenter (American football) Robert J. Carpenter III is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State.Carpenter has also played for the St... ILB Bradie James Bradie Gene James is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-High school career :... ILB Steve Octavien Steven Octavien is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Nebraska.... OLB Anthony Spencer Anthony E. Spencer II is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys 26th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-High school career:Spencer played high school football at Bishop Luers High... OLB Demarcus Ware DeMarcus Ware is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Troy University... OLB Jason Williams (American football) Jason X. Williams is an American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft... ILB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Robert Brewster Robert Brewster is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played for Ball State as they achieved a national ranking in 2008 for the first time in school history... T (PUP) Stephen Hodge (American football) Stephen Hodge is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football as a strong safety at Texas Christian University .-College career:Hodge did not start for TCU until the middle... ILB (IR) Keon Lattimore Keon Lattimore is an American football running back who is currently an NFL free agent and also played for the Trenton Steel in the SIFL. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Maryland.Lattimore has also been a member of the... RB (IR) Practice Squad
Rookies in italics 53 Active, 4 Inactive, 8 PS |
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Final roster
| Dallas Cowboys 2009 final roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Flozell Adams Flozell "The Hotel" Adams is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.... T Marc Colombo Marc Edward Colombo is an American football offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played college football for Boston College... T Leonard Davis Leonard Barnett Davis is an American football guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.Davis has also played for the Dallas Cowboys.-Early years:Davis is the... G Doug Free Doug Free is an American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League... T Andre Gurode -Dallas Cowboys:Gurode was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft as a center.Gurode was selected to help shore up the center position and started fast by becoming the first rookie in club history to start at center on opening day.... C Montrae Holland Montrae Rondrell Holland is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft... G Kyle Kosier Kyle Blaine Kosier is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.He was originally selected with the 37th pick of the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Arizona State University. He has also played for the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco... G Pat McQuistan Patrick Shawn McQuistan is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a member of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft... T Duke Preston Raymond Newton "Duke" Preston, III is a former American football center. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois.... C Cory Procter Cory Procter is an American football guard who is currently a member of the Miami Dolphins. He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2005... G/C Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Keith Brooking Keith Howard Brooking is a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech... ILB Victor Butler Victor Butler is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State... OLB/DE Bobby Carpenter (American football) Robert J. Carpenter III is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State.Carpenter has also played for the St... ILB Bradie James Bradie Gene James is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-High school career :... ILB Steve Octavien Steven Octavien is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Nebraska.... OLB/DE Anthony Spencer Anthony E. Spencer II is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys 26th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-High school career:Spencer played high school football at Bishop Luers High... OLB/DE Demarcus Ware DeMarcus Ware is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Troy University... OLB/DE Jason Williams (American football) Jason X. Williams is an American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft... ILB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Robert Brewster Robert Brewster is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played for Ball State as they achieved a national ranking in 2008 for the first time in school history... OT (IR) Stephen Hodge (American football) Stephen Hodge is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football as a strong safety at Texas Christian University .-College career:Hodge did not start for TCU until the middle... ILB (IR) Practice Squad
Future Contracts
Rookies in italics 53 Active, 3 Inactive, 7 PS, 1 Future |
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