- Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and team-mates get first win in three games against the Jacksonville Jaguars
- The Cowboys dominated the Jaguars throughout the game held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday evening
- Romo threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns against a Jacksonville team who have won just once this seaso
A
tough fortnight for the Dallas Cowboys ended in the best possible way on
Sunday, with a convincing win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley.
After
two straight defeats by Washington and Arizona, injury problems for
quarterback Tony Romo and suggestions that a number of players ‘missed
curfew’ on Friday, the Cowboys were back to winning ways.
Dallas’
big players all showed up in London to lead them to a dominant 31-17
victory over Jacksonville in the third and final International Series
contest this season.
VIDEO Scroll down for Tony Romo: We had to win this game, we came out with great energy
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (left) fires a pass whilst under pressure from Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Dwayne Gratz
Dez Bryant (no 88) holds on tight as he gets a battering after scoring a first half touchdown for the Dallas Cowboys at Wembley see more
The Cowboys wide receiver celebrates in style with team-mate Frederick Travis after scoring a touchdown against the Jaguars
A
banged up Romo, who missed the week-nine loss to Arizona, enjoyed
excellent protection from his formidable offensive line as he threw for
246 yards and three touchdowns.
‘Tony
played a really good game,’ head coach Jason Garrett said. ‘He saw the
field well and took the opportunity to throw the ball down the field. He
didn’t look like he had any physical restrictions.’
Romo
added: ‘I’m just sore, but it’s always uncomfortable when you get hit.
It’s part of playing football and everyone goes through that. I’m a
little bang up, but a lot of guys are.
‘We had to win this game and came out with great energy and executed really well.’
Running
back DeMarco Murray continued his strong season with yet another
100-yard rushing game while wide receiver Dez Bryant racked up 158 yards
and two touchdowns.
It
was a victory that ended a two-game losing streak for Dallas and kept
up the pressure on NFC East leaders Philadelphia having relinquished
control of that division.
If
the Cowboys are serious about their play-off hopes, this was a game
they could barely afford to lose against a Jacksonville team who have
won just once this season.
Garrett said: ‘The big challenge is to focus on the task in hand regardless of what happened the previous week.
‘I
thought we did a good job of that and had the right approach, mentality
and mindset and it reflected in our performance today.’
Denard
Robinson’s 32-yard touchdown run for the Jaguars midway through the
first quarter would have had the Cowboys sideline anxiously biting their
nails at the prospect of a third straight defeat.
But once the tide turned in Dallas’ favour, it never looked like shifting back again.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson (right) breaks away from Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr
Quarterback Tony Romo (second right) calls a play to his team-mates during the second half of the game
Denard Robinson (centre) is hauled down by the Cowboys defence during the NFL week 10 match at Wembley
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Cowboys wide receiver Devin Street
(right) makes a catch under pressure from a Jaguars player as his team
looks on from the touchline
Jacksonville’s promising start was undone by a costly mistake on special teams when Ace Sanders made a mess of his punt return.
Sanders
dropped the ball on his six-yard line, and Dallas recovered in
excellent field position. On 3rd and Goal, Romo took his time and rolled
right before finding a wide-open tight end Jason Witten in the end
zone.
Once Romo and Co settled down and found their groove, the Jags defense couldn’t stop them.
Bryant
helped himself to a pair of touchdowns in the first half, the first
time he has recorded multiple scores this season. The first came on a
35-yard pass from Romo with 7:01 remaining in the second quarter, but
the second was even bigger.
With
19 seconds to play in the first half, Bryant caught a deep pass from
Romo and bounced off tackles before marching all the way to the end zone
for a 68-yard reception. It gave Dallas a 24-7 half-time lead, and it
was an advantage that Jacksonville never threatened to close.
Joseph Randle throws himself over an opponent to score a touchdown
Cowboy's Street makes an amazing catch during Dallas' victory over the Jaguars
Cecil Shorts (centre) is not quite
quick enough as he is clipped by the diving Dallas Cowboys defensive
back Sterling Moore (left)
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The Jaguars squad emerges from the tunnel ready for battle in front of an electrified crowd at the sold out Wembley Stadium
Cowboys
running back Joseph Randle hammered another nail in the Jags coffin
early in the third period as he scored on a 40-yard touchdown run with
his first rush of the game.
Jacksonville’s
desperation was best demonstrated when they attempted to run the ball
on 4th and 1 deep in their own territory and came up short.
As was the case last year against the San Francisco 49ers, the Jags were simply outplayed on the night by a better team.
Rookie
quarterback Blake Bortles threw for 290 yards but no touchdowns. He
almost went a game without throwing an interception until he threw
straight into the open arms of Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter in the
fourth period taking his total for the season to 14.
Jacksonville will return to British shores once again in 2015 to take on the Buffalo Bills and hope for better luck them.
Robinson’s second touchdown run of night late in the fourth quarter gave the scoreboard a bit more respectability for the Jags.
With
just over six minutes to play and fans heading for an early exit, Romo
took a seat on the bench as Dallas’ backup quarterback Brandon Weeden
stepped in for the final few plays.
The
Cowboys know that tougher tests await them following their bye week,
including two games against division rivals Philadelphia. A win against
the Jaguars was all that mattered here, though, and it was a job well
done.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo gets ready for action before the NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars
The armed forces lead the way in observing a minute's silence in front of a capacity crowd at Wembley Stadium on Sunday evening
London Mayor Boris Johnson welcomed the NFL fans to the nation's capital by getting involved in the pre-match coin toss
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is all smiles as he greets Chelsea Football Club manager and NFL fan Jose Mourinho
Joss Stone
(left) performs under a shower of red poppies and Laura Wright (right)
sings the British national anthem before kick off
The Jacksonville Jaguars cheerleaders turn a few heads as they arrive during the NFL Fan Rally outside Wembley Stadium
The Jaguars cheerleaders prepare to dazzle as they look out of the Wembley tunnel at the eagerly awaiting capacity crowd
Not to be outdone, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders throw some shapes as they perform a routine during the NFL Fan Rally
A starry-eyed Dallas Cowboys fan shows where her allegiances lie as she holds up a banner in support for her team
A sea of American football fans floods along Wembley Way as they head towards the stadium from Wembley Park station
Two Jaguars fans are dressed to impress in full kit as they enjoy the lead up to the game under the iconic Wembley Stadium arch
A Cowboys fan holds up the Stars and Stripes as England welcomes one of America's most popular sports to its national stadium
A group of Dallas Cowboys supporters
arrive in full force whilst sporting their stetsons on a chilly
afternoon in the English capital
Two Jaguars fans wear their colours
with pride after dusting off these weird and wonderful hats to show
their support for their team
One clearly overly safety conscious Cowboys fan wears a giant motorcycle helmet printed with the Union Jack flag
Two visitors from across the pond tell us just how much they paid for their round-trip to see their team play at Wembley Stadium
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