Wrapup: Cowboys 34, Bucs 21

September 13, 2009 10:42 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

From what I was able to see from a TV at Giants Stadium, the Cowboys' offense had a pretty memorable day in a 34-21
win over Tampa Bay. Tony Romo threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns, and he did a really nice job of spreading the
ball around. Roy Williams has joked that this is a below-average receiving corps,but he responded with three catches for
86 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown where he caught the ball down the seam and ran away from defenders.

Patrick Crayton led the way with four catches for 135 yards. It was a strongstatement from a group of wide receivers
that arrived with plenty of doubt this season. The Cowboys did what they had to do in putting an inferior team away in
the second half. Marion Barber had 14 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown and did a good job of using his power to
finish off the Bucs.

The thing that has to concern Wade Phillips the most with the Giants coming to town next Sunday is Tampa Bay's 174 rushingyards. Cadillac Williamsand Derrick
Ward gashed the Cowboys in the first half. Phillips said he was calling a lot of blitzes, and that led to some wide gaps in the defense. They better not do that against the Giants, a team that features Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.

There's also the issue of the Cowboys not registering a sack for the first time in the Wade Phillips Era. DeMarcus Wareput plenty of pressure on Byron Leftwich, though, and the Cowboys had several knockdowns. Tony Romo will have some tests on his right ankle tomorrow at Valley Ranch, but he said he'll be fine. He played through the injury in the second half. All in all, it was a pretty strong start for the Cowboys. You can't let a bad team hang around -- and the
Cowboys disposed of the Bucs in the second half. Now, they better figure out how to stop the run.