The Cowboys did everything they could to give Minnesota a chance to win today, but the Dallas efforts weren’t enough. All joking aside, today’s heroes included one likely source– Marion Barber– and a couple of the least likely sources, including Chris Canty and Patrick Watkins.

The Cowboys had their first really strong start on an opening drive this season (see below), going 80 yards on 14 plays, resulting in a touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens. Dallas went no huddle on seven of those plays and looked sharp. From that point onward, however, the offense appeared to be shaky.

Minnesota’s rookie running back Adrian Peterson provided a highlight reel run on a 20-yard touchdown that tied the score at 7. From that point, the strange things started happening:

* Early in the 2nd quarter, Marion Barber appeared to pick up a first down on a 2nd-and-2. However, in spinning out of a tackle, Barber ended up losing yards, and Dallas instead faced a 3rd-and-3. Romo missed Crayton on third down, and Dallas punted.

* After a 3-and-out by Minnesota, the Cowboys moved the ball back into Minnesota territory. But on third-and-goal from the Viking 9, Romo was hit by Kenechi Udeze, and Kevin Williams recovered. Williams appeared to return the ball for a touchdown, but a holding call on the Vikings brought the ball back. Nevertheless, the Cowboys drive ended there.

* With less than two minutes to play, Dallas started moving the ball again. Immediately after the two minute warning, with the ball on the 50-yard-line, Romo found Patrick Crayton. Crayton tried to move upfield, but Antoine Winfield stripped the ball. Ben Leber recovered and eventually pitched the ball to Cedric Griffin, who (after bobbling the ball and then picking it up) returned it for a touchdown.

* Dallas drove back into field position at the end of the half, but kicker Nick Folk missed his first field goal on a kick that was not blocked. Thus, Minnesota had a 14-7 halftime lead, even though Dallas had dominated.

The teams exchanged possessions in the third quarter. After going 3-and-out on the Cowboys first possession of the half, punter Mat McBriar backed Minnesota back at the Viking 7. An intentional grounding call backed the Vikings up further. Minnesota later punted, and– thanks to an unsportsmanslike conduct penalty on the Vikings– Dallas had the ball on the Minnesota 36. Six plays later, Barber tied the score on a one-yard run.

The Vikings drove back down field, reaching the Dallas 31 before the drive stalled. Ryan Longwell lined up for a field goal that would have give the Vikings the lead again, but Chris Canty blocked it. Patrick Watkins recovered and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.

Dallas barely looked back after that. Here are a few points to illustrate the Cowboys’ domination:

First Downs: Dallas 22, Minnesota 11
Total Yards: Dallas 381, Minnesota 196

Tarvaris Jackson: 6/19, 72 yards
Tony Romo: 31/39, 277 yards, 1 TD

Adrian Peterson: 12 att., 63 yards, 1 TD
Marion Barber: 19 att., 96 yards, 1 TD

Blocked Field Goal

The last time that Dallas returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown was September 25, 1983 in a 21-20 Cowboys’ win over New Orleans. The man who blocked the kick was Ed “Too Tall” Jones. The man who returned the kick was Ron Fellows.

The kicker? Morten Anderson, who was in his second year in 1983.

One of the coaches on the New Orleans’ sideline? Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Opening Drives

The Cowboys scored points on their opening drive for only the second time this season. Below is a summary of the opening drives of each game this year:

Week 1 (Dallas vs. N.Y. Giants): Dallas drove 67 yards and kicked a field goal.

Week 2 (Dallas vs. Miami): 3 and out.

Week 3 (Dallas vs. Chicago): 3 and out.

Week 4 (Dallas vs. St. Louis): 3 and out.

Week 5 (Dallas vs. Buffalo): Romo intercepted, returned for a touchdown.

Week 6 (Dallas vs. New England): 3 and out.

Week 7 (Dallas vs. Minnesota): 14 plays, 80 yards. Romo hit Terrell Owens for a five-yard touchdown.