The Cowboys’ 13-9 win over Tampa Bay had all of the ingredients of a potential loss:

* The Cowboys had trouble protecting Brad Johnson, who very rarely threw the ball further than 10 yards. Gaines Adams nearly broke Johnson in half on one of Adams’ sacks.

* Johnson’s passes were off, and several were nearly picked. He threw for only 122 yards in the game.

* Terrell Owens was once again a non-factor, catching five passes for 33 yards.

* Thanks to the Cowboys’ inability to move the ball, Tampa Bay had great field position through much of the first half.

But then there was the good, even though some of these items won’t look very impressive in the stats:

* The defense kept Tampa Bay out of the end zone. That was huge in the first half, when it looked like the game could easily get away from the Cowboys.

* The defensive line consistently pressured Jeff Garcia, which helped the secondary. The pressure was crucial, because at one point the three corners were Mike Jenkins, Orlando Scandrick, and Alan Ball.

* Penalties were not a huge problem (5 fo 35 yards). In fact, the biggest penalty was a 15-yarder called on Tampa Bay late in the first half, which kept a Dallas drive alive. Thanks to a total of four Buccaneer penalties on one drive, the Cowboys eventually scored a touchdown to take a 10-6 halftime lead.

* Roy E. Williams had only two receptions for 10 yards, but his touchdown reception (video) at the end of the first half was big. He also had another great catch on a play where Dallas took a pass interference penalty instead of letting his reception stand.

There were still some missed opportunities. Dallas looked as if it could extend its lead early in the third quarter when Bobby Carpenter recovered a fumble on the second half kickoff. However, Patrick Watkins was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, which move the ball back to the Tampa Bay 48. Dallas could not even get into field goal position and had to punt.

On the other hand, Dallas took some chances that paid off. The touchdown pass to Roy Williams at the end of the first half came with just six seconds left.  The Cowboys also converted two fourth down plays in the second half.

The Cowboys moved to 5-3, which at the least moves Dallas ahead of Chicago, Atlanta, and Arizona by a half-game in the NFC rankings.

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Jason Witten missed most of the second half with a rib injury. Martellus Bennett and Tony Curtis combined for four receptions.

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The last time that the Cowboys won a game when their starting quarterback threw for fewer than 122 yards was 2005, when Drew Bledsoe threw for 110 yards in a 20-7 Dallas win over Detroit.