Rams vs. Cowboys: Dallas' Biggest Winners and Losers from Preseason Week 3

The good news is that the Dallas Cowboys beat the St. Louis Rams, 20-19. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo had a great night, as he looked sharp and crisp.

He finished with 198 passing yards, two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 151.4. This was all in the first half, early in the second quarter.

DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones looked ready for prime time, as both running backs averaged over five yards per carry.

Tight end John Phillips had just one catch for 10 yards, but he worked the Rams defense pretty well.

Now, on to the bad news.

The offensive line looked messy. Doug Free is making fans nervous. While Felix Jones looked good with the ball in his hand, he still seemed inconsistent.

Backup quarterback Kyle Orton lost a fumble after Jones missed a blitz pickup and Orton was blasted.

So while the first-team offense looked good, sans Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, there are some areas for improvement.

After the Cowboys' close one-point victory for the Rams from St. Louis, here are a few winners and losers from Saturday's contest.

Winner: Tony Romo

Romo did his thing. He'll get his lumps, again, this season as soon as he throws his first interception, but the Cowboys offense looked well-greased with Romo behind center.

He only played into the second quarter, and he emerged with 198 passing yards, two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 151.4.

Romo is in the seat of the prime of his career, and as the Cowboys' window to a championship closes, he just seems to get better.

Loser: Rams 1st-Team Defense

These gentlemen could not seem to make a tackle. Cowboys receiver Dwayne Harris had a nice 38-yard touchdown scamper after the Rams failed to bring him down.

They just couldn't tackle. Period.

Romo averaged at least 15 yards per attempt and had two long touchdown passes to Dwayne Harris.

Listening to the Rams' announcers, as I have not watched a St. Louis game, the Rams seem to do well at home and terrible on the road.

Either way, they looked rough.

Winner: Dwayne Harris

Somebody with the last name of Harris will not lose his job with the Cowboys soon. Harris ended his day with three catches and 118 yards with two touchdowns.

He was drafted out of East Carolina last season, and I liked him from the jump. He has great size, and is starting to grow as a receiver.

Not sure if he'll win the starting slot position, but he has done enough to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

Loser: Felix Jones

He didn't really lose in this game, as he had 34 rushing yards with almost six yards per rush.

But I'm just not seeing the growth or consistency from Jones. He missed a blitz pickup that led to a Kyle Orton fumble.

I expected Jones to be the team's starting running back by now with a lot more stability.

At the end of the day, Jones needs to step his game up.

Period.

Winner: Tyrone Crawford

Maybe I should list him as a loser since he only had one tackle. But I was just impressed with his energy level and how he kept after the ball no matter where he was on the field.

He'll have to add more moves if he wants to eventually start, as he'll be strictly situational right now, but he has a ton of potential.

The ceiling on how far he can go is pretty high, and when he learns how to focus that energy, he'll be a dangerous player.

Losers: The Offensive Line

The Cowboys offensive line looked shaky. Guard Ronald Leary was flagged twice, and the rest of the unit just didn't look comfortable.

I believe the Cowboys offensive line will have these type of growing pains for at least the rest of this season, as they haven't found the right mix of players.

Tyron Smith and Doug Free are set at tackle, but who will play center and guard? David Arkin had a fumbled snap with Kyle Orton and Rudy Carpenter and Stephen McGee were chased out of the pocket all night.

Let's just hope they gel much faster than where my timetable lies.

Winner: Kyle Orton

Orton had a great game. Only 99 yards, but he was efficient and sharp.

If Romo goes down, knock on wood that he doesn't, the offense is in good hands. Orton isn't as old as Kitna was when he joined the Cowboys, and he should be around longer.

Well, at least I hope.

Loser: Rob Ryan

Ehhh, maybe. Ryan's first-team unit looked nice. They held the Rams offense, and Sam Bradford, to just six points in the first half.

Claiborne had a pretty good pass breakup in the end zone, and Ryan brought the pressure to Sam Bradford as the defense shut him down.

But when the second and third unit came out, the Rams made a strong comeback and could have won the game.

Now this may be chalked up to the Cowboys lacking good depth on the second- and third-team units, but shouldn't Ryan have a scheme to mask some of their deficiencies?

I want to see his unit at full strength with DeMarcus Ware, and because the unit was lacking, Ryan did a pretty good job.

Still—I need to see more.

Winner: Morris Claiborne

He played well. You can see the talent when he moves and tries to shadow the receiver.

The pass breakup in the end zone was a great play that displayed his athleticism.

He pushed Rams receiver Austin Pettis out of bounds, and that forced him to drop a pass. The pass was a little high, but he used his body to force the breakup.

We may get another shot to see him for a series or two for the team's last preseason game, but we will get a full view of his talent against the Giants to open the season.

Winner: Cole Beasley

I had to add another winner slide for Beasley. He had three catches for 40 yards and one punt return for 10 yards.

He is working his hardest to make this roster, and with his performance tonight, he did a lot to earn a job with the Cowboys.

He is not Wes Welker. He's his own player and making his own way.

Danny Coale may not make the team, but the Cowboys have found a diamond with Beasley.