Cowboys vs. Jets: 3 Reasons for Dallas to Be Encouraged in Defeat

Despite losing to the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys have good reason to keep their hopes up for the 2011 NFL season.

No doubt that Tony Romo and company are disappointed after suffering a 27-24 defeat in such a hard-fought game. We could spend all day (and some certainly will) picking apart what, where and when the Cowboys screwed up and why the sky is falling in Texas.

After all, as Al Michaels noted on the broadcast, Dallas had never before lost a game in which they held a two-touchdown advantage in the fourth quarter until this week.

And yes, there were plenty of mistakes and deficiencies to poke around at. From the middling performance of an injury-ravaged secondary to the blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to Romo being ill prepared for the snap with eight seconds remaining, head coach Jason Garrett has plenty of material with which to chastise his players, both on the practice field and in the film room.

That being said, let's have a look at the more encouraging developments for the Cowboys that came out of New York. 

Tony Romo Looks Like His Old Self

Setting aside Romo's botched snap for a moment, at least, the Cowboys quarterback performed excellently in his first start back from the broken collarbone that put him out of action last October.

Romo looked like his pre-injury self, sending lasers deep downfield, making plays outside the pocket and demonstrating the sort of leadership that made him the superstar quarterback of the world's most popular (American) football team.

In all, Romo completed 23 of his 36 pass attempts for 352 yards, two touchdowns and an interception—good enough to garner a QB efficiency rating of 103.0.

Not bad for a guy who hadn't played a meaningful game in more than 10 months, especially considering his competition.

Romo had no trouble making all the throws against the Jets' Pro Bowl secondary duo of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie while dancing around an aggressive, blitzing pass rush that sacked him four times.

Romo still has a bit of rust left to shake off. That was made clear when Romo mishandled the snap from center Phil Costa, seemingly caught off guard by the ball coming his way. It's also entirely possible that the blame for the mishap belongs to Costa.

Either way, Romo acquitted himself quite well against the Jets, thereby reassuring Cowboys fans that America's team will have a chance to win every game they play so long as Romo is healthy under center. 

Bryant, Austin and Witten Happy to Receive

Romo's success on Sunday night was not entirely his own. Surely, like any quality quarterback, Romo owes his receivers a bit of thanks for making him look good.

And, boy, did they ever do an excellent job of that.

Dez Bryant was nothing short of beastly in the first quarter, nabbing three balls for 71 yards and a touchdown, making Revis Island look more like a resort in paradise than a mid-ocean prison. Of course, Bryant didn't have a single catch after the first five minutes of the game, as leg cramps limited him to little more than a fancy decoy.

Bryant's dehydration woes did little to detract from the stellar evenings enjoyed by Miles Austin and Jason Witten.

Austin came up with four catches for 83 yards, including an incredible touchdown catch for which he wrested control of the ball away from the bigger, stronger Cromartie. As for Witten, he and Romo continued their on-field bromance, with the newly extended tight end hauling in six balls for 110 yards.

And let's not forget about Felix Jones, who ran and received for a total of 83 yards and a touchdown, though his fumbles left something to be desired in the ball-control department.

All told, though, Romo has no shortage of quality weapons on whom he can rely in his stewardship of the Cowboys back to their winning ways.  

Schedule Sets Up Well For Quick Bounce-Back

Speaking of winning, Dallas' schedule sets up in such a way that the Cowboys should find themselves with at least two victories, if not three, before their Week 5 bye. Jason Garrett's squad will next travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers, who looked good against the Seattle Seahawks.

But then again, who doesn't? Am I right, New Orleans?

After that, they'll return home to Cowboys Stadium to face the Washington Redskins and the Detroit Lions, two up-and-coming teams that Dallas should nonetheless hold a strong advantage over in talent and experience.

And while the Cowboys still have games against the Patriots, Eagles and Buccaneers on tap, they can also take comfort in easier games against the Giants, Seahawks, Rams, Dolphins Bills and Cardinals.

The big takeaway here: The Cowboys will be fine. They'll probably be pretty good, even. Just give them a chance and they'll show they're ready to compete in the NFC East.

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