Cowboys vs. 49ers: 8 Things We Learned from Dallas' 27-24 Win

Phew, excuse me while I catch my breath. The Cowboys and the Niners went into overtime out in the bay area, and it was a thriller type of ball game.

It had drama, as Tony Romo returned to lead Dallas back after fracturing a rib. And it had mistakes, as Dallas was flagged eight times for 83 yards. There was also some nail chewing moments, like when the 49ers converted five straight third downs.

But for this Dallas team it was just another day in the office, only this time they were on the winning side of things.

Behind a gutsy performance by quarterback Tony Romo, the Cowboys clawed their way back to beat the 49ers 27 to 24. Romo was blasted by 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers early in the first half and was slow to return from the locker room after halftime.

Back-up quarterback Jon Kitna played in place of Romo while he was being checked out by the Cowboys medical staff. In the process, Kitna throws one touchdown pass and two interceptions.

Romo was quick to return.

The Cowboys defense seemed to bend more than a few times throughout the game, but they never broke. Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware sacked 49ers quarterback Alex smith twice, and the Cowboys defense brought him down six times throughout the afternoon.

Dallas got its win from an unlikely source: wide receiver Jesse Holley. Holley is best known for winning Michael Irvin’s reality TV show “4^th and Long” a couple of seasons ago. Holley earned a try out for the Cowboys training camp and actually made the team.

On Sunday he caught a 77-yarder from Tony Romo to set the Cowboys with a 1st-and-goal and chance to win the ball game. Kicker Dan Bailey trotted out on the field, and Cowboys fans nationwide held their collective breath, especially since Bailey missed a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter.

But he was money from 19 yards out and ended the game to send the Cowboys to victory circle for the first time since last season.

Dallas exits San Francisco bruised and battered—but with a win.

With so much going on with Dallas, we learned a lot about the Cowboys' heart as a team and what we can expect from them for the remainder of the season.

Here are eight things that we learned from Dallas on Sunday.

Tony Romo Can Be Clutch

Here is how things may play out with Romo this week. One side will say that Romo was clutch when needed and that his play against San Francisco proves that he can lead Dallas to a Super Bowl.

The other side will say that Romo has to prove his ability to be clutch in the playoffs, where he has failed twice. Plus, Romo didn’t throw the game winning touchdown; he only led them into scoring position.

Lesson: Tony Romo can’t win.

As I mentioned before, Tony fractured a rib in the first half against the Niners but still came back to play. But not only did Romo play, he led his team to victory.

Tony’s stat line for the night was 345 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He balled out and proved to fans and pundits, again, that he is the one to lead Dallas to the promised land.

Now, that may all go out the window next week when Dallas plays the Redskins, but right now we’ll swim in Romo’s glory for one evening.

Dallas Still Has an Un-Balanced Attack

On a sunny Sunday afternoon in San Francisco, the Cowboys threw the ball 33 times and ran it just 22 times. Now that may seem balanced to some, but two of those “runs” are counted to Kevin Ogletree and Miles Austin.

Felix Jones failed to get over 10 carries and only had one catch. Now granted, Dallas never could get anything going with the run game but neither could San Fran, and they still ran it 24 times.

The 49ers shoved the ball down the Cowboys' throat 20 times alone with big Frank Gore, and he only averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

Garrett has to learn to stick with the run game even when it’s not working sometimes. Felix Jones needs a larger role in the offense, and Garrett will have to find ways to get him involved.

Miles Austin Can Still Play Football

I know that sounds simplistic, but remember when Austin was the crown jewel of the Cowboys receiving corp? Now its all about Dez Bryant.

Cowboys fans were reminded of why they loved Austin on Sunday, as the New Jersey product caught nine balls for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

His longest reception was 53 yards, and we saw his strength on a touchdown play where he willed his way into the end zone.

Great day for Austin, as he came up huge when Dallas needed him the most.

Cowboys Offensive Line Still a Work in Progress

After all the love thrown toward the Cowboys offensive line last week after a good showing against the Jets, they came back down to earth today.

There were some injuries, as they were without rookie offensive linemen Bill Nagy and David Arkin. Nagy was pushed around a little last week, but he has proved that he’s worthy of a starting position on the Cowboys line.

The Cowboys O-line only gave up one sack all day, but Romo was beaten and battered the entire game. That hit he took from Carlos Rogers wasn’t a sack, but it almost affected the outcome of the game.

Tyron Smith still has a lot to learn, and they will mature as a unit as time goes by. But as of Sunday that maturation phase needs to happen pretty quickly.

Cowboys Still Learning Rob Ryan’s Defense

Its only Week 2, so I expect for the Cowboys to still have some growing pains with Ryan’s new scheme. But Dallas gave up 24 points and eight third down conversions that included five in a row at one point.

San Francisco only gained 206 total yards, but they were never going to chew up that much yardage anyway.

But the efficiency of the third down conversions and the way San Fran seemed to move the ball on Dallas was a little concerning at times.

If Dallas were to lose this game, the Cowboys defense would be the problem. But because it was a win, it’s a work in progress.

The Cowboys will have to tighten some things up this week in practice before taking on the 2-0 Washington Redskins next week.

Sean Lee Is Becoming a Star

Another simplistic sounding headline, but it’s the truth. Lee had 11 tackles on Sunday afternoon and two of them were for a loss.

Lee was without a sack, but he played well on special teams and throughout the game. Before long, his name will be as well known as Keith Brooking and Bradie James.

Dallas Missed Dez Bryant

As much as I love Dez Bryant as a player, I still love Jason Witten and Miles Austin that much better. Bryant is a physical specimen, and when he fully grasps the Cowboys playbook and his role in the offense, he will be unstoppable.

But his presence was missed, as Dallas seemed out of sorts during a stretch in the second quarter.

While Tony had two touchdowns and over 300 yards passing, I can’t help but to think that Bryant’s play would have made the difference in the bay today.

Bryant is proving himself to be a little injury prone, and Dallas will miss him in the offense when he can’t go. Today in San Fran it was evident, and the 49ers blitzed and battered Romo.

Dallas Is 1-1

The main thing that we learned from Sunday afternoon is that Dallas won and the Niners lost. The Cowboys needed this win to avoid a disastrous 0-2 start, and they did just that.

Plus, we learned that Dallas still made the same mistakes they did from last week's game against the Jets.

The Cowboys couldn’t afford to lose to a supposed inferior team in San Francisco, but besides that they just couldn’t afford to fall two games behind the 8-ball.

Dallas travels back home to face the Redskins on Monday Night Football next week.