The Dallas Cowboys overcame some all-too-familiar struggles on Sunday to gain their first home victory of the 2010 season, 35-19, over the Detroit Lions.
Dallas took its first possession of the game 98 yards, a drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown catch from Jon Kitna to Dez Bryant. Aided by a long series of miscues and several three-and-outs by the Detroit offense, Dallas looked poised to go into half, after a 47-yard Dave Rainer field goal, with a lead.
But with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter, running back Felix Jones fumbled to give the Lions’ the ball at the Dallas 15. Three plays later, Sean Hill hit Nate Burleson for a 9-yard touchdown to give Detroit its first lead of the day, 10-7.
The Cowboys’ struggles continued in the second half, as Leonard David was called for a hold in the end zone, a penalty which constitutes a safety. Down 12-10, nothing seemed to be going right for Dallas when Bryan McCann took a punt that was kept alive by a Lions’ defender 98 yards for a momentum shifting Cowboys touchdown to give Dallas the lead once more, 17-10.
On the team’s next possession, Miles Austin caught a 3-yard touchdown pass to extend that lead to 14. Austin had another touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, and, aside from the pair of scores, finished the day with just two catches for seven yards.
Detroit showed some life in the ensuing drive, going 80 yards on just six plays, and capping it all off with a 14-yard touchdown pass, but a series of costly mistakes all but guaranteed the Lions’ 26th consecutive road loss.
After Austin’s second touchdown catch of the day, Kitna ran one in himself to bring the tally to 35-19 a mark that would stand as the final on Sunday. An interception by Terence Newman of Detroit’s Hill with just over two minutes in the game all but sealed the Cowboys’ third win of the season, their first at home.
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