2012 Dallas Cowboys season

2012 draft class

Main article: 2012 NFL draft

Notes

• The Cowboys traded their original first and second-round selections to the St. Louis Rams in order to move up in the first-round and select Morris Claiborne.

Staff

• Owner/president/general manager – Jerry Jones

• COO/executive vice president/director of player personnel – Stephen Jones

• Assistant director of player personnel – Tom Ciskowski

• Director of football administration – Todd Williams

• Assistant Director of pro scouting – Judd Garrett

• Head coach – Jason Garrett

• Assistant head coach/wide receivers – Jimmy Robinson

• Offensive coordinator/offensive line – Bill Callahan

• Quarterbacks – Wade Wilson

• Running backs – Skip Peete

• Tight ends – John Garrett

• Assistant offensive line – Wes Phillips

• Offensive quality control/wide receivers – Keith O'Quinn

• Defensive coordinator – Rob Ryan

• Defensive line – Brian Baker

• Linebackers – Matt Eberflus

• Secondary – Jerome Henderson

• Assistant secondary – Joe Baker

• Defensive assistant/defensive line – Leon Lett

• Defensive quality control/linebackers – Ben Bloom

• Defensive assistant- Dave Borgonzi

• Special teams coordinator – Joe DeCamillis

• Assistant special teams/kickers – Chris Boniol

• Strength and conditioning – Mike Woicik

• Assistant strength and conditioning – Walt Williams

• Assistant strength and conditioning – Brett Bech

• Dave Borgonzi

Rosters

Opening preseason roster

Week one roster

Final roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

:Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at New York Giants

First quarter

• No scoring plays Second quarter
• NYG - Lawrence Tynes 22-yard field goal, 9:10. ''Giants 3-0. '''Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards, 1:20.'''''
• DAL - Kevin Ogletree 10-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 1:01. ''Cowboys 7-3. '''Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 2:33.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Kevin Ogletree 40-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 10:24. ''Cowboys 14-3. '''Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:36.'''''
• NYG - Ahmad Bradshaw 10-yard run (Lawrence Tynes kick), 5:11. ''Cowboys 14-10. '''Drive: 9 plays, 89 yards, 5:13.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 33-yard field goal, 0:40. ''Cowboys 17-10. '''Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 4:31.''''' Fourth quarter
• DAL - Miles Austin 34-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 5:57. ''Cowboys 24-10. '''Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 7:06.'''''
• NYG - Martellus Bennett 9-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), 2:36. ''Cowboys 24-17. '''Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 3:21.''''' Top passers
• DAL – Tony Romo - 22/29, 307 yards, 3 TD, INT
• NYG – Eli Manning - 21/32, 213 yards, TD Top rushers
• DAL – DeMarco Murray - 20 carries, 131 yards
• NYG – Ahmad Bradshaw - 17 carries, 78 yards, TD Top receivers
• DAL – Kevin Ogletree - 8 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD
• NYG – Victor Cruz - 6 receptions, 58 yards Top tacklers
• DAL – Sean Lee - 12 tackles, 10 solo
• NYG – Antrel Rolle - 9 tackles, 9 solo The Cowboys opened its 2012 campaign at MetLife Stadium in the Annual Kickoff Game against their NFC East foe, the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. After a scoreless first quarter, the Giants picked up the season's first points as kicker Lawrence Tynes kicked a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter. Dallas would close out the half with quarterback Tony Romo finding wide receiver Kevin Ogletree on a 10-yard touchdown pass.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys added onto its lead. Romo hooked up with Ogletree again with a 40-yard touchdown pass. New York answered with a 10-yard run from running back Ahmad Bradshaw, yet Dallas responded in kind with a 33-yard field goal from kicker Dan Bailey. The Cowboys pulled away for good in the fourth quarter with Romo connecting with wide receiver Miles Austin on a 34-yard touchdown pass. The Giants closed out the game with quarterback Eli Manning completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to former Dallas tight end Martellus Bennett.

With the win, the Cowboys began the season at 1–0.

Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks

First quarter

• SEA - Steven Hauschka 21-yard field goal, 11:43. ''Seahawks 3-0. '''Drive: 7 plays, 26 yards, 3:10.'''''
• SEA - Jeron Johnson 3-yard blocked punt return (Steven Hauschka kick), 10:23. Seahawks 10-0. Second quarter
• DAL - Miles Austin 22-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 12:09. ''Seahawks 10-7. '''Drive: 15 plays, 95 yards, 7:31.'''''
• SEA - Steven Hauschka 25-yard field goal, 1:57. ''Seahawks 13-7. '''Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 7:05.''''' Third quarter
• SEA - Anthony McCoy 22-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Steven Hauschka kick), 5:05. ''Seahawks 20-7. '''Drive: 8 plays, 90 yards, 4:08.''''' Fourth quarter
• SEA - Marshawn Lynch 3-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), 7:57. ''Seahawks 27-7. '''Drive: 12 plays, 88 yards, 7:38.''''' Top passers
• DAL – Tony Romo - 23/40, 251 yards, TD, INT
• SEA – Russell Wilson - 15/20, 151 yards, TD Top rushers
• DAL – DeMarco Murray - 12 carries, 44 yards
• SEA – Marshawn Lynch - 26 carries, 122 yards, TD Top receivers
• DAL – Miles Austin - 5 receptions, 63 yards, TD
• SEA – Anthony McCoy - 5 receptions, 41 yards, TD Top tacklers
• DAL – Sean Lee - 14 tackles, 4 solo
• SEA – Kam Chancellor - 9 tackles, 7 solo With the huge loss, the Cowboys fell to 1–1.

Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

First quarter

• TB - Luke Stocker 1-yard pass from Josh Freeman (Connor Barth kick), 10:51. ''Buccaneers 7-0. '''Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 3:20.'''''
• DAL - DeMarco Murray 11-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 1:22. ''Tied 7-7. '''Drive: 4 plays, 23 yards, 2:01.''''' Second quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 32-yard field goal, 2:51. ''Cowboys 10-7. '''Drive: 7 plays, 11 yards, 3:25.''''' Third quarter
• No scoring plays. Fourth quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 26-yard field goal, 11:10. ''Cowboys 13-7. '''Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 5:26.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 22-yard field goal, 2:43. ''Cowboys 16-7. '''Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 2:01.'''''
• TB - Connor Barth 28-yard field goal, 0:40. ''Cowboys 16-10. '''Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 2:03.''''' Top passers
• TB – Josh Freeman - 10/28, 110 yards, TD, INT
• DAL – Tony Romo - 25/39, 283 yards, INT Top rushers
• TB – Doug Martin - 19 carries, 53 yards
• DAL – DeMarco Murray - 18 carries, 38 yards, TD Top receivers
• TB – Mike Williams - 2 receptions, 33 yards
• DAL – Miles Austin - 5 receptions, 107 yards Top tacklers
• TB – Mason Foster - 8 tackles, 7 solo
• DAL – Sean Lee - 7 tackles, 5 solo; Anthony Spencer - 7 tackles, 5 solo Hoping to rebound from their tough road loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Cowboys returned to Arlington to host their home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that they had blown out a year before. This game, however, was a close one throughout. In the first quarter, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo tossed an interception to Aqib Talib, which set up for a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman to tight end Luke Stocker for Tampa Bay to take the first lead. Dallas would immediately respond after a Sean Lee interception set up Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray for an 11-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Shortly before the half, kicker Dan Bailey booted a 32-yard field goal for Dallas to take the lead, 10–7. After a scoreless third quarter, Dallas pulled away with Dan Bailey knocking in a pair of field goals, one from 26 yards and another from 22 yards to make the game 16–7. Tampa Bay attempted a furious rally to take the game back after a 28-yard field goal by Connor Barth, but Dallas would recover the following onside kick and effectively took a knee to end the game.

With the victory, Dallas improved their season to 2–1.

Week 4: vs. Chicago Bears

First quarter

• No scoring plays. Second quarter
• CHI - Robbie Gould 43-yard field goal, 4:15. ''Bears 3-0. '''Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 7:07.'''''
• CHI - Charles Tillman 25-yard interception return (Robbie Gould kick), 2:38. Bears 10-0.
• DAL - Miles Austin 10-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 0:14. ''Bears 10-7. '''Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 2:24.''''' Third quarter
• CHI - Devin Hester 34-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), 11:54. ''Bears 17-7. '''Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 3:06.'''''
• CHI - Lance Briggs 74-yard interception return (Robbie Gould kick), 6:11. Bears 24-7.
• DAL - Dan Bailey 39-yard field goal, 2:11. ''Bears 24-10. '''Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 4:00.''''' Fourth quarter
• CHI - Robbie Gould 21-yard field goal, 11:24. ''Bears 27-10. '''Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 5:47.'''''
• CHI - Brandon Marshall 31-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Robbie Gould kick), 6:28. ''Bears 34-10. '''Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:02.'''''
• DAL - Jason Witten 5-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Dez Bryant pass from Kyle Orton), 0:34. ''Bears 34-18. '''Drive: 11 plays, 89 yards, 2:29.''''' Top passers
• CHI – Jay Cutler - 18/24, 275 yards, 2 TD
• DAL – Tony Romo - 31/43, 307 yards, TD, 5 INT Top rushers
• CHI – Matt Forte - 13 carries, 52 yards
• DAL – DeMarco Murray - 11 carries, 24 yards Top receivers
• CHI – Brandon Marshall - 7 receptions, 138 yards, TD
• DAL – Jason Witten - 13 receptions, 112 yards, TD Top tacklers
• CHI – Chris Conte - 11 tackles, 8 solo
• DAL – Sean Lee - 14 tackles, 10 solo With the loss, the Cowboys enter their bye week with 2–2. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo had a forgettable game, tossing 5 interceptions, including 2 that were run back for touchdowns.

Week 6: at Baltimore Ravens

First quarter

• BAL - Justin Tucker 38-yard field goal, 7:50. ''Ravens 3-0. '''Drive: 14 plays, 60 yards, 7:10.'''''
• DAL - Felix Jones 22-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 3:18. ''Cowboys 7-3. '''Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:32.''''' Second quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 42-yard field goal, 11:29. ''Cowboys 10-3. '''Drive: 12 plays, 56 yards, 6:02.'''''
• BAL - Ray Rice 1-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 7:29. ''Tied 10-10. '''Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:00.'''''
• BAL - Torrey Smith 19-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Justin Tucker kick), 0:41. ''Ravens 17-10. '''Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 1:34.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 43-yard field goal, 11:37. ''Ravens 17-13. '''Drive: 7 plays, 55 yards, 3:23.'''''
• BAL - Jacoby Jones 108-yard kickoff return (Justin Tucker kick), 11:24. ''Ravens 24-13. '''Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13.'''''
• DAL - Dez Bryant 7-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 3:19. ''Ravens 24-20. '''Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 8:05.''''' Fourth quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 34-yard field goal, 8:22. ''Ravens 24-23. '''Drive: 8 plays, 21 yards, 5:07.'''''
• BAL - Ray Rice 1-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 4:41. ''Ravens 31-23. '''Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 3:41.'''''
• DAL - Dez Bryant 4-yard pass from Tony Romo (pass failed), 0:32. ''Ravens 31-29. '''Drive: 18 plays, 80 yards, 4:09.''''' Top passers
• DAL – Tony Romo - 25/36, 261 yards, 2 TD, INT
• BAL – Joe Flacco - 17/26, 234 yards, TD Top rushers
• DAL – DeMarco Murray - 14 carries, 93 yards
• BAL – Ray Rice - 16 carries, 63 yards, 2 TD Top receivers
• DAL – Dez Bryant - 13 receptions, 95 yards, 2 TD
• BAL – Anquan Boldin - 5 receptions, 98 yards Top tacklers
• DAL – Danny McCray - 7 tackles, 6 solo
• BAL – Ray Lewis - 14 tackles, 8 solo With the loss, the Cowboys fell into 2–3 and dropped to 0–4 all-time against the Ravens. Horrible clock management by head coach Jason Garrett on the final drive left Dallas' kicker with a 50+ yard field goal attempt that he pushed wide as time expired.

Week 7: at Carolina Panthers

First quarter

• No scoring plays. Second quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 19-yard field goal, 14:16. ''Cowboys 3-0. '''Drive: 18 plays, 91 yards, 10:10.'''''
• CAR - Brandon LaFell 5-yard pass from Cam Newton (Justin Medlock kick), 0:14. ''Panthers 7-3. '''Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:00.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Miles Austin 26-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 7:38. ''Cowboys 10-7. '''Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 1:54.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 49-yard field goal, 2:13. ''Cowboys 13-7. '''Drive: 6 plays, 9 yards, 3:27.''''' Fourth quarter
• CAR - Mike Tolbert 2-yard run (Justin Medlock kick), 11:38. ''Panthers 14-13. '''Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:20.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 28-yard field goal, 3:25. ''Cowboys 16-14. '''Drive: 10 plays, 44 yards, 4:07.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 38-yard field goal, 0:53. ''Cowboys 19-14. '''Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 1:15.''''' Top passers
• DAL – Tony Romo - 24/34, 227 yards, TD
• CAR – Cam Newton - 21/37, 233 yards, TD, INT Top rushers
• DAL – Felix Jones - 15 carries, 44 yards
• CAR – Cam Newton - 6 carries, 64 yards Top receivers
• DAL – Miles Austin - 5 receptions, 97 yards, TD
• CAR – Steve Smith Sr. - 7 receptions, 83 yards Top tacklers
• DAL – DeMarcus Ware - 8 tackles, 3 solo
• CAR – Luke Kuechly - 15 tackles, 8 solo

The Cowboys beat the Panthers to improve to a .500 record.

Week 8: vs. New York Giants

First quarter

• NYG - Lawrence Tynes 41-yard field goal, 11:53. ''Giants 3-0. '''Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 3:07.'''''
• NYG - Lawrence Tynes 37-yard field goal, 7:11. ''Giants 6-0. '''Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 2:00.'''''
• NYG - Andre Brown 1-yard run (Lawrence Tynes kick), 3:41. ''Giants 13-0. '''Drive: 4 plays, 31 yards, 2:01.''''' Second quarter
• NYG - Lawrence Tynes 26-yard field goal, 14:22. ''Giants 16-0. '''Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:21.'''''
• NYG - Jason Pierre-Paul 28-yard interception return (Lawrence Tynes kick), 13:05. Giants 23-0.
• DAL - Felix Jones 4-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 5:22. ''Giants 23-7. '''Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:07.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 51-yard field goal, 0:58. ''Giants 23-10. '''Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 1:39.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Tony Romo 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 9:16. ''Giants 23-17. '''Drive: 11 plays, 86 yards, 5:44.'''''
• DAL - John Phillips 1-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 3:43. ''Cowboys 24-23. '''Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 4:24.''''' Fourth quarter
• NYG - Lawrence Tynes 43-yard field goal, 10:20. ''Giants 26-24. '''Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 4:26.'''''
• NYG - Lawrence Tynes 37-yard field goal, 3:31. ''Giants 29-24. '''Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 3:09.''''' Top passers
• NYG – Eli Manning - 15/29, 192 yards, INT
• DAL – Tony Romo - 36/62, 437 yards, TD, 4 INT Top rushers
• NYG – Ahmad Bradshaw - 22 carries, 78 yards
• DAL – Felix Jones - 13 carries, 19 yards, TD Top receivers
• NYG – Rueben Randle - 2 receptions, 68 yards
• DAL – Jason Witten - 18 receptions, 167 yards Top tacklers
• NYG – Stevie Brown - 8 tackles, 8 solo
• DAL – Brandon Carr - 5 tackles, 5 solo; Morris Claiborne - 5 tackles, 3 solo; Kenyon Coleman - 5 tackles, 3 solo; Jay Ratliff - 5 tackles, 3 solo; Anthony Spencer - 5 tackles, 2 solo With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 3–4 on the season and 0–4 at Cowboys Stadium against the Giants. A late go-ahead touchdown catch by Dez Bryant was overturned on review as it showed that as Bryant's hand came down to brace his landing, barely a tip of one finger came down on the end line, thus ruling him out of bounds.

Week 9: at Atlanta Falcons

First quarter

• DAL - Dan Bailey 23-yard field goal, 10:46. ''Cowboys 3-0. '''Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 3:07.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 32-yard field goal, 3:42. ''Cowboys 6-0. '''Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 2:33.''''' Second quarter
• ATL - Matt Bryant 45-yard field goal, 14:15. ''Cowboys 6-3. '''Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 4:27.'''''
• ATL - Matt Bryant 46-yard field goal, 0:00. ''Tied 6-6. '''Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 1:03.''''' Third quarter
• No scoring plays. Fourth quarter
• ATL - Michael Turner 3-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 14:16. ''Falcons 13-6. '''Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards, 3:23.'''''
• ATL - Matt Bryant 36-yard field goal, 7:49. ''Falcons 16-6. '''Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 4:50.'''''
• DAL - Kevin Ogletree 21-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 5:21. ''Falcons 16-13. '''Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 2:28.'''''
• ATL - Matt Bryant 32-yard field goal, 0:17. ''Falcons 19-13. '''Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 5:04.''''' Top passers
• DAL – Tony Romo - 25/35, 321 yards, TD
• ATL – Matt Ryan - 24/34, 342 yards Top rushers
• DAL – Felix Jones - 9 carries, 39 yards
• ATL – Michael Turner - 20 carries, 102 yards, TD Top receivers
• DAL – Kevin Ogletree - 3 receptions, 96 yards, TD
• ATL – Julio Jones - 5 receptions, 129 yards Top tacklers
• DAL – Bruce Carter - 10 tackles, 9 solo
• ATL – Jonathan Babineaux - 7 tackles, 5 solo; Akeem Dent - 7 tackles, 4 solo

During this game, Jason Witten's 7 receptions brought him to a franchise record of 754, surpassing Michael Irvin's previous record of 750.

With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 3–5.

Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles

First quarter

• PHI - Riley Cooper 2-yard pass from Michael Vick (Alex Henery kick), 9:53. ''Eagles 7–0. '''Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 5:07.'''''
• DAL - Felix Jones 11-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 2:13. ''Tied 7–7. '''Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 7:40.''''' Second quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 30-yard field goal, 3:50. ''Cowboys 10–7. '''Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:10.''''' Third quarter
• PHI - Jeremy Maclin 44-yard pass from Nick Foles (Alex Henery kick), 12:52. ''Eagles 14-10. '''Drive: 3 plays, 62 yards, 1:13.'''''
• PHI - Alex Henery 40-yard field goal, 4:32. ''Eagles 17-10. '''Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 6:10.'''''
• DAL - Dez Bryant 30-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 0:00. ''Tied 17-17. '''Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 4:32.''''' Fourth quarter
• DAL - Dwayne Harris 78-yard punt return (Dan Bailey kick), 13:35. Cowboys 24-17.
• DAL - Brandon Carr 47-yard interception return (Dan Bailey kick), 12:25. Cowboys 31-17.
• PHI - Stanley Havili 1-yard run (Alex Henery kick failed), 1:55. ''Cowboys 31-23. '''Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 3:31.'''''
• DAL - Jason Hatcher defensive fumble recovery in end zone (Dan Bailey kick), 0:46. Cowboys 38-23. Top passers
• DAL – Tony Romo - 19/26, 209 yards, 2 TD
• PHI – Nick Foles - 22/32, 219 yards, TD, INT Top rushers
• DAL – Felix Jones - 16 carries, 71 yards
• PHI – LeSean McCoy - 16 carries, 82 yards Top receivers
• DAL – Dez Bryant - 3 receptions, 87 yards, TD
• PHI – Jeremy Maclin - 8 receptions, 93 yards, TD Top tacklers
• DAL – Bruce Carter - 10 tackles, 10 solo
• PHI – DeMeco Ryans - 8 tackles, 7 solo; Kurt Coleman - 8 tackles, 6 solo With the win, the Cowboys improved to 4–5.

Week 11: vs. Cleveland Browns

First quarter

• CLE - Ben Watson 10-yard pass from Brandon Weeden (Phil Dawson kick), 4:01. ''Browns 7-0. '''Drive: 10 plays, 48 yards, 4:55.''''' Second quarter
• CLE - Phil Dawson 51-yard field goal, 12:09. ''Browns 10-0. '''Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 3:44.'''''
• CLE - Phil Dawson 37-yard field goal, 5:07. ''Browns 13-0. '''Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 4:16.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 44-yard field goal, 4:16. ''Browns 13-3. '''Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 5:44.''''' Fourth quarter
• DAL - Felix Jones 2-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 13:49. ''Browns 13-10. '''Drive: 8 plays, 89 yards, 3:59.'''''
• DAL - Dez Bryant 22-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:46. ''Cowboys 17-13. '''Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 5:11.'''''
• CLE - Ben Watson 17-yard pass from Brandon Weeden (Phil Dawson kick), 1:07. ''Browns 20-17. '''Drive: 1 play, 17 yards, 0:03.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 32-yard field goal, 0:02. ''Tied 20-20. '''Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 1:05.''''' Overtime
• DAL - Dan Bailey 38-yard field goal, 6:07. ''Cowboys 23-20. '''Drive: 7 plays, 28 yards, 3:32.''''' Top passers
• CLE – Brandon Weeden - 20/35, 210 yards, 2 TD
• DAL – Tony Romo - 35/50, 313 yards, TD Top rushers
• CLE – Trent Richardson - 28 carries, 95 yards
• DAL – Felix Jones - 14 carries, 43 yards, TD Top receivers
• CLE – Greg Little - 3 receptions, 53 yards; Josh Gordon - 5 receptions, 53 yards
• DAL – Dez Bryant - 12 receptions, 145 yards, TD Top tacklers
• CLE – Sheldon Brown - 9 tackles, 9 solo
• DAL – Danny McCray - 8 tackles, 8 solo After being down 13–0 against the Browns in the first half, the Cowboys outscored the Browns 20–7 to send the game into overtime. The Cowboys kicked the game-winning field goal and improved to 5–5 on the season and 2nd place in the NFC East.

Week 12: vs. Washington Redskins

;Thanksgiving Day game First quarter

• DAL - Dan Bailey 30-yard field goal, 9:17. ''Cowboys 3-0. '''Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 4:40.''''' Second quarter
• WAS - Aldrick Robinson 68-yard pass from Robert Griffin III (Kai Forbath kick), 13:47. ''Redskins 7-3. '''Drive: 5 plays, 93 yards, 2:57.'''''
• WAS - Alfred Morris 1-yard run (Kai Forbath kick), 7:00. ''Redskins 14-3. '''Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 3:37.'''''
• WAS - Pierre Garcon 59-yard pass from Robert Griffin III (Kai Forbath kick), 2:14. ''Redskins 21-3. '''Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 3:01.'''''
• WAS - Santana Moss 6-yard pass from Robert Griffin III (Kai Forbath kick), 0:05. ''Redskins 28-3. '''Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards, 0:25.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 33-yard field goal, 11:48. ''Redskins 28-6. '''Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 3:12.'''''
• DAL - Dez Bryant 85-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 1:24. ''Redskins 28-13. '''Drive: 1 play, 85 yards, 0:14.''''' Fourth quarter
• WAS - Niles Paul 29-yard pass from Robert Griffin III (Kai Forbath kick), 12:48. ''Redskins 35-13. '''Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 3:36.'''''
• DAL - Felix Jones 10-yard pass from Tony Romo (Tony Romo run), 9:54. ''Redskins 35-21. '''Drive: 8 plays, 88 yards, 2:54.'''''
• DAL - Dez Bryant 11-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 8:18. ''Redskins 35-28. '''Drive: 4 plays, 18 yards, 0:41.'''''
• WAS - Kai Forbath 48-yard field goal, 2:58. ''Redskins 38-28. '''Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 5:20.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 51-yard field goal, 0:18. ''Redskins 38-31. '''Drive: 13 plays, 46 yards, 2:40.''''' Top passers
• WAS – Robert Griffin III - 19/27, 304 yards, 4 TD, INT
• DAL – Tony Romo - 37/62, 441 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers
• WAS – Alfred Morris - 24 carries, 113 yards, TD
• DAL – Felix Jones - 6 carries, 14 yards Top receivers
• WAS – Pierre Garcon - 4 receptions, 86 yards, TD
• DAL – Dez Bryant - 8 receptions, 145 yards, 2 TD Top tacklers
• WAS – Perry Riley - 9 tackles, 6 solo
• DAL – Anthony Spencer - 10 tackles, 7 solo With the loss to their long-time rival the Washington Redskins during a Thanksgiving Day showdown, the Cowboys dropped to 5–6 on the season and 6–1 against the Redskins on Thanksgiving. Along with the loss, the Cowboys also lost 2 key defensive players for an extended period of time. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick broke his left hand, but the team was still hopeful that he would be able to return before the end of the season. But of the three injuries suffered during the game, Bruce Carter's was probably the most devastating. Carter dislocated his left elbow during the game and was out for the rest of the season after having surgery. At that point, the Cowboys had lost 4 starters on defense due to injuries, and were on their 3rd and 4th string middle linebackers after losing both Carter and Sean Lee for the season. Also the Cowboys lost starting receiver Miles Austin to a hip strain caused by linebacker London Fletcher in the back of the end zone. Although he did not return to the game, he was cleared to play for the Cowboys' week 13 game.

Week 13: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

First quarter

• PHI - Bryce Brown 10-yard run (Alex Henery kick), 5:38. ''Eagles 7–0. '''Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:35.''''' Second quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 39-yard field goal, 13:34, ''Eagles 7–3. '''Drive: 15 plays, 59 yards, 7:04.'''''
• PHI - Bryce Brown 5-yard run (Alex Henery kick), 6:07. ''Eagles 14–3. '''Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 3:47.'''''
• DAL - DeMarco Murray 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 0:41. ''Eagles 14–10. '''Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:26.'''''
• PHI - Alex Henery 43-yard field goal, 0:00. ''Eagles 17–10. '''Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 0:41.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Dez Bryant 23-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 11:18. ''Tied 17–17. '''Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:42.'''''
• PHI - Riley Cooper 15-yard pass from Nick Foles (Alex Henery kick), 5:27. ''Eagles 24–17. '''Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:51.''''' Fourth quarter
• DAL - Miles Austin 27-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 13:41. ''Tied 24–24. '''Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:46.'''''
• PHI - Alex Henery 43-yard field goal, 9:51. ''Eagles 27–24. '''Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 3:50.'''''
• DAL - Dez Bryant 6-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 5:35. ''Cowboys 31–27. '''Drive: 7 plays, 86 yards, 4:16.'''''
• DAL - Morris Claiborne 50-yard defensive fumble return (Dan Bailey kick), 3:50. Cowboys 38–27.
• PHI - Damaris Johnson 98-yard punt return (run failed), 0:31. Cowboys 38–33. Top passers
• PHI – Nick Foles – 22/34, 251 yards, TD
• DAL – Tony Romo – 22/27, 303 yards, 3 TD Top rushers
• PHI – Bryce Brown – 24 carries, 169 yards, 2 TD
• DAL – DeMarco Murray – 23 carries, 83 yards, TD Top receivers
• PHI – Jason Avant – 4 receptions, 79 yards
• DAL – Jason Witten – 6 receptions, 108 yards Top tacklers
• PHI – Nnamdi Asomugha – 8 tackles, 7 solo
• DAL – Danny McCray – 10 tackles, 7 solo

Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals

First quarter

• DAL - Dan Bailey 37-yard field goal, 8:36. ''Cowboys 3–0. '''Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 6:24.'''''
• CIN - Andrew Hawkins 8-yard pass from Andy Dalton (Josh Brown kick), 6:41. ''Bengals 7–3. '''Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 1:55.'''''
• CIN - Josh Brown 25-yard field goal, 1:39. ''Bengals 10–3. '''Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:58.''''' Second quarter
• DAL - DeMarco Murray 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 10:33. ''Tied 10–10. '''Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 1:27.'''''
• CIN - Josh Brown 33-yard field goal, 3:24. ''Bengals 13–10. '''Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 7:09.''''' Third quarter
• CIN - Josh Brown 25-yard field goal, 9:22. ''Bengals 16–10. '''Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 5:38.'''''
• CIN - Josh Brown 52-yard field goal, 6:45. ''Bengals 19–10. '''Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 1:09.''''' Fourth quarter
• DAL - Dez Bryant 27-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:35. ''Bengals 19–17. '''Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:12.'''''
• DAL - Dan Bailey 40-yard field goal, 0:00. ''Cowboys 20–19. '''Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards, 3:44.''''' Top passers
• DAL – Tony Romo – 25/43, 268 yards, TD, INT
• CIN – Andy Dalton – 20/33, 206 yards, TD, INT Top rushers
• DAL – DeMarco Murray – 21 rushes, 53 yards, TD
• CIN – BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 12 rushes, 89 yards Top receivers
• DAL – Jason Witten – 4 receptions, 62 yards
• CIN – Marvin Jones – 3 receptions, 45 yards Top tacklers
• DAL – Anthony Spencer – 11 tackles, 5 solo
• CIN – Vontaze Burfict – 10 tackles, 6 solo

Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

First quarter

• DAL - Dan Bailey 50-yard field goal, 8:36. ''Cowboys 3-0. '''Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards, 4:31.''''' Second quarter
• DAL - Jason Witten 17-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 11:02. ''Cowboys 10-0. '''Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:40.'''''
• PIT - Shaun Suisham 32-yard field goal, 6:03. ''Cowboys 10-3. '''Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 4:59.'''''
• PIT - Heath Miller 30-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Shaun Suisham kick), 0:34. ''Tied 10-10. '''Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 1:37.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Dez Bryant 24-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 6:03. ''Cowboys 17-10. '''Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:32.'''''
• PIT - Jonathan Dwyer 1-yard run (Shaun Suisham kick), 4:16. ''Tied 17-17. '''Drive: 3 plays, 60 yards, 1:47.''''' Fourth quarter
• PIT - Antonio Brown 7-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Shaun Suisham kick), 12:37. ''Steelers 24-17. '''Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 3:16.'''''
• DAL - DeMarco Murray 3-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 6:55. ''Tied 24-24. '''Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:08.''''' Overtime
• DAL - Dan Bailey 21-yard field goal, 13:36. ''Cowboys 27-24. '''Drive: 2 plays, -2 yards, 0:39.''''' Top passers
• PIT – Ben Roethlisberger - 24/40, 339 yards, 2 TD, INT
• DAL – Tony Romo - 30/42, 341 yards, 2 TD Top rushers
• PIT – Isaac Redman - 3 carries, 30 yards
• DAL – DeMarco Murray - 14 carries, 81 yards, TD Top receivers
• PIT – Mike Wallace - 4 receptions, 95 yards
• DAL – Miles Austin - 7 receptions, 79 yards Top tacklers
• PIT – Ryan Clark - 8 tackles, 6 solo
• DAL – Danny McCray - 7 tackles, 5 solo

Week 16: vs. New Orleans Saints

First quarter

• NO - Mark Ingram 9-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), 10:25. ''Saints 7-0. '''Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:35.''''' Second quarter
• DAL - Dez Bryant 58-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 12:47. ''Tied 7-7. '''Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 1:28.'''''
• DAL - Dez Bryant 58-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 5:43. ''Cowboys 14-7. '''Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 3:23.'''''
• NO - Lance Moore 6-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), 1:11. ''Tied 14-14. '''Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 4:32.'''''
• NO - Garrett Hartley 37-yard field goal, 0:00. ''Saints 17-14. '''Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 0:47.''''' Third quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 47-yard field goal, 10:26. ''Tied 17-17. '''Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 4:34.'''''
• NO - Pierre Thomas 5-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), 4:03. ''Saints 24-17. '''Drive: 3 plays, 5 yards, 0:14.''''' Fourth quarter
• NO - David Thomas 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), 11:10. ''Saints 31-17. '''Drive: 10 plays, 98 yards, 4:53.'''''
• DAL - Dwayne Harris 16-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 3:35. ''Saints 31-24. '''Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 1:10.'''''
• DAL - Miles Austin 19-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 0:15. ''Tied 31-31. '''Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 1:14.''''' Overtime
• NO - Garrett Hartley 20-yard field goal, 10:33. ''Saints 34-31. '''Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 3:00.''''' Top passers
• NO – Drew Brees - 37/53, 446 yards, 3 TD
• DAL – Tony Romo - 26/43, 416 yards, 4 TD Top rushers
• NO – Mark Ingram - 21 carries, 53 yards, TD
• DAL – DeMarco Murray - 11 carries, 40 yards Top receivers
• NO – Marques Colston - 10 receptions, 153 yards
• DAL – Dez Bryant - 9 receptions, 224 yards, 2 TD Top tacklers
• NO – Patrick Robinson - 8 tackles, 7 solo
• DAL – Dan Connor - 11 tackles, 7 solo

Week 17: at Washington Redskins

First quarter

• No scoring plays Second quarter
• DAL - Jason Witten 9-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dan Bailey kick), 7:59. ''Cowboys 7-0. '''Drive: 13 plays, 89 yards, 7:37.'''''
• WAS - Alfred Morris 17-yard run (Kai Forbath kick), 3:28. ''Tied 7-7. '''Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 4:31.''''' Third quarter
• WAS - Robert Griffin III 10-yard run (Kai Forbath kick), 3:10. ''Redskins 14-7. '''Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 5:14.''''' Fourth quarter
• DAL - Dan Bailey 48-yard field goal, 14:09. ''Redskins 14-10. '''Drive: 10 plays, 44 yards, 4:01.'''''
• WAS - Alfred Morris 32-yard run (Kai Forbath kick), 10:32. ''Redskins 21-10. '''Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 3:37.'''''
• DAL - Kevin Ogletree 10-yard pass from Tony Romo (Dwayne Harris pass from Tony Romo), 5:50. ''Redskins 21-18. '''Drive: 3 plays, 16 yards, 0:45.'''''
• WAS - Alfred Morris 1-yard run (Kai Forbath kick), 1:09. ''Redskins 28-18. '''Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 1:51.''''' Top passers
• DAL – Tony Romo – 20/37, 218 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
• WAS – Robert Griffin III – 9/18, 100 yards Top rushers
• DAL – DeMarco Murray – 17 carries, 76 yards
• WAS – Alfred Morris – 33 carries, 200 yards, 3 TD Top receivers
• DAL – Dez Bryant – 4 receptions, 71 yards
• WAS – Pierre Garçon – 3 receptions, 46 yards Top tacklers
• DAL – Dan Connor – 9 tackles, 5 solo
• WAS – London Fletcher – 11 tackles, 4 solo

Season recap

The Cowboys started the season on September 5, playing a Wednesday game for the first time in franchise history.

Against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 11 during the fourth quarter, the Cowboys became the second team in NFL history to score touchdowns via interception, fumble return and punt return in the same quarter. The first one was the San Francisco 49ers in 1966.

Standings

Footnotes

: The Week 17 game was originally going to be aired on Fox which, due to playoff implications, competed with NBC for the slot. The game was ultimately moved to NBC.

References

References

1. "2012 NFL Draft Pick Transactions". ProSportsTransactions.com.
2. (5 November 2012). "Witten Becomes Cowboys' All-Time Receptions Leader".
3. "Dallas Cowboys | Official Site of the Dallas Cowboys".
4. Hanzus, Dan. (2012-12-22). "Fox, NBC vie for piece of Cowboys-Redskins showdown". [[National Football League]].
5. Michael David Smith. (2012-12-23). "Cowboys-Redskins flexed to Sunday Night Football in Week 17". [[Profootballtalk.com]].