Dallas Cowboys lead NFC East, beat Miami Dolphins 20-19 at Cowboys Stadium – NFL News
Lo and behold! The new leader-board of the National Football Conference East division are Dallas Cowboys, thanks to Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray and Dan Bailey, who controlled their nerves and concluded a nail-biter in their favour by beating Miami Dolphins 20-19 in the week 12 encounter of the National Football League current season at the Cowboys Stadium on Thursday.
Hearts throbbed with excitement and pounded fast with every move made during the fourth quarter. The crowd roared from their seats, the coaches yelled from the sidelines and the players clashed on the field in what seemed to be a battle of nerves.
Just when Dolphins were about to crush their hosts, an excellent drive initiated by Romo and Murray set up Bailey, who scored a 28-yard field goal.
The clock stopped, the numbers at the scoreboard moved and Cowboys were the NFC East division toppers, maybe for a short period of time because Giants will face New Orleans Saints this Sunday and the former’s victory can again disturb the positions in the division.
However, Cowboys are not allowing the euphoria to get over them and believe that a few more wins will allow them to retain the top spot and will eventually pave their way into the playoffs.
"There is no favourite," Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman said. "I'll tell you what happens at the end of the season. We just have to keep on plugging and get some wins."
The game was never a one-sided. Both teams entered the field seeking their fourth straight victory. Dolphins got their plans implemented early when Shayne Graham scored a 26-yard field goal to give his team a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.
Cowboys would never allow the lead to build on against them, not on their home field. They responded in the second quarter with a 32-yard field goal from Dan Bailey to level the scores. Tony Romo joined in and sent a five-yard pass to Laurent Robinson who ensured a touchdown to take Cowboys ahead. Graham scored another field goal for Dolphins, but could not get the lead and the half-time scored settled at 10-6.
Dolphins proved their competence by restricting their opponents in the third quarter. They dominated the quarter and scored a field goal, which was followed by a touchdown to get the lead 16-10.
Cowboys hit back early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown to get a one-point lead, which was soon snatched by a 23-yard field goal from Graham. At that time Dolphins were leading 19-17. They could have finished the game with the same score, but for the final drive from Cowboys.
A move initiated by Romo and Murray to set Bailey up took away the hopes of Dolphins’ fans who saw Bailey scoring a field goal right at the end to give his team victory 20-19.
"That's what they are paying me to do, I guess -- to go out there and make kicks," Bailey said after the game.
This was the eighth loss for Dolphins this season. They are placed at the bottom of the American Football Conference East division. They were satisfied with the tough competition they gave to the opponents, but were certainly displeased with result.
"We felt like we played a good game all day, but we didn't make enough plays and they did," Miami safety Yeremiah Bell said. "That's the price you pay, so if we would have made more plays, we would have won the game."
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