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National Football League
Dallas 31, Tampa Bay 15
When: 8:20 PM ET, Saturday, December 17, 2011
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Temperature: 66°
Head Official: Terry McAulay
Attendance: 65162

Tony Romo was nearly perfect in the first half and finished with 249 yards passing as the Dallas Cowboys jumped out early and cruised to a 31-15 victory over the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday.

Felix Jones rushed for 108 yards on 22 carries and Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson each caught a touchdown pass for the Cowboys (8-6), who moved one-half game ahead of the New York Giants (7-6) in the NFC East.

The Giants host the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

The Buccaneers (4-10) have lost eight straight, with the last three defeats coming by a combined 62 points.

Dallas did most of its damage before the break as Romo completed 18 of 22 passes for 189 yards and three passing touchdowns in the first half. The enigmatic quarterback added a rushing score to give the Cowboys a 28-0 lead going into the half.

Romo, who has not thrown an interception in three straight games, lost a fumble on the first possession of the third quarter that Tampa Bay returned for a touchdown.

Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman, who led the team to one first down in the opening half, led a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to pull Tampa Bay within 31-15 late in the third.

But Tampa Bay turned the ball over on downs on two straight drives in the fourth quarter as the Dallas defense sealed the win.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Dallas   Tampa Bay
Felix Jones Player Josh Freeman
22 Attempts 4
108 Yards 37
4.9 Avg Yards 9.2
0 Touchdowns 0
38 Long 25
Receiving
Dallas   Tampa Bay
Jason Witten Player Kregg Lumpkin
4 Receptions 5
77 Yards 50
19.2 Avg Yards 10.0
0 Touchdowns 0
28 Long 14
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Dallas 399 160 239 4 1 0 3.0 1
Tampa Bay 190 58 132 2 0 0 2.0 2
Upcoming Games
  • Tampa Bay will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Buccaneers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Dallas will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Cowboys have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.