Lanschaften » Stafford finished with 323

Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Tony Romo erased his label of playoff underachiever. The Detroit Lions werent able to do the same. Romos 8-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams with 2:32 remaining finished off a run of 17 unanswered Dallas points, lifting the Cowboys to a 24-20 victory over the Lions in a thrilling NFC Wild Card clash. Detroit appeared on its way to its first postseason win since 1991 after taking a 20-7 lead deep into the third quarter, but Romo engineered three straight scoring drives to bring Dallas back on a night in which the Cowboys two other offensive stars were mostly held in check by a stout Lions defense. With Dez Bryant managing a modest 48 yards on three catches while double covered much of the game, Williams also stepped up to help Dallas advance to a matchup with second-seeded Green Bay in next Sundays Divisional round. The second-year wideout came through with a 76-yard touchdown late in the first half and finished with 92 yards on three grabs. DeMarco Murray added a touchdown run while grinding out 75 yards on 19 carries against Detroits top-ranked rushing defense, and the Cowboys received a boost as well from a controversial call that preceded the game-winning drive. The Lions punted the ball away with 8:10 left following Matthew Staffords incomplete pass on third down, which was initially ruled pass interference on Dallas linebacker Anthony Hitchens but then overturned by the officiating crew. Staffords throw hit Hitchens with the rookies back facing the play as he covered Brandon Pettigrew, drawing a flag that was then picked up after referee Pete Morrellis group consulted. Sam Martin then shanked the ensuing punt, with the 10-yard boot starting the Cowboys at their own 41 while down 20-17. Dallas promptly moved into scoring range, aided by a clutch 21-yard connection between Romo and Jason Witten on 4th-and-6 that brought the ball to the Lions 21. A defensive holding penalty on DeAndre Levy shortly afterward negated a third- down stop and gave the Cowboys a 1st-and-goal. Three plays later, Romo fired a bullet that Williams corralled for the go-ahead score. Stafford got the Lions as far as the Cowboys 42 with time winding down, but the Dallas native was sacked by DeMarcus Lawrence on fourth down to seal Detroits eighth consecutive postseason loss. Romo, who entered the matchup with a career 1-3 playoff record, shook off six sacks to throw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in a turnover-free 19-of-31 performance. Stafford finished with 323 yards, 51 of which came on a first-quarter touchdown pass to Golden Tate, and was picked off once while completing 28- of-42 attempts. Tate amassed 89 yards on six catches and Calvin Johnson recorded five receptions for 85 yards for Detroit, which built an early 14-0 lead by getting the game off to a soaring start. The Lions defense forced a quick punt on the opening drive and Stafford fired a strike down the middle on Detroits fourth play from scrimmage, which Tate hauled in and outraced the Dallas defense less than 3 1/2 minutes in. Detroit was pinned back to its own 1-yard line on their second series, which initially went three-and-out but was extended when the Cowboys Dekoda Watson was flagged for running into Martin. The Lions proceeded to march down the field, with Stafford converting a 3rd- and-8 on a key scramble and Reggie Bush capping the 14-play, 99-yard sequence by breaking off an 18-yard touchdown run. Dallas, meanwhile, mustered only 80 yards over its first 25 plays before hitting big on its 26th. The Cowboys picked up a blitz on 3rd-and-12 to allow Romo to connect with Williams, who blew past three defenders after making the catch near midfield to give Dallas a needed spark with 1:37 left in the first half. Stafford was able to use the remaining time to get Detroit in range for Matt Praters 39-yard field goal, however, to send the Lions into the break with a 17-7 advantage. Usually automatic Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey pulled a 41-yard field goal try wide right early in the second half, negating Kyle Wilbers interception of a deflected Stafford pass. Prater then knocked through a 37-yard attempt on the ensuing drive, a kick set up by Johnsons 28-yard catch-and-run. Bryant, held to one catch for two yards at that point, then rose to the occasion on the subsequent drive. The All-Pro receiver cradled in a 3rd-and-10 pass, broke free from Levy and scampered 43 yards before being taken down at the Detroit 7. Murray ended the trek with a 1-yard run on 4th-and-goal to bring the Cowboys within 20-14 with 2:54 left in the third quarter. The score seemed to energize the Dallas defense, which induced a three-and-out before the Cowboys marched 36 yards in seven plays to position Bailey for a 51-yard field goal with 12:16 to play. Game Notes Detroits eight straight postseason losses ties an NFL record also held by Kansas City (1993-present). The Lions havent won a playoff game on the road since 1957 ... Detroits 99-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter was the first in a postseason game since Baltimore did so against Miami in the 2001 AFC Wild Card Round ... Williams 76-yard touchdown was the longest scoring reception by a Cowboy in the postseason since Troy Aikman and Alvin Harper teamed up for a 94-yard score on Jan. 8, 1995 ... Dallas will be facing Green Bay at Lambeau Field in the playoffs for the first time since the famed Ice Bowl game that decided the 1967 NFL Championship ... Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain left in the first half due to dehydration. Ecco España Baratas . -- Its been 21 years since Joe Gibbs Racing celebrated its only Daytona 500 victory. Zapatos Ecco España . Canada Day is here and with it comes Free Agent Frenzy as the NHLs 30 teams storm out of the gate for signing season. http://www.eccobaratas.es/ .Mihajlovic was sent off minutes from the end of Thursdays 2-0 win over Brescia and has been punished for using a disrespectful expression toward the fourth official and throwing the contents of a bottle of water at him, thus assuming an intimidating attitude. Tienda De Zapatos Ecco . - This win was more the New Jersey Devils style. Ecco Outlet España . "Yes, Id like to get them in," Detroits rookie manager said. "Mother Natures going to have a say in that." Sure enough, the Tigers had their game against the Kansas City Royals postponed because of rain on Thursday.Could the CFL be doing away with the extra point? According to the Toronto Star, the CFL is looking at the possibility of eliminating the convert but no rule change is in the works just yet. "Our rules committee discussed the idea of eliminating or altering the convert several years ago and as recently as last year," CFL vice-president of officiating Glen Johnson told the Star. "We plan on continuing to explore this idea, but no change is imminent." With the success rate of the extra point near 100 per cent, teams may have the option of taking seven points for the touchdown or adding more points with the risk of losing the automatic seventh point.dddddddddddd "We discussed several alternatives over the years, including changing the rule so teams are automatically rewarded seven points for a TD, and giving them the option to risk losing a point or gaining an additional point by trying a two point convert . . . or changing the distance of a kicked convert, making the convert always a play from scrimmage," Johnson told the Star. The leagues rules committee is scheduled to meet at the CFLs combine in Toronto on March 17. ' ' '