T.O. gets the ball — and a W
Cowboys 31, Bengals 22 Owens’ 4th-quarter TD grab helps Dallas hold on

By Jason Kersey

Published: October 6, 2008

IRVING, Texas — Terrell Owens wasn’t getting the ball during the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. So Cowboy owner Jerry Jones gave him a pep talk in the third quarter.

"I was just telling him how important a player he is to this team winning and that his big-play ability could be the difference,” Jones said.

Turns out, it was.

With Dallas clinging to a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter, Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo hit Owens on a crossing pattern. The receiver turned the corner, and his speed carried him the rest of the 57 yards for the touchdown.

"He’s a great player and made an exceptional play,” Jones said.

Dallas beat the Bengals 31-22.

Owens has been mired in controversy for the last week over comments he made about his lack of touches after the Cowboys’ Week 4 loss to Washington.

"There has been a lot of criticism that I have took all week,” Owens said. "It was frustrating out there, but I just stuck with it.”

Owens was double-teamed most of the game, and that opened up Dallas’ running game, Cowboy coach Wade Phillips said. Rookie Felix Jones finished with 96 yards and a touchdown, and Marion Barber had 84 yards on 23 carries.

"They are doubling Terrell every play,” Phillips said. "If you keep those guys back deep, they won’t have enough up front to stop our running game.”

That works both ways, because when Owens was single-covered late in the game, he made the electric catch-and-run.

"In close games and games that come right down to the end, you need playmakers and you need people to come through,” Phillips said.

Romo said: "He had one corner on him. It was a great play by him; I just tried to give it to him on the run.”

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