Cowboys vs. Panthers: Anthony Spencer has big game in return

Anthony Spencer helped to spearhead the Cowboys' defense in a solid performance against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The defense for the Cowboys had struggled the two weeks prior to the Panthers game, giving up 31 points to the Ravens and 34 points to the Bears.

Spencer missed both of those games, and made his return known in a big way on Sunday with six tackles, a sack and a quarterback hurry to his name. The outside linebacker, hit with the Franchise Tag over the offseason, continued a quietly strong season that he started before his injury two weeks ago. In the four games that Spencer has played, he has contributed in a big way with 35 tackles, three sacks, three tackles for a loss and 10 quarterback hurries.

The Cowboys will be glad to have Spencer back for their matchup next weekend against the conference-rival New York Giants.

Cowboys vs. Panthers: Tony Romo's first game without an INT this season

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had a career season in 2011, passing for over 4,000 yards yet throwing just 10 interceptions in 16 games. In six games in 2012, Romo has already thrown nine interceptions, thanks in large part to a five-interception meltdown against the Bears in Week 4.

Romo has played much better since the bye week, throwing for three touchdowns and just one interception against the Ravens and the Panthers. Sunday's 19-14 win over the Panthers was the first game of the season in which Romo did not throw an interception, a feat he accomplished nine times in 2011. The Panthers game was also the first game in which the Cowboys did not allow a sack, something that occurred just three times last season.

The Cowboys quarterback gave credit to the offensive line for the first clean game of the season, per the Star Telegram:

"I think there were just a couple plays that I got the ball off quickly just to help, but other than those, they did a phenomenal job of just allowing me to go through the progressions and get the ball to different guys," Romo said of the offensive line.

Romo has 1,636 yards through the air this season and has completed 67.9 percent of his passes, yet has just eight touchdowns on the year. His 7.4 yards per attempt would be the lowest of his career and well below his 8.0-yard average.

The Cowboys face the New York Giants on Sunday in a rematch of their Week 1 victory, with kickoff set for 3:05 p.m. CT.

Cowboys vs. Panthers: Morris Claiborne gets first career INT

The first member of Dallas' secondary to haul in an errant pass this season, Cowboys star rookie Morris Claiborne made personal history and recorded his first career interception in Sunday's 19-14 win over Carolina.

With the Panthers on a 12-play drive that had already spanned 74 yards, Claiborne dove on a wobbly pass from quarterback Cam Newton in the endzone to effectively halt the drive and keep Carolina off the scoreboard. Though the ball narrowly missed smashing into the ground before Claiborne reeled it in, the first-year cornerback admitted that he was a tad lucky to be in the right position in the first place.

"It’s one of those things where they were going under and I was trailing a man," Claiborne told Rowan Kavner of DallasCowboys.com after the game. "Thank God the line got there and put a little pressure on the quarterback and made him do some things he didn’t want to do with the ball."

The interception ended a brutal drought by Dallas defensive backs that dated all the way back to Nov. 20 of last season, marking exactly 333 passes thrown against the Cowboys' secondary between interceptions. Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee did manage to pick off a pair of passes during that span, but the severe lack of turnovers had already started to become a real problem in the locker room for defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and his players. With the proverbial monkey off their backs, the Cowboys will hope to keep this new trend going strong against Eli Manning and the New York Giants in Week 8.

Cowboys vs. Panthers 2012: Dallas shows 'intestinal fortitude' in win

The Dallas Cowboys displayed guts that haven't been present the last few years in their Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers.

NFL Injury Report: Phil Costa, Sean Lee and Felix Jones all hurt in Dallas' win

The Dallas Cowboys escaped Carolina with a 19-14 win over Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but win came with a price.

The Cowboys suffered three injuries on Sunday, as Phil Costa, Sean Lee and Felix Jones were all forced from Sunday's win with various injuries.

Costa was diagnosed with a sublexed ankle, and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday morning. Cota's Week 8 status is unknown, but should gain clarity after the MRI comes back.

Lee sprained the big toe on his right foot, but expects to play in Week 8.

Jones, who filled in for DeMarco Murray, injured his knee in the victory. Jones sat out Dallas' final two drives of the game on Sunday with the injury. Jones' status for Week 8 is uncertain, but it's unlikely that Jones suffered a major injury.

The Cowboys are hopeful that Murray will be ready for Dallas' Week 8 contest against the New York Giants. Murray missed Dallas' Week 7 game, after spraining his foot against the Baltimore Ravens.

Cowboys vs. Panthers: A necessary, ugly win

It wasn't pretty, but Dallas crawled back to .500 with a narrow 19-14 victory over Carolina on Sunday in a game they had to have.

Cam Newton wore a stylish sweater to his press conference

Cam Newton is down after the Panthers' latest loss, but at least he looks good.

Cowboys vs. Panthers final score: Dallas holds on, defeats Carolina, 19-14

Dallas held on in the fourth quarter, and beat the Panthers on Sunday, 19-14.

Phil Costa injury: X-rays negative on center's ankle

The Cowboys get some good news as it turns out Phil Costa's injury is not as bad as feared.

Cowboys vs. Panthers score update: Dallas reclaims lead, 13-7, heading into 4th quarter

Miles Austin caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo midway through the third quarter to put the Dallas Cowboys back on top of the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.

Dallas kicker Dan Bailey then added a field goal with 2:17 to play to add to the lead, and going into the fourth quarter, the Cowboys are in front of the Panthers, 13-7.

Carolina tallied its only score of the game with time winding down in the second quarter on a five-yard pass from Cam Newton to Brandon LaFell.

Through three quarters, Romo has teamed up with Austin and Jason Witten five teams each -- Austin for 97 yards and Witten for 33. Carolina, meanwhile, has 89 rushing yards on the game, 64 of them from Newton. Dallas has a total of 46 yards on the ground, 38 coming from Felix Jones.

If the Cowboys can hold on through one more quarter, they would snap a two-game skid, heading into a home matchup with the Giants next week. Dallas beat New York in Week 1 on the road.

Phil Costa injury: Cowboys center leaves field in aircast

The Dallas Cowboys are now down two centers, with Phil Costa leaving with an apparent injury.

Cowboys vs. Panthers score update: Panthers strike to end the half, lead Cowboys 7-3

In what has been a defensive struggle, the Carolina Panthers lead the Dallas Cowboys 7-3 heading into halftime of their game in Charlotte, N.C.

The lone score for Dallas came on a Dan Bailey field goal to open the second quarter. The 19-yarder capped an 18-play, 91-yard drive that saw the Panthers stop the Cowboys before they could reach the end zone.

The most promising opportunity for the Panthers to strike, right up until the end of the half, came on a 10-play drive midway through the second quarter. At 2nd-and-6 at the Dallas 6-yard line, quarterback Cam Newton tried to find Louis Murphy. Instead, Morris Claiborne intercepted the ball for Dallas, ending the threat.

But Newton was able to make up for it with just 21 seconds to go in the half. That's when he found Brandon LaFell for a five-yard pass and the only touchdown of the game so far. Justin Medlock converted the extra point to make it 7-3. The 80-yard drive took up much of the last four minutes of the first half.

Dallas' Phil Costa went down with an apparent knee injury on a Cowboy's drive in the second quarter, and his return is doubtful.

Cowboys vs. Panthers score update: Dallas and Carolina scoreless after 1st quarter

The showdown between Tony Romo and Cam Newton is scoreless through one quarter as neither the Dallas Cowboys or the Carolina Panthers could break through in the early going in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday.

Though the game is still 0-0, the Cowboys ended the first quarter on a 18-play drive that has brought the ball 90 yards to the Carolina 9-yard line on second down. It also ate up the final ten minutes of game clock in the quarter.

Early on, Romo has been consistent, completing 10-of-12 passes for 73 yards. Running back Felix Jones has carried the ball six times for 16 yards while Jason Witten has hauled in four receptions for 29 yards.

Newton has only thrown the ball four times, completing two of those passes for 15 yards. The Panthers' ground game has been virtually non-existent in the few chances it has had so far. Jonathan Stewart accounts for all four rushing yards for Carolina.

Cowboys vs. Panthers inactives: Dez Bryant active, DeMarco Murray out

The Dallas Cowboys will be without running back DeMarco Murray, but wide receiver Dez Bryant will start against the Panthers.

NFL Week 7 picks

JP Starkey returns to make his Week 7 NFL picks.

Cowboys vs. Panthers: Dez Bryant expected to start Sunday

Bryant will play on Sunday against the Panthers despite battling a groin strain.

Cowboys vs. Panthers injury report: RB DeMarco Murray out with foot injury

Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray missed Friday's practice with a foot injury, and is out against the Panthers.

Dez Bryant misses practice, now listed as questionable

Dez Bryant missed practice and is now questionable for the Cowboys' clash with the Panthers on Sunday.

Fantasy football Week 7: Cowboys should feast against Panthers

Dallas' skill players have a tasty matchup this weekend, when the Cowboys take on the Carolina Panthers.

Cowboys vs. Panthers: Keys to the game

A match-up with a struggling 1-4 team has all the ingredients of a trap game, and Dallas can't afford to take a breath on Sunday in a game they need to begin salvaging their season.

Cowboys vs. Panthers injury report: DeMarco Murray misses second straight practice

The Cowboys could be without running back DeMarco Murray, who missed Thursday's practice with a foot injury.

Cowboys vs. Panthers: Cam Newton in sophomore slump

After a sensational rookie year, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has struggled in 2012, but NFL.com's Gil Brandt says that Newton may not be performing as badly as most people might think.

Brandt lays out six potential reasons for the Panthers signal-caller's struggles, the first of which is the team's implementation of a spread-based offensive system that is similar to what Newton ran when he starred at Auburn. He believes that the speed and skill of NFL defenses makes it very difficult to execute a college-style offense at this level.

With the Panthers off to a disappointing 1-4 start and Newton's numbers paling in comparison to what he posted last season, Brandt wonders if the quarterback has ever had to deal with failure of this magnitude before and whether that failure could be affecting his play. He also posits that Carolina's lack of a skilled blocking tight end has led to increased pressure on the young quarterback.

Kickoff for Sunday's game is scheduled noon CT at Bank of American Stadium and the game will be televised on FOX.

Week 7 NFL odds and lines, Cowboys vs, Panthers: Dallas slight favorites on road

The Cowboys are favored by bettors in Charlotte this Sunday by a couple

Cowboys vs. Panthers injury report: Center Phil Costa limited on Wednesday

The Cowboys center was limited with a left knee injury, with backup center Ryan Cook missing practice once again with a hamstring injury.

Jerry Jones says Jason Garrett still on 'learning curve'

Only in his second full season as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys -- and the burning spotlight that comes with it -- Jason Garrett is still on a "learning curve," or so his famously impatient team owner Jerry Jones said in a recent radio interview.

The Dallas Morning-News writes that late-game clock management has been a bugaboo of sorts for Garrett, who took over for the fired Wade Phillips during the middle of the 2010 season as head coach of the Cowboys, Garrett's first head-coaching job at any level. The clock issues arose again during the Cowboys' 31-29 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday, during which the Cowboys recovered an onside kick in the final minute and had a shot at a game-winning field goal as time expired.

Jones has given Garrett the benefit of the doubt since a mostly successful stint as the team's offensive coordinator under Phillips. Growing pains were to be expected for the former Troy Aikman backup, Jones concedes, but the owner wants results now, even if he knows some learning on the job is necessary:

"I didn't say that in any way other than we don't have that luxury. In other words, when you sit here and ask me, is Jason learning, I'm saying Jason doesn't look at it that way. I don't look at it that way. I think he's very qualified to make the kinds of decisions to win ballgames. And we don't have the luxury to create several years here of a learning curve.

"The facts are though that you do have a learning curve. The facts are that even on a learning curve, we can all look back at some of the greatest coaches there's ever been and they've had things that they should've learned two years earlier that they make a bad judgment on. That happens. That's part of this deal."

NFL Schedule 2012: Romo, Cowboys visit Newton, Panthers

Two embattled quarterbacks square off when the visiting Cowboys take on the Panthers.

Cowboys vs. Panthers: A rapid fire preview

We brought in SB Nation's Carolina Panthers blogger for a word association game about both teams to get ready for Sunday's game.

NFL Power Rankings 2012: Cowboys continue falling

Another last-minute loss highlighted by poor clock management on Sunday has Dallas sliding down SB Nation's latest NFL Power Rankings.

Cam Newton receiving Vince Young comparisons

After a rough start to his 2012 season, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has drawn plenty of criticism for his play and his behavior. Now he has earned a comparison from Sports Illustrated's Don Banks to a player that most would rather not be likened to: Vince Young.

Named the 2006 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Young had a strong start to his NFL career and earned plenty of praise as he led the Titans to an 8-5 record in his 13 rookie starts. However, things turned sour for the former Texas Longhorns star quarterback as he struggled with turnovers and questions of his maturity intensified. Now in the midst of the 2012 season, Young is a free agent looking for a team to give him a chance.

The reigning 2011 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Cam Newton, has certainly had a similar start to his career. His quarterback rating and completion percentage have both dropped from his rookie season and he is pacing for much fewer touchdowns.

DeMarco Murray injury: Cowboys RB ruled out against Panthers

While an MRI showed no broken bones in DeMarco Murray's left foot, it did show ligament damage for the Cowboys' running back.

Cowboys vs. Panthers 2012 preview: Dallas looking for another rebound performance

After yet another frustrating loss, the Dallas Cowboys head to Carolina to take on Cam Newton and the Panthers.