Dallas Cowboys move in right direction with win
Smith carried on seven of the eight plays, with six going to the right behind Kevin Gogan and Erik Williams. It ended in a 15-yard, go-ahead TD by Smith, and the Cowboys won their second straight Lombardi Trophy.
"That last drive, it was just a matter of will," Davis said. "We knew exactly what we needed to do -- just move the ball."
Spreading it around
Late in the second quarter, the Cowboys used a formation that featured wide receivers Terrell Owens and Roy Williams as well as tight end Jason Witten on the same side.
The result?
Three Tony Romo completions for 60 yards, including a 28-yarder to Witten and a 25-yarder to Owens, on a drive that ended with a Marion Barber TD run. On the third play of the drive, Williams had a 13-yard catch.
With so many threats on one side, defenses have to take a pick-your-poison approach.
Coach Wade Phillips said he thinks the formation will be used more and more as he gets a feel for what he can do with each player.
"Anytime you have those kind of threats, whether they're all on one side or all on the field at the same time, it gives teams problems," he said. "You can see it."
Me and my shadow
Generally, coach Wade Phillips has not had a cornerback follow a receiver all over the field, but with Santana Moss' history against the Cowboys, he felt it was worth the risk. Terence Newman responded with one of his best games.
In the final six games, Newman could have more one-on-one chances with Pittsburgh's Hines Ward or Santonio Holmes, the Giants' Plaxico Burress, Baltimore's Derrick Mason and Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson, who had more than 100 yards in the teams' first meeting.
"I haven't had that many outstanding man-to-man players," Phillips said. "I'm not averse to using it, obviously. I just haven't had that many guys that could do that. We felt like Terence could."
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