The Cowboys had finally scored on a 44-yard field goal with 5:44 remaining in third quarter, then abandoned an ineffective running game. Romo completed passes on the first seven plays, including a 30-yarder to Bryant, before Felix Jones went the final 2 yards on the ground to get Dallas within 13-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Dallas got the ball back quickly when safety Gerald Sensabaugh stuffed Richardson a yard short of a first down in the open field, and the subsequent drive to Bryant's touchdown included two of seven penalties on Cleveland's secondary. There were also two defensive penalties on Dallas' tying drive in regulation, and the Browns had 12 penalties for 129 yards overall.
"What are you supposed to do when a receiver is pushing you?" said Browns safety T.J. Ward. "I felt like we were playing one-handed out there."
Richardson fell just short of becoming the first Browns rookie with three straight 100-yard games. He finished with 95 yards rushing, and added 49 yards receiving.
Weeden was 20 of 35 for 210 yards with the two scores to Watson, who had four catches for 47 yards.
NOTES: Browns K Phil Dawson, who grew up in the Dallas area, extended the NFL's longest active field goal streak to 25 by hitting from 51 and 47 yards. He's 19 of 19 this year. ... The Cowboys are 125-125 in the regular season since 1997. ... Browns WR Josh Cooper didn't return after injuring a knee in the second quarter. CB Buster Skine, who started in place of Joe Haden, sustained a concussion on a play when Ward was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on a hit to Cowboys WR Kevin Ogletree.
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
___
Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lschuylerd
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Reader Comments (