It was the injury to Tony Romo, reportedly a second break to the left clavicle that caused him to miss eight weeks on injured reserve when he broke it the first time this year in the second game.
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“He’s doing a little better each day”, coach Todd Bowles said Friday, “but not well enough for physical activity”.
“We started fast on defense”, Kuechly said.
Between the immediate deficit on the scoreboard and the lack of any effective running, the Cowboys quickly became a one dimensional offense, having to go to the air to try and make up ground quickly. Romo gave up three first-half interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
The NFL Thanksgiving Day schedule saw blowouts in the early games with the Philadelphia Eagles losing to the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys falling to the Carolina Panthers.
He had 183 yards passing with several key third-down conversions and another 45 yards rushing.
The Carolina defense set the tone and put the Panthers (11-0) in command by halftime.
Coleman intercepted Romo on the game’s third offensive play.
The Cowboys toyed with the idea of drafting a quarterback last spring but did not pull the trigger.
Romo’s next throw did not go much better. This time, Kuechly jumped to haul in a pass over the middle intended for tight end Jason Witten.
Midway through the first quarter, eventual Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman rolled to his right and fired an incomplete pass into the end zone just before before getting decked by Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington, one of the biggest hitters in the National Football League at the time. And for the first time in a long time, he feels like a bit of a wild card for Dallas going into next season. “When I let our team down, our coaches, our fan base – everybody – I have to live with that”. The Panthers will watch the rest of the weekend still knowing they’re the only unbeaten team in the conference. “The 24-hour rule is going to be extended to about 72 hours and we will take advantage of it”. The Philadelphia Eagles released him shortly after, when they made their final roster cuts prior to the beginning of the 2015 season.
Romo threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, before exiting the game with the injury.
Gano added another field goal with 10:23 left in the game from 50 yards out, moving the score to 33-6. With a 17-point lead in the third quarter, Newton led an 80-yard touchdown drive that drained more than seven minutes off the clock.
“I worked hard to come back, to get myself acclimated to the game”, he continued.
Kellen Moore, now on the team’s practice squad, will likely be signed to take Romo’s place on the roster. Earlier this season Carolina allowed a 74-yard punt return for a score.
Carolina’s defence stifled the Cowboys’ attack which included two interceptions by Panther linebacker Luke Kuechly in the second quarter.
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Cam Newton has a lot to smile about these days. He ran when he needed to, converted third downs at critical moments and, most important, kept the ball away from the Dallas defense. Eddie Lacy rushed for 105 yards in defeat. The Panthers picked up the blitz, resulting in any easy completion to receiver Jericho Cotchery.
