2010 Dallas Cowboys season The 2010 Dallas Cowboys season is the 51st season for the team in the National Football League , and the second season playing their home games at Cowboys Stadium . After falling to the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round of the 2009 - 10 NFL Playoffs , the Cowboys sought to defend their NFC East division title and contend for a Super Bowl Championship , particularly given that Super Bowl XLV would be played at Cowboys Stadium . After beginning the season 1 – 7 , the Cowboys announced that Wade Phillips was fired as head coach and would be replaced by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett as the interim head coach . The Cowboys finished the season 6 – 10 , 3rd place in the NFC East and for the 43rd time , the team whose region was hosting the Super Bowl would not be playing in it . Offseason . 2010 NFL Draft . After exiting the playoffs in the divisional round , the Cowboys will pick 27th . The Cowboys traded their fifth round pick to the Denver Broncos for guard Montrae Holland . Free agents . " RFA " : Restricted free - agent , " UFA " : Unrestricted free - agent , " ERFA " : Exclusive rights free agent Schedule . Preseason . On February 24 , 2010 , the NFL announced that the Cowboys will face the Cincinnati Bengals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game at Fawcett Stadium in Canton , Ohio . The game occurred on Sunday , August 8 , 2010 , and was aired by NBC . The remainder of the Cowboys ' preseason schedule was announced on March 31 , 2010 . Standings . – " clinched playoff berth " – " clinched division title " – " clinched division title and first round bye " – " clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs " Regular season results . Week 1 : at Washington Redskins . The Dallas Cowboys began their season at FedEx Field on Sunday night against their NFC East rival , the Washington Redskins . The Cowboys trailed early in the first quarter as Redskins kicker Graham Gano got a 29 - yard field goal . Dallas would then trail in the second quarter as cornerback DeAngelo Hall returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown . In the third quarter , Dallas would finally get on the board as quarterback Tony Romo completed a 4 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin . Washington would respond in the fourth quarter as Gano made a 49 - yard field goal . Afterwards , Romo threw what would have been the game - winning 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roy Williams , but a holding call on offensive tackle Alex Barron effectively ended the game . With the loss , the Cowboys began their season at 0 – 1 . Week 2 : vs . Chicago Bears . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Redskins the Cowboys played at home ground for an NFC duel with the Bears . In the first quarter Dallas trailed early as kicker Robbie Gould nailed a 38 - yard field goal . Then they replied with WR Dez Bryant returning a punt 62 yards to the endzone for a touchdown . The Bears got the lead back when QB Jay Cutler made a 39 - yard TD pass to TE Greg Olsen . In the 2nd quarter the Cowboys replied again when QB Tony Romo made a 1 - yard touchdown pass to RB Chris Gronkowski , but fell behind with Cutler making a 9 - yard TD pass to WR Devin Hester , followed by kicker Robbie Gould making a 40 - yard field goal . In the third quarter Dallas would reply with kicker David Buehler nailing a 28 - yard field goal . However , they continued to struggle in the fourth quarter when Cutler made a 3 - yard TD pass to RB Matt Forte , but the Cowboys made the final score of the game when Buehler got a 48 - yard field goal . With the loss , Dallas fell to 0 – 2 for the first time since 2001 when they finished 5 – 11 . Week 3 : at Houston Texans . Still looking for their first win , the Cowboys flew to Reliant Stadium for a Texas rivalry match against the Houston Texans . Dallas trailed early in the second quarter when kicker Neil Rackers hit a 24 - yard field goal . Then they took the lead with RB Marion Barber getting a 1 - yard TD run , followed by kicker David Buehler ' s 49 - yard field goal . The Cowboys increased their lead in the third quarter when QB Tony Romo completed a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Roy E . Williams . Houston replied with Rackers nailing a 30 - yard field goal , but Dallas continued to score when Romo found Williams again on a 63 - yard TD pass . Then David Buehler made a 40 - yard field goal . The Texans would finally score when QB Matt Schaub made a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Kevin Walter ; the Texans ' onside kick attempt was good , but an interception made by Dallas safety Danny McCray ended any chances of a Texans comeback With the win , Dallas went into its bye week at 1 – 2 . Week 5 : vs . Tennessee Titans . Coming off their Lone Star win over the Texans , the Cowboys went home for a Week 5 interconference duel with the Tennessee Titans . Dallas trailed early in the first quarter as Titans quarterback Vince Young completed a 24 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nate Washington , followed by kicker Rob Bironas making a 52 - yard field goal . The Cowboys answered with a 51 - yard field goal from kicker David Buehler . However , Tennessee came right back in the second quarter as Young found wide receiver Kenny Britt on a 12 - yard touchdown pass . Dallas would strike back as quarterback Tony Romo hooked up with wide receiver Roy Williams on a 6 - yard touchdown pass . In the third quarter , the Cowboys tied the game as Romo found wide receiver Miles Austin on a 69 - yard touchdown pass . However , the Titans would retake the lead on Bironas ' 40 - yard field goal . Dallas tied the game again in the fourth quarter as Buehler booted a 26 - yard field goal , but Tennessee struck back as running back Chris Johnson got a 1 - yard touchdown . Afterwards , the Cowboys would tie the game yet again as Romo found tight end Jason Witten on an 18 - yard touchdown pass . However , the Titans continued to pound away as Johnson got another 1 - yard touchdown run . With the loss , Dallas fell to 1 – 3 . Week 6 : at Minnesota Vikings . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Titans , the Cowboys flew to the Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome for a Week 6 duel with the Minnesota Vikings . Dallas delivered the opening punch in the first quarter as quarterback Tony Romo found wide receiver Roy Williams on a 15 - yard touchdown pass . The Vikings answered with quarterback Brett Favre completed a 10 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Camarillo . In the second quarter , the Cowboys regained the lead as Romo and Williams hooked up with each other again on a 2 - yard touchdown pass . Minnesota took the lead in the third quarter as wide receiver Percy Harvin returned the half ' s opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown , followed by running back Adrian Peterson ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . In the fourth quarter , Dallas tied the game as Romo connected with rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant on a 31 - yard touchdown pass . The Vikings responded with kicker Ryan Longwell making a 38 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Cowboys fell to 1 – 4 . Week 7 : vs . New York Giants . Trying to snap a two - game losing streak , the Cowboys went home for a Week 7 NFC East duel with the New York Giants on Monday night . Dallas got the opening strike in the first quarter as quarterback Tony Romo found tight end Jason Witten on a 4 - yard touchdown run , followed by a 26 - yard field goal from kicker David Buehler . The Giants answered with quarterback Eli Manning completing a 7 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks . The Cowboys would add onto their lead in the second quarter as Buehler booted a 41 - yard field goal , followed by rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant returning a punt 93 yards for a touchdown . New York took the lead with Manning throwing an 8 - yard touchdown pass to Nicks and a 14 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith . Afterwards , the Giants closed out the half with kicker Lawrence Tynes getting a 53 - yard field goal . During the half , Dallas quarterback Tony Romo was suffered a broken left clavicle on a completion from a blocking error . Dallas ' deficit increased in the third quarter as Manning completed a 25 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham , followed by running back Brandon Jacobs getting a 30 - yard touchdown run . The Cowboys began to rally in the fourth quarter as quarterback Jon Kitna found Bryant on a 15 - yard touchdown pass ( with a successful two - point conversion pass to Witten ) , yet New York answered with a 26 - yard field goal from Tynes . Dallas tried to rally as Kitna hooked up with Bryant again on a 15 - yard touchdown pass . With the loss , the Cowboys fell to 1 – 5 . Tony Romo ( 5 / 7 for 39 yards , TD ) left the game in the second quarter with a broken left clavicle . Week 8 : vs . Jacksonville Jaguars . Hoping to break their current losing streak the Cowboys played on home ground for an Interconference duel with the Jaguars . In the first quarter the Cowboys took the lead as kicker David Buehler hit a 34 - yard field goal . But they fell behind with QB David Garrard getting a 10 - yard TD pass to WR Mike Sims - Walker . In the second quarter , the Cowboys struggled further with Garrard finding TE Marcedes Lewis on a 42 - yard TD pass , then in the third quarter he found WR Mike Thomas on a 15 - yard TD pass , and then he found Lewis again on a 9 - yard TD pass . The Cowboys responded in the 4th quarter with RB Marion Barber getting a 1 - yard TD run . But the Jaguars scored again with Garrard scrambling 2 yards to the endzone for a touchdown . The Cowboys replied with QB Jon Kitna making an 8 - yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten . With the loss , Dallas fell to 1 – 6 . Week 9 : at Green Bay Packers . Looking for their second win the Cowboys flew to Lambeau Field for an NFC duel with the Packers . The second quarter saw the Cowboys trail immediately after QB Aaron Rodgers got a 9 - yard TD pass to RB Brandon Jackson . This was followed by Jackson making a 2 - yard TD run , and with Rodgers completing an 8 - yard TD pass to WR Greg Jennings . The Cowboys struggled further after FS Nick Collins recovered a fumble and ran 26 yards for a touchdown . The Cowboys would make their only score of the game with QB Jon Kitna making a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Dez Bryant . They fell further behind after Rodgers found WR Jones on a 10 - yard TD pass , and with Crosby hitting a 26 - yard field goal . The Cowboys had more problems when Kitna ' s pass was intercepted by OLB Clay Matthews and returned 62 yards for a touchdown . With the loss , the Cowboys fell to 1 – 7 . After the game , head coach Wade Phillips was fired and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett became the interim head coach . Week 10 : at New York Giants . Trying to snap a five - game losing streak , the Cowboys flew to New Meadowlands Stadium for a Week 10 NFC East rematch with the New York Giants . Dallas trailed in the first quarter as Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes made a 43 - yard field goal . The Cowboys answered with quarterback Jon Kitna connecting to rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant on a 13 - yard touchdown pass ( with a failed PAT ) . Dallas added onto their lead in the second quarter with a 22 - yard field goal from kicker David Buehler , followed by rookie cornerback Bryan McCann returning an interception 101 yards for a touchdown and Buehler ' s 23 - yard field goal . New York answered with Tynes making a 25 - yard field goal . The Cowboys continued its dominating day in the third quarter as Kitna found running back Felix Jones on a 71 - yard touchdown pass . The Giants responded with quarterback Eli Manning completing a 5 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham , yet Dallas rebounded with Kitna hooking up with wide receiver Miles Austin on a 24 - yard touchdown pass . However , New York continued its persistent play with Manning completing a 35 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss . Fortunately , the Cowboys ' defense held its ground in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory . With the win , Dallas improved to 2 – 7 . Week 11 : vs . Detroit Lions . The Cowboys ' tenth game was an NFC duel with the Lions . In the first quarter the Cowboys pulled ahead with QB Jon Kitna making a 1 - yard TD pass to WR Dez Bryant . The Lions replied with kicker Dave Rayner nailing a 47 - yard field goal . The Cowboys trailed with QB Shaun Hill making a 9 - yard TD pass to WR Nate Burleson , followed by a Penalty on Leonard Davis which was enforced to the endzone for a safety . The Cowboys got the lead back with DB Bryan McCann returning a punt 97 yards for a touchdown , which was followed by Kitna making a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Miles Austin . The lead was narrowed with Hill completing a 14 - yard TD pass to WR Calvin Johnson . The Cowboys increased their lead with Kitna finding Austin again on a 4 - yard TD pass , followed by Kitna ' s 29 - yard scramble to the endzone for a touchdown , which was his longest run of his career . Cowboys interim coach Jason Garrett won his home debut and improved to 2 – 0 since taking over for Wade Phillips . It ' s the first time this season Dallas ( 3 – 7 ) has won consecutive games and the first time all season it won at home , having lost the first four . The Lions ( 2 – 8 ) lost their 26th straight on the road , extending a woeful NFL record that began in 2007 , when Kitna was their quarterback . Detroit led 12 – 7 and was consistently stuffing the Cowboys ' offense midway through the third quarter when John Wedling jumped over the goal line and tapped a punt back into the field of play . It hopped up waist - high and right to McCann , and the speedster turned it into the second - longest punt return in franchise history – a week after a 101 - yard interception return that was the longest in club history . With the win the Cowboys improved to 3 – 7 on the season . Week 12 : vs . New Orleans Saints ( Thanksgiving Classic ) . The Cowboys played their Thanksgiving Classic at home ground for an NFC duel against the Saints . The Cowboys trailed early with RB Chris Ivory getting a 3 - yard TD run , followed by kicker Garrett Hartley getting a 50 - yard field goal , and then by Ivory making a 6 - yard TD run . The Cowboys cut the lead as kicker David Buehler got a 21 - yard field goal , but the Saints replied as Hartley nailed a 45 - yard field goal . The Cowboys tried to come back as Buehler hit a 53 - yard field goal , followed by Miles Austin getting a 60 - yard TD run . The Cowboys trailed further with Hartley making a 28 - yard field goal , but took the lead with Marion Barber III and Tashard Choice getting a 1 - yard TD run . They failed to maintain this lead when QB Drew Brees completed a 12 - yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore . With the loss , Dallas fell to 3 – 8 . Week 13 : at Indianapolis Colts . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Super - bowl Champions the Cowboys played against the Super - bowl runner - ups at Lucas Oil Stadium . The Cowboys commanded the first quarter when Tashard Choice got a 20 - yard TD run , followed by kicker David Buehler nailing a 30 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Cowboys increased their lead as CB Orlando Scandrick returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown . The lead was narrowed when QB Peyton Manning made a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Pierre Garcon , followed in the third quarter by Manning getting a 34 - yard TD pass to WR Reggie Wayne . The Cowboys extended their lead with Buehler hitting a 46 - yard field goal , followed by Sean Lee returning an interception 31 yards for a touchdown . They trailed slightly as RB Javarris James got a 1 - yard TD run , followed by Mat McBriar ' s punt getting blocked and returned 2 yards for a touchdown by Taj Smith . They replied to get the lead back as QB Jon Kitna completed a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten ( With a successful 2 - point conversion as Kitna passed to WR Roy E . Williams ) , but the game was tied when James got a 2 - yard TD run . At overtime , Manning threw his fourth interception , ( which totalled 11 interceptions in three consecutive games . ) to LB Sean Lee , which soon converted into a successful 38 - yard field goal attempt by Buehler , giving the Cowboys the win . With the win , the Cowboys improved to 4 – 8 . Week 14 : vs . Philadelphia Eagles . Coming off their win over the Colts , the Cowboys went home for a Week 14 NFC East duel with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night . Dallas trailed early in the first quarter as Eagles quarterback Michael Vick got a 1 - yard touchdown run . The Cowboys answered with quarterback Jon Kitna finding tight end Jason Witten on a 1 - yard touchdown pass . The Eagles regained the lead in the second quarter with Vick completing a 1 - yard touchdown pass to offensive guard Todd Herremans . Afterwards , Dallas closed out the half with a 50 - yard field goal from kicker David Buehler . The Cowboys took the lead in the third quarter with Buehler ' s 43 - yard field goal , followed by a 3 - yard touchdown run from running back Felix Jones . Philadelphia struck back with kicker David Akers getting a 39 - yard field goal . The Eagles took the lead again in the fourth quarter with Akers booting a 50 - yard field goal , followed by Vick completing a 91 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson and Akers making a 28 - yard field goal . Dallas tried to rally as Kitna hooked up with Witten again on a 22 - yard touchdown pass , yet the Eagles held on for the win . With the loss , the Cowboys fell to 4 – 9 , and were officially eliminated from postseason contention , assuring them not playing the Super Bowl on their own home turf ( something that still has yet to happen in Super Bowl history ) . Week 15 : vs . Washington Redskins . The Cowboys ' fourteenth game was an NFC East rivalry rematch against the Redskins at home . In the first quarter the Cowboys took the lead with kicker David Buehler hitting a 42 - yard field goal , followed by QB Jon Kitna throwing a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Miles Austin ; then Buehler made a 20 - yard field goal to put Dallas up 13 – 0 . The lead was narrowed when QB Rex Grossman completed a 19 - yard TD pass to RB Ryan Torain , but the Cowboys increased their lead with Kitna making a 14 - yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten , followed by RB Tashard Choice getting a 3 - yard TD run . The Redskins replied with Grossman getting a 10 - yard TD pass to WR Santana Moss , but the Cowboys scored again with Buehler got a 20 - yard field goal . Washington managed to tie the game with Grossman finding Moss and Cooley on a 5 - yard TD pass . The Cowboys managed to get the win after Buehler made a 39 - yard field goal , settling both records at 5 – 9 . Week 17 : at Philadelphia Eagles . The Cowboys ' final game was an NFC East rivalry rematch against the Eagles . In the 2nd quarter the Cowboys trailed early as QB Kevin Kolb threw a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Chad Hall , but they tied the game after OLB DeMarcus Ware recovered a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown . They trailed slightly with kicker David Akers hitting a 43 and a 22 - yard field goal , but the Cowboys fought back with QB Stephen McGee completing a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten ( With the PAT good to take the lead and the win ) . With the win , Dallas finished with a 6 – 10 record .