2008 Dallas Cowboys season The 2008 Dallas Cowboys season was the 49th season for the team in the National Football League . The season was most noted for week 17 , when the Cowboys were blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles 44 – 6 , their worst loss since the 1985 Chicago Bears came to Texas Stadium and beat the Cowboys 44 – 0 . It was the last season that the Cowboys played at Texas Stadium ; they moved to Cowboys Stadium in 2009 . Despite entering the last month of the season three games above . 500 , they failed to make the playoffs , finishing with a 9 – 7 record . Offseason . Training camp . The Cowboys arrived in Oxnard , California for training camp on July 24 . HBO and NFL Films filmed the Cowboys for the fourth season of " Hard Knocks " which premiered on August 6 . The Cowboys began camp with all but three players : Felix Jones , Mike Jenkins , and Terry Glenn . Jones and Jenkins both signed contracts the next day , and flew out to California to report . The Cowboys cut the roster from 80 to 75 immediately after training camp , then waived more players following the final pre - season game to drop the roster count to league limit of 53 , one of which was 6th - round draft pick Eric Walden . Walden was picked up on waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs . The following players made it through waivers to land spots on the practice squad : Danny Amendola , Alonzo Coleman , Tearrius George , Rodney Hannah , Mike Jefferson , Marcus Dixon and Julius Crosslin . Then , in a surprising turn of events , Dallas CB Evan Ogelsby was released to make room on the roster for Special Teams Ace , Keith Davis who returned to the Cowboys after being cut from the Dolphins . Regular season results . Week 1 : at Cleveland Browns . The Cowboys began their 2008 campaign on the road against the Cleveland Browns . In the first quarter , Dallas got the first shot as RB Marion Barber got a 1 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Browns would respond with QB Derek Anderson completing a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Kellen Winslow . Afterwards , the Cowboys responded with QB Tony Romo completing a 35 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens , along with another 1 - yard TD run from Barber . In the third quarter , Dallas pulled away with rookie RB Felix Jones getting an 11 - yard TD run , which was his first carry in the NFL . In the fourth quarter , Cleveland ' s only response would be kicker Phil Dawson ' s 34 - yard field goal . Week 2 : vs . Philadelphia Eagles . Coming off their commanding road win over the Browns , the Cowboys played their Week 2 home opener under the MNF spotlight . In the last MNF game at Texas Stadium , Dallas would duel with their NFC East foe , the Philadelphia Eagles . In the first quarter , the Cowboys trailed early as Eagles kicker David Akers got a 34 - yard field goal . Dallas would answer in their first possession with QB Tony Romo completing a 72 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . Philadelphia replied with Akers kicking a 44 - yard field goal , yet the ' Boys immediately added to their lead with rookie RB Felix Jones returning a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown . The Eagles would take the lead with QB Donovan McNabb completing a 6 - yard TD pass to RB Brian Westbrook , along with LB Chris Gocong recovering a Romo fumble in the Cowboys ' endzone for a touchdown . Dallas immediately responded with Romo and Owens hooking up with each other again on a 4 - yard TD pass . On Philadelphia ' s next drive , the referees made two suspect decisions . The first was a non - call on a very obvious facemask on Brian Westbrook that would have given the Eagles a first down . The next call in question was a 40 yard passing interference penalty on Anthony Henry . Replays showed that it was Greg Lewis who grabbed Henry ' s jersey and pulled him down , not the other way around . With that decision , the Eagles were awarded a first down on the 1 yard line . Westbrook immediately ran it in for a 1 - yard TD . On their next possession , Akers ' hit a 22 - yard field goal . To make the game the highest scoring half ever on MNF , the Cowboys ended the half with kicker Nick Folk getting a 51 - yard field goal , bringing the total points for both teams to 54 . In the third quarter , the ' Boys regained the lead with Romo ' s 17 - yard TD pass to RB Marion Barber . In the fourth quarter , the Eagles once again took the lead with Westbrook ' s 1 - yard TD run . Afterwards , the Cowboys rallied with Folk nailing a 47 - yard field goal and Barber getting a 1 - yard TD run . The Eagles had a chance for a game winning drive , but Dallas ' defense stiffened for the victory , sacking the very elusive McNabb twice . In a game that had 9 lead changes , it also set different point records , including most first half points in MNF history ( 54 ) and most combined points in the rivalry ' s history ( 78 ) . Also , Terrell Owens ( 3 receptions for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns ) reached 132 career touchdown catches , placing him 2nd on the NFL ' s all - time touchdown receptions list ( behind only Jerry Rice ' s record of 197 ) . Week 3 : at Green Bay Packers . Coming off the MNF divisional home win over the Eagles , the Cowboys flew to Lambeau Field for a Week 3 Sunday Night duel with the Green Bay Packers . Dallas had never won in Lambeau Field heading into the game , going 0 – 5 ( although Green Bay did play several home games in Milwaukee where the Cowboys won a few times against the Packers ) . In the first quarter , Dallas got the first shot as kicker Nick Folk got a 25 - yard field goal . The Packers responded with kicker Mason Crosby getting a 36 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Green Bay took the lead with Crosby kicking a 38 - yard field goal . The ' Boys replied with rookie RB Felix Jones getting a 60 - yard TD run , becoming the first player in franchise history to have a touchdown in each of his first three games with Dallas . In the third quarter , the Packers tried to rally as Crosby got a 33 - yard field goal , yet the Cowboys responded with RB Marion Barber getting a 2 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , Dallas managed to put the game out of reach as QB Tony Romo completed a 52 - yard TD pass to WR Miles Austin . Green Bay tried to rally as QB Aaron Rodgers got a 1 - yard TD run , yet the Big D ' s defense held . With the win , not only did the Cowboys get a second - straight 3 – 0 start for the first time since 1976 – 77 , but they also picked up their first - ever win at Lambeau Field . Week 4 : vs . Washington Redskins . Coming off their Sunday night road win over the Packers , the Cowboys went home for a Week 4 NFC East showdown with the Washington Redskins . In the first quarter , the ' Boys shot first as QB Tony Romo completed a 21 - yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten . In the second quarter , the Redskins took the lead as QB Jason Campbell completed a 3 - yard TD pass to WR James Thrash and a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Antwaan Randle El , along with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 20 - yard field goal . Dallas closed out the half with kicker Nick Folk getting a 36 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Cowboys tied the game with Romo completing a 10 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . Washington would respond with Suisham kicking a 33 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Redskins increased their lead with Suisham nailing a 33 - yard and a 29 - yard field goal . The ' Boys tried to rally as Romo completed an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Miles Austin . However , Dallas ' onside kick attempt failed , preserving the Redskins ' win . Week 5 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . Hoping to rebound from their divisional home loss to the Redskins , the Cowboys stayed at home for a Week 5 interconference duel with the Cincinnati Bengals . In the first quarter , the ' Boys shot first as kicker Nick Folk got a 30 - yard field goal , along with rookie RB Felix Jones getting a 33 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , Dallas increased its lead with QB Tony Romo completing a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Jason Witten . The Bengals closed out the half as kicker Shayne Graham got a 41 - yard and a 31 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Cincinnati crept closer as QB Carson Palmer completed an 18 - yard TD pass to WR T . J . Houshmandzadeh . In the fourth quarter , the Bengals got within one point as Graham nailed a 40 - yard field goal , yet the Cowboys responded with Romo completing a 57 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . The Bengals tried to come back as Palmer completed a 10 - yard TD pass to Houshmandzadeh ( with a failed two - point conversion ) , but Dallas pulled away as Romo completed a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton . Week 6 : at Arizona Cardinals . Coming off their home win over the Bengals , the Cowboys flew to the University of Phoenix Stadium for a Week 6 showdown with the Arizona Cardinals . In the first quarter , Dallas immediately trailed as Cardinals RB J . J . Arrington returned the game ' s opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown . In the second quarter , the ' Boys responded with QB Tony Romo completing a 55 - yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton . In the third quarter , the Cowboys took the lead as Romo completed a 14 - yard TD pass to WR Miles Austin . Arizona would tie the game with QB Kurt Warner completing a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald . In the fourth quarter , the Cardinals took the lead as Warner completed an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Breaston , along with kicker Neil Rackers getting a 41 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the ' Boys tied the game with Romo completing a 70 - yard TD pass to RB Marion Barber , along with kicker Nick Folk nailing a 52 - yard field goal . However , in overtime , Arizona emergered as WR Sean Morey blocked a punt attempt , allowing LB Monty Beisel to return it 3 yards for the game - ending touchdown . In the week following the game Tony Romo was listed as questionable with a broken right pinkie finger . In addition , Matt McBriar and Sam Hurd were placed in injured reserve , and Felix Jones was listed as out for 2 – 3 weeks with a hamstring injury . Furthermore , Adam ( Pacman ) Jones was suspended by the NFL for a minimum of 4 weeks after an altercation with his bodyguard . The Cowboys traded for WR Roy Williams with the Detroit Lions , in exchange for their first , third , and sixth - round picks . Week 7 : at St . Louis Rams . Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Cardinals , and missing several key starters , the Cowboys flew to the Edward Jones Dome for a Week 7 duel with the St . Louis Rams . With Tony Romo recovering from his injured pinkie , he was demoted to back - up for the game , allowing veteran QB Brad Johnson to get the start . In the first quarter , the ' Boys shot first as RB Marion Barber got a 1 - yard TD run . The Rams would go on to score 34 unanswered points with QB Marc Bulger completing a 42 - yard TD pass to WR Donnie Avery , along with RB Steven Jackson getting an 8 - yard and a 1 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , St . Louis increased their lead as kicker Josh Brown got a 52 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Dallas continued to struggle as Jackson got a 56 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , the Rams ended their domination with Brown nailing a 35 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the ' Boys got their only response as Johnson completed a 34 - yard TD pass to rookie TE Martellus Bennett . Week 8 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Hoping to rebound from their embarrassing road loss to the Rams , the Cowboys went home for a Week 8 duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . With QB Tony Romo still nursing an injured pinkie , QB Brad Johnson got the start against the team that he helped win Super Bowl XXXVII . In the first quarter , Dallas trailed early as Buccaneers kicker Matt Bryant got a pair of 36 - yard field goals . In the second quarter , the ' Boys took the lead as kicker Nick Folk got a 38 - yard field goal , along with Johnson completing a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Roy Williams . In the third quarter , Dallas increased its lead with Folk making a 45 - yard field goal . Tampa Bay responded with Bryant nailing a 41 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Big D ' s defense held on for the victory . Week 9 : at New York Giants . Coming off their home win over the Buccaneers , the Cowboys flew to Giants Stadium for a Week 9 NFC East duel with the New York Giants . With QB Tony Romo nursing an injured pinkie , QB Brad Johnson once again the start . In the first quarter , the ' Boys trailed early as Giants QB Eli Manning completed a 13 - yard TD pass to TE Kevin Boss and a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith . In the second quarter , Dallas responded with rookie CB Mike Jenkins returning an interception 23 yards for a touchdown . New York would answer with Manning completing an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Amani Toomer . After the half , Johnson ( 5 / 11 for 71 yards and 2 interceptions ) was benched for QB Brooks Bollinger . In the third quarter , the Giants increased their lead as RB Brandon Jacobs got a 12 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , the ' Boys tried to rally as Bollinger completed an 8 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . However , New York pulled away as RB Derrick Ward got a 17 - yard TD run . With the loss , the Cowboys entered their bye week 5 – 4 . Week 11 : at Washington Redskins . Coming off their bye week , the Cowboys flew to Fedex Field for a Week 11 NFC East rematch with the Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football . In the first quarter , the ' Boys trailed early as Redskins QB Jason Campbell completed a 2 - yard TD pass to FB Mike Sellers . In the second quarter , Dallas responded with RB Marion Barber getting a 2 - yard TD run . Washington would close out the half with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 41 - yard field goal . After a scoreless third quarter , the Cowboys took a fourth quarter lead as QB Tony Romo completed a 25 - yard TD pass to rookie TE Martellus Bennett . Afterwards , Dallas ' defense kept the Redskins ' offense from making any kind of a comeback . With the win , the Cowboys improved to 6 – 4 . Week 12 : vs . San Francisco 49ers . Coming off their divisional road win over the Redskins , the Cowboys went home , donned their throwback uniforms , and played a Week 12 game with the San Francisco 49ers . In the first quarter , Dallas trailed early as 49ers kicker Joe Nedney made a 23 - yard and a 22 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the ' Boys took a huge lead as QB Tony Romo completed a 75 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens , LB Carlos Polk blocked an Andy Lee punt into the back of the 49ers ' endzone for a safety , kicker Nick Folk making a 48 - yard and a 41 - yard field goal , and Romo throwing a 45 yard pass to T . O . , Then completing a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Martellus Bennett . In the third quarter , the Cowboys increased their lead as Romo completed a 10 - yard TD pass to WR Patrick Crayton . San Francisco would answer with Nedney getting a 35 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the ' Boys replied with Folk getting a 47 - yard field goal . The 49ers would try to stay in pace as QB Shaun Hill completed an 18 - yard TD pass to WR Isaac Bruce , yet Dallas pulled away as Folk nailed a 42 - yard field goal . The 49ers tried to comeback as Hill completed a 9 - yard TD pass to RB DeShaun Foster , yet Big D ' s defense held from there on out . With the win , the Cowboys improved to 7 – 4 . Terrell Owens , having going through 14 - straight games without having a 100 - yard receiving day , snapped his futuility streak by having 7 catches for 213 yards and a touchdown . His 213 receiving yards would be his 2nd - highest single game total in his career . Tony Romo finish with another 300 yard game giving him 13 300 yard games . Week 13 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . The Cowboys opened the game with a 5 - play 71 - yard drive that ended on a touchdown reception by rookie tight end Martellus Bennett . This effort marked the first time the Cowboys scored on their first drive since the last St . Louis game , and the sixth time to do so all season . On the ensuing drive , the Dallas defense forced a Seahawk fumble that was recovered by cornerback Anthony Henry . Dallas was able to drive deep into Seattle territory , and eventually gave the ball to running back Marion Barber for a 1 - yard touchdown run . Following the Dallas drive , the Seahawks had to settle for a 44 - yard field goal . Once the second quarter began , the Cowboys successfully used their passing game to move to the endzone ; tight end Jason Witten scored the touchdown on a 7 - yard catch . The touchdown followed by the extra point extended Dallas ' lead to 21 – 3 . On the next drive , the Cowboys defense limited the Seahawks offense to a punt . Starting a fresh drive at the Cowboy 20 , quarterback Tony Romo threw a 38 - yard strike to Roy E . Williams . Three consecutive incompletions by Romo led the Cowboys to send in kicker Nick Folk to hit a 41 - yard field goal through the uprights . After an unsuccessful offensive drive by the Seahawks , the Dallas offense returned to the field , though were forced to their first three - and - out . Once Seattle got the ball back , quarterback Matt Hasselbeck found two of his receivers who both combined for a gain of 47 yards . The Seahawks , however , lost nine of those yards on two quarterback sacks . They had to settle again for another field goal to cut Dallas ' lead to 24 – 6 . Both of the team ' s offenses each had one three - and - out during the 1 : 31 left in the half . The Cowboys got the ball back , though did not have much time to engineer a successful drive . Romo kneeled to end the half . Overall , Dallas ' four scoring drives in the first half consisted of 26 plays , 17 of which occurred on a first down ; just three came on third down . Once the third quarter commenced , the Seahawks took the time to move the ball deep into the Dallas red zone . They were stopped on third down at the Dallas 7 , and elected to go for their third field goal . This drive took 5 : 23 , the longest drive thus far in the game . On Dallas ' next possession , cornerback Marcus Trufant intercepted an endzone pass that was intended for wideout Terrell Owens . The Seahawks offense was unable to capitalize on the turnover , as they were unable to convert for the first down . Dallas followed with an unsuccessful drive that ended on their second punt of the game . The Seahawks faced their second three - and - out of the quarter on their ensuing possession ; their punt led Dallas to field their offense at the Dallas 44 . After two plays , Romo threw to Owens for a 33 - yard gain . Owens scored a touchdown off a 19 - yard catch on the next play , extending the Cowboys ' lead to 31 – 9 . Seattle failed again to produce a score during the two minutes left in the third quarter . Dallas had the ball in possession once the fourth quarter began . The Cowboys gave the ball to rookie running back Tashard Choice to drain the clock . Choice contributed a total of 62 rushing yards to the drive , including long gain of 27 . Despite Choice ' s help , Dallas had to score a field goal to complete the 6 - minute drive . Trailing 34 – 9 , the Seahawks still aimed to score a touchdown . Their effort was cut short when Cowboys cornerback Terrence Newman compiled an interception at the Dallas 2 on the Seahawks ' third play of the drive . With 7 : 51 remaining in the game , Dallas was not able to convert for the first down and punted the ball , which the Seahawks retrieved at their 43 . During the final six minutes of the game , the Seahawks pulled another three - and - out . Dallas then continued to run out the clock but had to give the ball back to Seattle . The Seahawks still had a chance to score in the final two minutes , but fell short again . The Cowboys won 34 – 9 . Linebacker DeMarcus Ware finished with 4 tackles and 3 sacks , which earned him the NFL on Fox ' s 2008 Galloping Gobbler Award . The Jonas Brothers performed during halftime ( one of the members , Nick Jonas , was born in Dallas ) , while Demi Lovato ( also a Dallas native ) performed the national anthem . Week 14 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . This was the Cowboys and Steelers ' 30th all time meeting In a defensive battle , neither team managed to score in the 1st quarter . In the second quarter , the only scores were a 44 yard field goal by Nick Folk for Dallas and a 24 yard field by Jeff Reed for Pittsburgh . The teams went into halftime tied at 3 . In the 3rd , Tony Romo found Terrell Owens for a 12 yard touchdown pass that broke the tie . Then , a 33 yard field goal by Nick Folk sent the Cowboys into the 4th quarter with a 13 – 3 lead . Midway through the 4th , Jeff Reed connected on a 41 yard field goal to cut the Cowboys ' lead to 13 – 6 . Then , Ben Rothlisberger and Tight End Heath Miller hooked up for a 6 yard Steelers touchdown that tied the game at 13 . On the ensuing Dallas possession , Tony Romo was intercepted by Deshea Townsend who returned it 25 yards for a touchdown , and Pittsburgh led 20 – 13 . After the kickoff , the Cowboys failed to convert on a 4th - and - 10 and the Steelers got the ball back . They were then able to run the clock out and seal the victory . With the Cowboys falling to 8 – 5 , the New York Giants clinched the NFC East ( despite losing to the Eagles ) . Week 15 : vs . New York Giants . In battle for field position the first points came in the second quarter with Tony Romo connecting with Patrick Crayton on a 34 yard touchdown pass . New York answered with a 34 yard field goal from John Carney . As New York tried to get a drive going they contended with the a Dallas defence that leads the league in sacks . Quarterback Eli Manning was brought down eight times during the game . In the fourth quarter Dallas extended its small lead with a 1 yard touchdown pass to full back Deon Anderson . After a mistake by the Dallas offensive line the Giants scored a safety . Later John Carney nailed a 47 yard field goal to make the score 14 – 8 for Dallas . With 2 : 24 left on the clock Dallas sealed the win with a 38 yard touchdown run by Tashard Choice . The two - point conversion failed . With the win , Dallas improved to 9 – 5 . This would be the last Cowboys win at Texas Stadium and for the 2008 NFL Season . Week 16 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . Coming off their win over the Giants , the Cowboys stayed at home for a Week 16 interconference battle with the Baltimore Ravens , in what would be the final game at Texas Stadium . In the first quarter , Dallas struck first as rookie running back Tashard Choice got a 2 - yard touchdown run . The Ravens would respond with a 26 - yard field goal from kicker Matt Stover . Baltimore would take the lead in the second quarter as Stover got a 29 - yard and a 37 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Ravens increased their lead as quarterback Joe Flacco completed a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Derrick Mason . The Cowboys would answer in the fourth quarter as kicker Nick Folk got a 35 - yard field goal , but Baltimore answered right back with Stover ' s 35 - yard field goal . Dallas would try to rally as quarterback Tony Romo completed a 7 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terrell Owens , but the Ravens struck right back as running back Willis McGahee got a 77 - yard touchdown run . The Cowboys tried to comeback as Romo completed a 21 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Jason Witten , but the Ravens would pull away with fullback Le ' Ron McClain ' s 82 - yard touchdown run ( the longest TD run that the Cowboys would ever give up during their tenure at Texas Stadium ) . With the loss , Dallas fell to 9 – 6 . Week 17 : vs . Philadelphia Eagles . Hoping to recover from their home loss to the Ravens , the Cowboys closed out their regular season at Lincoln Financial Field in a crucial Week 17 NFC East rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles , with a playoff berth on the line . Dallas trailed early in the first quarter as Eagles David Akers got a 40 - yard field goal . Dallas would respond with kicker Nick Folk getting a 37 - yard field goal . However , in the second quarter , Philadelphia would take a huge lead as quarterback Donovan McNabb would get a 1 - yard touchdown run and complete a 4 - yard touchdown pass to running back Correll Buckhalter , along with a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek . Afterwards , the Eagles would close out the half with a 50 - yard field goal from Akers . In the third quarter , the Cowboys ' playoff hopes continued to take a beating as defensive end Chris Clemons returned a fumble 73 yards for a touchdown , while cornerback Joselio Hanson returned another fumble 96 yards for a touchdown . Philadelphia would close out the period with Akers ' 41 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Dallas tried to rally but only managed to score a 42 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Cowboys ' season ended at 9 – 7 . Statistics . Through Week 5 < / noinclude >