Cowboys' Plans Compromised by Owens's Injury
High Ankle Sprain Overshadows Dallas's Victory: Cowboys 20, Panthers 13

By Mark Maske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 23, 2007

CHARLOTTE, Dec. 22 -- The Dallas Cowboys have a new problem.

All was fine here Saturday night with quarterback Tony Romo's guest list and ailing right thumb, and the Cowboys took another step toward securing home field throughout the NFC playoffs by beating the Carolina Panthers, 20-13, at Bank of America Stadium.

But wide receiver Terrell Owens limped from the field after hurting his left ankle on a second-quarter catch and didn't return to the game. He left the stadium on crutches and with his left foot in a boot, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team's medical staff believes that Owens suffered a high ankle sprain. Coach Wade Phillips indicated that X-rays taken Saturday were negative but Owens is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam Sunday.

The injury promises to keep Owens sidelined for next Sunday's regular season finale against the Washington Redskins. But the Cowboys will have a first-round postseason bye and Jones said he's hopeful that Owens will be ready to play in three weeks in the club's first playoff game. When he was with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2004 season, Owens suffered a high ankle sprain late in the regular season that required surgery. He missed all of the NFC playoffs but returned to play in a Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.

Owens said the injury "could have been worse," and added: "I know my body better than anybody. I'm just going to follow the doctors' orders and take it day by day. The bye week helps."

Owens had five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown before exiting and the Cowboys can ill afford to lose him. He's having a superb season, with 81 catches for 1,355 yards and 15 touchdowns.

"It's not good when he's not out there, as you saw," Jones said. "But the feeling right now is it's not as bad as it could be. This is only preliminary but our doctors and trainers don't think it's as serious" as Owens's previous high ankle sprain.

The Cowboys (13-2) would clinch the NFC's top seed for the playoffs with a win over the Redskins or one more loss by the Green Bay Packers. They didn't need Owens to hold off the Panthers (6-9), who'd upset the Seattle Seahawks last weekend but reverted to their losing ways. Quarterback Matt Moore threw a touchdown pass to wideout Steve Smith, who finished with nine catches for 137 yards, but the Panthers did little else on offense.

"I told the guys that when they leave the locker room to hold their heads high," Panthers Coach John Fox said. "That team was a little better than us tonight, [but] we gave great effort and played with a lot of heart."

Romo completed 28 of 42 passes for 257 yards for the Cowboys, with one touchdown and one interception. Tailback Marion Barber ran for 110 yards and a touchdown as the Cowboys rebounded from an ugly loss at home last Sunday to the Eagles.

That defeat left Romo with a bruised thumb on his throwing hand and produced a week of drama surrounding the Cowboys because Romo had played poorly with Jessica Simpson in attendance as his guest. It was reminiscent of Romo having a bad game last season with singer Carrie Underwood on hand to watch him play. This time, Owens playfully told reporters at midweek that Simpson should stay away from the team, then issued a clarification the following day that he'd only been joking. The episode even spawned a Web site urging fans to bring cutout masks of Simpson to Cowboys games to ruin Romo's performance.

Some Panthers fans indeed showed up with Simpson masks. Romo said late Saturday night that Simpson had attended this game as well, but it was difficult to tell if he was kidding and he declined to answer directly when pressed further. Even so, he said he was pleased to emerge from the trying week with a solid performance and a victory. His thumb injury, he said, didn't hinder him too much.

"I told a couple guys, 'Adrenaline is a great equalizer,' " Romo said. "It goes a long way."

Romo was returning to the site of his first NFL start last season, which came just after Cowboys then-coach Bill Parcells benched veteran Drew Bledsoe at halftime of the club's previous game. The Cowboys were facing a former teammate in Moore, an undrafted rookie who'd been with Dallas during the preseason, and Romo didn't have to worry about defensive end Julius Peppers, who was on the Panthers' inactive list because of a knee injury. The Cowboys' defense also was without a key player, with safety Roy Williams serving a one-game suspension imposed by the league for his horse-collar tackle of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Romo fumbled the snap on the Cowboys' first offensive play but retrieved the loose ball. The Cowboys moved in front on their second possession on Romo's 10-yard touchdown pass to Owens. They made it 14-0 in the second quarter on Barber's five-yard touchdown burst on the play after Owens was hurt.

Moore's 11-yard touchdown lob to Smith, who hadn't had a touchdown catch since mid-October, cut the Panthers' deficit in half, but the Cowboys responded with a 42-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk. The Panthers reached the Cowboys 1-yard line on their opening drive of the second half, but got pushed back by a false start penalty and two sacks and had to settle for John Kasay's 37-yard field goal.

Romo threw an interception in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to halt a Cowboys' drive. But the Dallas defense forced a punt and the Cowboys turned good field position into a 23-yard field goal by Folk.