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          DeMarco Murray's 6th straight 100-yard game lifts Cowboys in Seattle

          Oct 12, 2014
          • Associated Press

          SEATTLE -- On his sixth snap of the game, Tony Romo took a direct blow to his ribs and spent nearly a minute trying to get back to his feet.

          Seconds later, when Chris Jones' punt was smothered by Seattle and returned for a touchdown, Romo and the Dallas Cowboys were facing a 10-0 deficit on the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks' home field.

          Romo and his teammates rebounded from the terrible start and validated the strong start to their season with a resounding answer.

          "I think our team now understands that we do a lot of things pretty well, and I think we have the ability to kind of impose yourself on other teams," Romo said.

          Rallying from the early deficit, the Cowboys relied on running back DeMarco Murray and a defense that confused Russell Wilson in a 30-23 victory Sunday.

          Murray, who ran for 115 yards, scored on a 15-yard run with 3:16 left to give Dallas the lead, and the Cowboys' defense held twice in the final 3 minutes to cap a miserable day by Seattle's offense. Rolando McClain intercepted Wilson's pass with less than a minute remaining to clinch the victory.

          "Guys aren't going to back down," Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. "We have the right kind of guys on this team,"

          The result wasn't stunning. The way Dallas won was. The Cowboys out-hit, out-ran and bullied the Seahawks in showing no intimidation by Seattle's top defense or the noisy environment created by the 12th Man.

          "I think that showed the maturity of this team. We expected to win," Dallas tight end Jason Witten said. "We knew this was going to be a challenge, and we stayed the course."

          It looked very familiar to the way Seattle won the past season on its way to the title. Now the Cowboys are 5-1 for the first time since 2007.

          "They played really well, and they did a lot of cool stuff for their football team in all phases, and we were not right, really, in any phase of our game today," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

          Around every corner of the Dallas locker room, compliments and accolades were being tossed about. Dallas owner Jerry Jones held court for nearly 45 minutes.

          "This win is a coaching win. It's a Jason Garrett win," Jones said. "This called on everything you could ever ask a coach to come together with a team. He answered the bell today."

          Murray joined Jim Brown (1958) as the only running backs in NFL history to start a season with six straight 100-yard-rushing games. And Murray did it against the league's best run defense, which had not allowed a running back more than 38 yards in a game this season.

          Dallas' improved offensive line opened enough space for Murray to run and, for the most part, kept Romo protected. Romo was sacked only once and bounced up off the turf from the hard hit he took from Bobby Wagner on the Cowboys' first drive.

          When Romo got pressured on Dallas' winning drive, Terrance Williams made a stunning, toe-dragging catch along the sideline for 23 yards to convert a third-and-20. Romo moved away from pressure by Bruce Irvin and found Williams along the sideline in front of the Dallas bench.

          "If he throws it up, I'm trying to gain his trust, so I'm going to catch it, regardless," Williams said.

          Murray then broke free for 25 yards and a six-yard run to the Seattle 15. He capped his record day by cutting back against the defense and rolling through Richard Sherman at the goal line.

          Romo was 21-of-32 for 250 yards and two touchdowns -- without an interception. The second TD throw went to Witten, who became the second tight end with 900 receptions in NFL history.

          Dan Bailey kicked field goals of 42, 56 and 31 yards, the last with 1:09 remaining.

          The only reason Dallas needed the late scores was special teams mistakes that handed Seattle 14 points. Doug Baldwin blocked Jones' punt, and Mike Morgan returned it 25 yards for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. Dwayne Harris muffed a punt deep in his own territory in the third quarter, and two plays later, Wilson kept on a zone-read and sprinted 9 yards to pull Seattle even at 17.

          After being lauded for his Monday night performance, Wilson was part of a miserable day for Seattle's offense. He finished 14-of-28 for 126 yards, with 53 of those coming on one completion to Jermaine Kearse in the first quarter. Seattle was outgained 401-206 and had only nine first downs. Marshawn Lynch was used sparingly and finished with only 10 carries for 61 yards. Most of Percy Harvin's plays went backward; his three receptions equaled zero yards.

          "We couldn't get into a rhythm, and I don't know what it is," Baldwin said. "We had penalties. We just left so many plays out there on the field. It's just all over the board."

          Game notes
          Seattle CB Byron Maxwell left in the second quarter with what Carroll thinks is a high-ankle sprain. ... Murray led Dallas with six receptions. ... Seattle had not allowed a running back more than 38 yards rushing in any of its first four games.