Published: September 23, 2008 12:51 pm         

Dallas Cowboys beat Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field

Green Bay, Wis. — (AP)—There was a discussion about touchdown celebrations and a trademark big grin after Dallas’ win, and Terrell Owens wasn’t even part of the postgame lineup at the Cowboys podium.

T.O. took a timeout, leaving the stage to little-known Miles Austin.

Austin caught a 52-yard touchdown pass and Dallas used the bruising running attack of Marion Barber and Felix Jones to wear down the Green Bay Packers 27-16 on Sunday night, their first win in franchise history at Lambeau Field.

“We have a bunch of weapons, I believe,” said Austin, who went to school at Monmouth, N.J., and has primarily played special teams for three years with the Cowboys.

“I don’t really consider myself a weapon, but we’ve got Terrell, Jason (Witten), Felix — Felix is fast — Marion. Pat Crayton makes plays. We’ve got a bunch of guys out there.”

Dallas joined the New York Giants as the NFC’s only undefeated teams at 3-0, and owner Jerry Jones said coach Wade Phillips helped the Cowboys ignore the previous five setbacks at Lambeau, including the Ice Bowl in 1967.

“This team is undefeated in Green Bay,” Jones said. “The team’s never been here, the owner has and went home limping. I thought he did it well and got the team in the right frame of mind coming up here and he just told the team in here they’re undefeated in Green Bay.”

And they stayed that way with a career day by Barber, who finished with 142 yards and a touchdown, to go along with a stout defensive performance.

Felix Jones added an electrifying 60-yard TD run in the second quarter to put Dallas ahead for good after coaches told him he’d get more carries in his third week.

“I was ready,” said Jones, who took a handoff from Tony Romo, cut back and left Charles Woodson and Charlie Peprah behind for a 10-6 lead in the second quarter that the Cowboys wouldn’t relinquish.

Romo, who returned to Wisconsin as a pro for the second time, was 17-of-30 for 260 yards even though his favorite wideout, Owens, was held to two catches for 17 yards.

Owens made a big block that helped spring Jones on the TD, and Jones and Austin complimented Owens’ performance off the stat sheet afterward even as the star declined to talk.

“Him having two catches, 17 yards doesn’t explain what he did today. He’s attracting double coverage, triple coverage all the time,” Austin said. “For him to do that, it’s almost bigger than him making the play. He’s opening it up for other people.”

Jones became the first Cowboys rookie to have TDs in his first three games, and Barber, who received a $45 million, seven-year contract this offseason, plowed through a tired Packers defense.

“I would expect nothing like this to ever happen again with our defense. We’ve just got to move on from there and get better,” defensive tackle Ryan Pickett said. “He’s definitely a good back. He did well tonight. He found the openings in our defense. The weak point in our defense, they did a good job of attacking it.”

While the Packers defense allowed 453 yards — the most in nearly four years — Aaron Rodgers failed to match Dallas score for score and didn’t get a whole lot of help beyond Greg Jennings, who caught eight passes for 115 yards.

“These guys are probably the most athletic defense we’ve faced so far and one of the most athletic in the league,” said Rodgers, who finished 22-of-39 for 290 yards and was sacked five times. “When I got outside the pocket, I wasn’t really able to turn the corner.”

The Cowboys answered immediately, thanks to Austin’s first big play. Safety Nick Collins slipped in coverage and Austin got behind the defense for a 63-yard catch to set up first-and-goal at the 3.

Barber then ran the ball twice, scoring on a 2-yard run and Austin added a 52-yard TD reception to make it 27-9 with 9:17 left in the game.

“I had a whole bunch of ideas what I was going to do if I scored today, and after I scored I was just so excited I didn’t do any of them,” Austin said. “Maybe next time it’ll work out.”

Everything else has for Dallas so far, even with the outside expectations that it’s Super Bowl or bust.

“You’re not trying to be the favorite in Week 3, you’re trying to be it at the end of the year,” Romo said.

“All we can do is continue to try and control what we do today, tomorrow and this week. Outside of that, we can’t worry about the future and stuff that’s going to happen.”

Notes:@ Green Bay allowed the most yards since a 47-17 loss at Philadelphia on Dec. 5, 2004. The Eagles had 542 yards of offense in that game. ... While Dallas hadn’t won at Lambeau Field before, the Cowboys beat the Packers in 1978, 1980 and 1991 at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

     

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