Cowboys’ stars shine again on big stage

 Tony Romo and Terrell Owens aren't guys known to shy away
 from the bright lights, so it should be no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys'
 dynamic duo really made their presence felt in a high-profile game played
 under the microscope of the nation's biggest media market.

 Just like Dallas' earlier meeting with the New York Giants in Week 1 of this
 season, the Romo-Owens combo proved to be too much for the team's division
 rival to handle. The two hooked up for a pair of second-half touchdowns that
 provided the winning margin in Sunday's 31-20 victory, one that further
 separated the Cowboys from the NFC East pack.

 Romo threw for four touchdown passes, matching a season-high he set during
 Dallas' 45-35 triumph over the G-Men back in September, and finished with 245
 yards through the air. Two of those scoring throws wound up in the arms of
 Owens, including a 50-yard connection early in the fourth quarter that
 essentially broke New York's back.

 That touchdown capped a dominating second half for Owens, who compiled 94 of
 his game total of 125 receiving yards over the final 30 minutes. The outspoken
 wide receiver also hauled in a 25-yard score from Romo midway through the
 third quarter that snapped a 17-17 deadlock.

 "When the pressure's on, they seem to play better," said Cowboys head coach
 Wade Phillips of his two offensive stars. "Obviously Terrell had a couple of
 big plays and (Romo) played really well."

 Owens has now amassed three consecutive 100-yard games and recorded five
 touchdowns over his last four contests, giving him a team-best eight on the
 season. Half of those scores have come at the expense of the Giants.

 Romo's made life rather miserable for New York, which now trails the Cowboys
 by two games in the division standings, as well. The standout quarterback
 threw for a career-high 345 yards and accounted for five touchdowns (four
 passing, one rushing) in the team's Week 1 meeting. While his numbers weren't
 quite as prolific on Sunday, Romo continued his recent trend of displaying
 pinpoint accuracy. He completed 20-of-28 passes for the afternoon and has now
 hit on an outstanding 77.2 percent (77-of-92) of his throws over Dallas' last
 three games.

 "There's nothing really that a defense can do to stop us," said Owens. "I
 think offensively we have so many weapons and the plays are there, we've just
 to go out and execute them and I think that's what we did (in the second
 half)."

 TOUCHDOWN TONY

 Romo's first touchdown pass on Sunday came on Dallas' opening drive, when the
 athletic signal-caller eluded a New York rush and flicked a 15-yard toss to
 third-string tight end Tony Curtis in the end zone. It was the third career
 catch for Curtis, who spent the majority of the previous two seasons on the
 Cowboys' practice squad, and all three have gone for touchdowns.

 FLAGS FLY

 Emotions ran high in the latest segment of the Cowboys-Giants rivalry, with
 players on each team often engaging in verbal jarring sessions and a host of
 penalties called on both sides. Dallas was flagged 10 times for 84 yards on
 the afternoon, with personal fouls accounting for three of those infractions.

 The most costly Dallas penalty was committed by reserve linebacker Kevin
 Burnett late in the first half. The special teams ace was whistled for
 taunting after taking down New York's Ahmad Bradshaw on a kickoff with just 12
 seconds remaining before intermission, which gave the Giants the ball near
 midfield. Quarterback Eli Manning then completed a 29-yard pass to tight end
 Jeremy Shockey which set up a Lawrence Tynes field that tied the contest at
 17-17.

 Cowboys linebacker Bradie James also got an unsportsmanlike conduct call after
 shoving Giants' running back Brandon Jacobs midway through the first quarter.
 The penalty moved New York inside the Dallas 15-yard line and helped lead to a
 Manning-Shockey touchdown hookup.

 WELCOME BACK

 Defensive tackle Tank Johnson made his delayed Cowboys debut and played his
 first game since last February's Super Bowl in Sunday's victory. The fourth-
 year pro had recently completed serving a well-publicized eight-game
 suspension by the NFL for disobeying the league's personal conduct policy.

 Johnson saw spot duty behind regular starting nose tackle Jay Ratliff against
 the Giants, but still managed to make an impact in his limited role. He
 registered three solo tackles and had a key sack of Manning in the fourth
 quarter to force a New York punt.

 The 25-year-old Johnson, who spent his first three seasons with Chicago,
 served two months in jail during the offseason for violating probation from a
 previous weapons charge and was released by the Bears in June after an arrest
 for driving under the influence. He signed a two-year contract with Dallas on
 September 18.

 ROAD WARRIORS

 Sunday's victory was the eighth straight for Dallas on the road in regular-
 season play, the franchise's longest win streak in away games since a 10-game
 run spanning the 1968 and 1969 campaigns. The Cowboys are 5-0 on the road so
 far this season, and haven't lost a non-playoff game in an enemy stadium since
 a 22-19 setback at Washington on November 5, 2006.

 Dallas' 8-1 start is also the club's best after nine games since 1995, the
 most recent of the Cowboys' five Super Bowl winning seasons.

 COWBOYS AND INDIANS

 Dallas will square off in another storied rival this Sunday, when the hated
 Washington Redskins invade Texas Stadium for an NFC East showdown. The Cowboys
 will be shooting for a divisional sweep during the month of November, having
 already bested Philadelphia and the Giants over the previous two weeks.

 The Redskins have won three of the last four meetings between the teams, but
 dropped a 27-10 decision to the Cowboys in Dallas during Week 2 of the 2006
 season.

 The game marks the first of three consecutive home tilts for the Cowboys, who
 will also host the New York Jets and Green Bay during the stretch.

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