Star-Telegram: Cowboys hit the road, hope it doesn't hit back

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Cowboys hit the road, hope it doesn't hit back

By Rick Herrin

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

STAR-TELEGRAM/RALPH LAUER

The Eagles, including Darwin Walker, were the latest opponent to manhandle Quincy Carter and the Cowboys on the road, where plays like this errant snap for a safety have become commonplace.

IRVING - The Cowboys seemed to have the road tamed this season and were starting to shed their history of fizzling when away from Texas Stadium.

That trend is back.

The Cowboys (8-5) have gone flat on the road at the wrong time and carry a three-game road losing streak into Sunday's crucial game at rival Washington (5-8). Needing two wins to likely clinch a playoff berth, the Cowboys will have to break their long-standing identity as a road bust to keep the season going. Two of the Cowboys' final three games are on the road.

Since the start of the 1996 season, the Cowboys are 17-62 on the road.

"You have to play perfect on the road," Cowboys linebacker Al Singleton said. "Maybe at home you can get away with a few things. But on the road, you really have to be perfect and force them into making mistakes. And we haven't done that."

In their past three road games, against Tampa Bay, New England and Philadelphia, the Cowboys have been outscored 64-10. They have been shut out twice, scored one touchdown and committed 20 penalties. In those three games, quarterback Quincy Carter has been intercepted seven times, and the defense has forced one turnover.

The road jinx is back.

In their first six games this season, the Cowboys knocked off the New York Giants, New York Jets and Detroit Lions away from home. The Cowboys haven't had a winning record on the road since 1995, when they went 6-2.

Another sign of futility is the fact that a victory Sunday would be only their second December road win since 1997.

"It's just another game and it's a steppingstone for us to go out there and win on the road," Cowboys safety Roy Williams said.

During the Cowboys' three-game road skid, bad luck and bad plays always seemed to be lurking. Like the offensive blackout in Tampa Bay. Like the interception off the hands of tight end Jason Witten at New England. Like the defensive collapse last week at Philadelphia and the back-breaking penalties on both sides of the ball.

The Cowboys' road woes have started to compound themselves.

"We're at that point, and there isn't any doubt about it," Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. "I'm hoping we can respond favorably to it. I look at Washington as a team that has played some very, very close games, particularly recently, against some pretty good teams. To me, this is a game that could certainly go either way, and we'll have to play well to win. If we don't play well, we won't beat these guys."

The Cowboys, who are one road win from tying their most since 1998, were once a big-play offense on the road -- they scored 90 points in three victories against struggling teams. But in the second half of the season, the offense on the road has faded, and Parcells has gone with a more conservative game plan.

Last week, the Cowboys' acclaimed receiving trio of Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn and Antonio Bryant didn't catch a pass. And a poor tackling defense allowed the Eagles to run up 26 unanswered points and a handful of big plays.

The Cowboys' backs are firmly pressed against the wall.

"They are," Williams said. "If we don't win these games, we had an OK season, winning eight games. We didn't finish off the season like we started. It will be a tragedy if that happens."

The Redskins are 3-3 at home, and five of those games have been decided by seven points or less. For the Cowboys to get past Washington, they must eliminate the things that have haunted them on the road -- penalties and turnovers.

"It comes down to keeping the intensity and not making errors," Cowboys defensive tackle Leonardo Carson said. "When you're on the road, you can't make mistakes."