Remember when running back DeMarco Murray slipped to the third round of 2011's NFL draft due to injury concerns coming out of Oklahoma? Do you remember he missed a combined 11 games throughout his first three seasons, reinforcing the injury concerns and undermining his talent?
Well, it may be time to start reconsidering our perception of the fourth-year rusher. Murray ran for 149 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday night's 38-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Murray now has a league leading 534 rushing yards through the first month of the season.
Quarterback Tony Romo also got in on the rushing party as he scampered for a career high 21 yards on a critical third down conversion that set up Murray's 28-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Romo's surgically repaired back seemed just fine as he also tossed three touchdowns on the day.
"It makes me feel old and the fact that I haven't gotten more than 21 yards is pretty pathetic," Romo told media after the game. "But other than that, it feels pretty great."
Coming into the season, the Cowboys were expected to have one of the worst defenses in the league due to injuries, suspensions and free agent departures. Yet the Dallas defense held the Saints to zero first half points on Sunday. This comes after the Cowboys surrendered an NFL record of 40 first downs during a 49-17 blowout loss in New Orleans last season.
"I think we're a different team than we were last year," Romo said. "What you find is you forget it's the Saints and Drew Brees and just go play."
The Cowboys (3-1) are now tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East lead, while the struggling Saints fall to 1-3.
"There's not going to be too much good to see in this film," New Orleans coach Sean Payton said. "We're 1-3 right now, and that's about how we're playing."
Dallas generated 445 yards on offense against former Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Romo completed 22 of 29 pass attempts for 267 yards and no interceptions. But it was Murray who was the star of the game.
Murray joins Emmit Smith as the only Cowboys running back with four straight 100 yard games to open the season.
"DeMarco is inspirational," owner Jerry Jones said. "Glad to see him have a game that he didn't turn the ball over. About the time New Orleans was thinking about getting some life, he'd go out and make those yards."
New Orleans' three turnovers proved too much to overcome, despite totaling 438 yards.
"We had our chances in the second half," Brees said. "But at the end of the day when you look at this game, the entire game, we got beat. We got beat in every facet of it."
Dallas will host the Houston Texans next week, and the Saints will play the NFC South division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
