Week 5 Recap - vs. Cincinnati - Heaven on Turf

If there was any doubt that The Cowboys' biggest fan is the one and only God, it was evident on Sunday as The Cowboys hosted The Bengals. They said that the hole in the roof of Texas Stadium was there so God could watch his team play. They also say God has quite the sense of humor. I will attempt to break down all the divine interventions in this game which ended, Dallas 31, Cincinnati 22.

Exhibit A: Fans have been utterly baffled by the lack of interceptions this season and people were starting to worry. The prayers of Dallas fandom were miraculously answered on the first play from scrimmage when an overthrown pass from Carson Palmer landed directly into the hands of Greg Ellis. It was almost embarrassing that Dallas and Detroit were the only two teams not to have an interception this year, but fate stepped in and resolved that problem.

Exhibit B: The 33 yard touchdown run by Felix Jones on a 4th and 4. He looked like he was walking on water. Need I say more.

Exhibit C: God's sick sense of humor came out when The Bengals scored 16 unanswered points and brought The Bengals 2 points away from the lead. Throw in a surprise onside kick attempt by Cincinnati and things looked dreadful for a while.

Exhibit D: Terrell Owens, who had even less catches and throws than last week, caught a pass and ran for a 57 yard touchdown, keeping 'The Boys in the lead, 24-16. After the game, T.O. claimed that it was God's glory that was working through him to make that play. Interesting...

Exhibit E: After The Bengals scored a touchdown late in the 4th quarter, they attempted to tie up the game with a 2 point conversion that was beautifully broken up by 3rd string SS Keith Davis, who is playing for Roy Williams and Pat Watkins, both out for injury.

Exhibit F: There was 1:59 left in the game, Dallas is at the Cincinnati 15 and it's 3rd and 11. The score is 24-22 and if they only managed a field goal, it would still give The Bengals a slim shot at victory. The same kind of miracle that began the game also ended the game, as Romo passed to his left trying to hit Miles Austin. Patrick Crayton was coming from the other direction and when the ball came at Austin it bounced off his fingertips, right over the two corners' head and into the arms of Crayton. Touchdown! Cowboys 31 Bengals 22 and with 1:52 left to play, that spectacular catch pretty much put the game away.

It wasn't a pretty win, but God likes drama. Ocho Cinco's wishes were denied, as he finished with just 3 catches for 43 yards, no touchdown and no kissing of the star. His romantic affair with Dallas will have to wait for another day.

Chris Perry and newly acquired Cedric Benson were held to about 30 yards a piece, proving that Dallas' run defense is back to top form after slipping and allowing Washington to rush over 150 yards last week.

It was far from the prettiest of wins, but it is a 'W' and it puts the Cowboys in a good position at 4-1 and there are only 4 other teams in the NFC with records as good. Unfortunately 2 of those 4 are in the NFC East and we've already lost to one of them, but 'The Boys are still in a good spot.

The skeptics will cast doubt that although winning, it isn't enough. They will shout about the fumbles and interceptions. They will cry about how Dallas only picked the ball once in 5 games. They will criticize the off field comments of players & coaches and they will continue to expect perfect games every time.

Unfortunately, this game of football is not very predictable and it's probably more wise to hope for the best and expect the worst. Although not pretty, they are winning, and wins are what gets you in the playoffs. Remember that God backs this team, and that's a 12th man I can have faith in.