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2012 Dallas Cowboys season

2012 Dallas Cowboys season
OwnerJerry Jones
General managerJerry Jones
Head coachJason Garrett
Home fieldCowboys Stadium
Results
Record8–8
Division place3rd NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersAnthony Spencer LB,
DeMarcus Ware LB,
Jason Witten TE
AP All-ProsDeMarcus Ware (2nd team),
Jason Witten (2nd team)
Uniform

The 2012 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 53rd season National Football League (NFL), the fourth playing their home games at Cowboys Stadium and the second full season under head coach Jason Garrett. The Cowboys matched their win total from 2011 but missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season after losing their final game for the second straight season, this time to the Washington Redskins. Their 8–8 record was remarkable because the Cowboys trailed at some point during every game.

2012 draft class

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Main article: 2012 NFL draft
2012 Dallas Cowboys draft
Round Selection Player Position College
1 6 Morris Claiborne CB LSU
3 81 Tyrone Crawford DE Boise State
4 113 Kyle Wilber LB Wake Forest
135 Matt Johnson S Eastern Washington
5 152 Danny Coale WR Virginia Tech
6 186 James Hanna TE Oklahoma
7 222 Caleb McSurdy LB Montana
Compensatory selection

Notes

Staff

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2012 Dallas Cowboys staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Rosters

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Opening preseason roster

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Dallas Cowboys 2012 opening preseason roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

90 active, 0 inactive

Week one roster

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Dallas Cowboys 2012 week one roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice Squad

53 Active, 3 Inactive, 8 PS

Final roster

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Dallas Cowboys 2012 final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice Squad

53 Active, 14 Inactive, 8 Practice Squad

Schedule

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Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 13 at Oakland Raiders W 3–0 1–0 O.co Coliseum Recap
2 August 18 at San Diego Chargers L 20–28 1–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
3 August 25 St. Louis Rams W 20–19 2–1 Cowboys Stadium Recap
4 August 29 Miami Dolphins W 30–13 3–1 Cowboys Stadium Recap

Regular season

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 5 at New York Giants W 24–17 1–0 MetLife Stadium Recap
2 September 16 at Seattle Seahawks L 7–27 1–1 CenturyLink Field Recap
3 September 23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 16–10 2–1 Cowboys Stadium Recap
4 October 1 Chicago Bears L 18–34 2–2 Cowboys Stadium Recap
5 Bye
6 October 14 at Baltimore Ravens L 29–31 2–3 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
7 October 21 at Carolina Panthers W 19–14 3–3 Bank of America Stadium Recap
8 October 28 New York Giants L 24–29 3–4 Cowboys Stadium Recap
9 November 4 at Atlanta Falcons L 13–19 3–5 Georgia Dome Recap
10 November 11 at Philadelphia Eagles W 38–23 4–5 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
11 November 18 Cleveland Browns W 23–20 (OT) 5–5 Cowboys Stadium Recap
12 November 22 Washington Redskins L 31–38 5–6 Cowboys Stadium Recap
13 December 2 Philadelphia Eagles W 38–33 6–6 Cowboys Stadium Recap
14 December 9 at Cincinnati Bengals W 20–19 7–6 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
15 December 16 Pittsburgh Steelers W 27–24 (OT) 8–6 Cowboys Stadium Recap
16 December 23 New Orleans Saints L 31–34 (OT) 8–7 Cowboys Stadium Recap
17 December 30 at Washington Redskins L 18–28 8–8 FedExField Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at New York Giants

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Week One: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 10724
Giants 0 3 7717

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

The Cowboys opened its 2012 campaign at MetLife Stadium in the Annual Kickoff Game against their NFC East foe, the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. After a scoreless first quarter, the Giants picked up the season's first points as kicker Lawrence Tynes kicked a 22-yard field goal in the second quarter. Dallas would close out the half with quarterback Tony Romo finding wide receiver Kevin Ogletree on a 10-yard touchdown pass.

In the third quarter, the Cowboys added onto its lead. Romo hooked up with Ogletree again with a 40-yard touchdown pass. New York answered with a 10-yard run from running back Ahmad Bradshaw, yet Dallas responded in kind with a 33-yard field goal from kicker Dan Bailey. The Cowboys pulled away for good in the fourth quarter with Romo connecting with wide receiver Miles Austin on a 34-yard touchdown pass. The Giants closed out the game with quarterback Eli Manning completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to former Dallas tight end Martellus Bennett.

With the win, the Cowboys began the season at 1–0.

Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks

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Week Two: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 007
Seahawks 10 3 7727

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

With the huge loss, the Cowboys fell to 1–1.

Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Week Three: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 7 0 0310
Cowboys 7 3 0616

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Hoping to rebound from their tough road loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Cowboys returned to Arlington to host their home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that they had blown out a year before. This game, however, was a close one throughout. In the first quarter, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo tossed an interception to Aqib Talib, which set up for a 1-yard touchdown pass from Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman to tight end Luke Stocker for Tampa Bay to take the first lead. Dallas would immediately respond after a Sean Lee interception set up Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray for an 11-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Shortly before the half, kicker Dan Bailey booted a 32-yard field goal for Dallas to take the lead, 10–7. After a scoreless third quarter, Dallas pulled away with Dan Bailey knocking in a pair of field goals, one from 26 yards and another from 22 yards to make the game 16–7. Tampa Bay attempted a furious rally to take the game back after a 28-yard field goal by Connor Barth, but Dallas would recover the following onside kick and effectively took a knee to end the game.

With the victory, Dallas improved their season to 2–1.

Week 4: vs. Chicago Bears

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Week Four: Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 10 141034
Cowboys 0 7 3818

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

With the loss, the Cowboys enter their bye week with 2–2. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo had a forgettable game, tossing 5 interceptions, including 2 that were run back for touchdowns.

Week 6: at Baltimore Ravens

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Week Six: Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 3 10929
Ravens 3 14 7731

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

With the loss, the Cowboys fell into 2–3 and dropped to 0–4 all-time against the Ravens. Horrible clock management by head coach Jason Garrett on the final drive left Dallas' kicker with a 50+ yard field goal attempt that he pushed wide as time expired.

Week 7: at Carolina Panthers

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Week Seven: Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 3 10619
Panthers 0 7 0714

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: October 21
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 73,981
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
  • [6]
Game information

The Cowboys beat the Panthers to improve to a .500 record.

Week 8: vs. New York Giants

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Week Eight: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 13 10 0629
Cowboys 0 10 14024

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: October 28
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), sunny skies (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 94,067
  • Referee: Scott Green
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • [7]
Game information

With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 3–4 on the season and 0–4 at Cowboys Stadium against the Giants. A late go-ahead touchdown catch by Dez Bryant was overturned on review as it showed that as Bryant's hand came down to brace his landing, barely a tip of one finger came down on the end line, thus ruling him out of bounds.

Week 9: at Atlanta Falcons

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Week Nine: Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 6 0 0713
Falcons 0 6 01319

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta

  • Date: November 4
  • Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST/7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 70,840
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • [8]
Game information

During this game, Jason Witten's 7 receptions brought him to a franchise record of 754, surpassing Michael Irvin's previous record of 750.[2]

With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 3–5.

Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles

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Week Ten: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 3 72138
Eagles 7 0 10623

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

  • Date: November 11
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 69,144
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • [9]
Game information

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 4–5.

Week 11: vs. Cleveland Browns

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Week Eleven: Cleveland Browns at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Browns 7 6 07020
Cowboys 0 0 317323

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

After being down 13–0 against the Browns in the first half, the Cowboys outscored the Browns 20–7 to send the game into overtime. The Cowboys kicked the game-winning field goal and improved to 5–5 on the season and 2nd place in the NFC East.

Week 12: vs. Washington Redskins

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Thanksgiving Day game
Week Twelve: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 28 01038
Cowboys 3 0 101831

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 90,166
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver and Erin Andrews
  • [11]
Game information

With the loss to their long-time rival the Washington Redskins during a Thanksgiving Day showdown, the Cowboys dropped to 5–6 on the season and 6–1 against the Redskins on Thanksgiving. Along with the loss, the Cowboys also lost 2 key defensive players for an extended period of time. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick broke his left hand, but the team was still hopeful that he would be able to return before the end of the season. But of the three injuries suffered during the game, Bruce Carter's was probably the most devastating. Carter dislocated his left elbow during the game and was out for the rest of the season after having surgery. At that point, the Cowboys had lost 4 starters on defense due to injuries, and were on their 3rd and 4th string middle linebackers after losing both Carter and Sean Lee for the season. Also the Cowboys lost starting receiver Miles Austin to a hip strain caused by linebacker London Fletcher in the back of the end zone. Although he did not return to the game, he was cleared to play for the Cowboys' week 13 game.

Week 13: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

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Week Thirteen: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 7 10 7933
Cowboys 0 10 72138

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 2
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 81,851
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • [12]
Game information

Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals

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Week Fourteen: Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 7 01020
Bengals 10 3 6019

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati

  • Date: December 9
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 63,590
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, and Laura Okmin
  • [13]
Game information

Week 15: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week Fifteen: Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Steelers 0 10 77024
Cowboys 3 7 77327

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 16
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), clear skies (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 95,595
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
  • [14]
Game information

Week 16: vs. New Orleans Saints

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Week Sixteen: New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Saints 7 10 77334
Cowboys 0 14 314031

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 23
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 92,570
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
  • [15]
Game information

The loss dropped Dallas to 8–7 and mathematically eliminated them from gaining a wild card spot. However, if they were to beat the Washington Redskins in week 17, Dallas would win the NFC East.

Week 17: at Washington Redskins

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Week Seventeen: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 01118
Redskins 0 7 71428

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: December 30
  • Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST/7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 82,845
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • [16]
Game information

With the loss, Dallas ended the season with an 8–8 record, and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. The Cowboys loss marks their third season finale loss in the last five seasons where they faced a win-or-go-home situation for the playoffs. All those season finale games came against NFC East opponents. In 2008, they lost 44–6 to the Philadelphia Eagles failing to clinch a wild card spot. In 2011, they lost 31–14 to the New York Giants failing to win the NFC East title. The loss also brought their record in Week 17 games to 2–11 since 2000.

Season recap

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The Cowboys started the season on September 5, playing a Wednesday game for the first time in franchise history.[3]

Against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 11 during the fourth quarter, the Cowboys became the second team in NFL history to score touchdowns via interception, fumble return and punt return in the same quarter.[citation needed] The first one was the San Francisco 49ers in 1966.[citation needed]

Standings

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NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Washington Redskins 10 6 0 .625 5–1 8–4 436 388 W7
New York Giants 9 7 0 .563 3–3 8–4 429 344 W1
Dallas Cowboys 8 8 0 .500 3–3 5–7 376 400 L2
Philadelphia Eagles 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 280 444 L3

Footnotes

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^[a] The Week 17 game was originally going to be aired on Fox which, due to playoff implications, competed with NBC for the slot.[4] The game was ultimately moved to NBC.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "2012 NFL Draft Pick Transactions". ProSportsTransactions.com.
  2. ^ "Witten Becomes Cowboys' All-Time Receptions Leader". cbslocal.com. November 5, 2012.
  3. ^ "Dallas Cowboys | Official Site of the Dallas Cowboys".
  4. ^ Hanzus, Dan (December 22, 2012). "Fox, NBC vie for piece of Cowboys-Redskins showdown". National Football League. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  5. ^ Michael David Smith (December 23, 2012). "Cowboys-Redskins flexed to Sunday Night Football in Week 17". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
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