Cowboys 37, Dolphins 20: Big second half carries Dallas to 2-0 start.

After the defense was pretty absent for most of the opener, some adjustments undoubtedly had to be made going into Dolphins Stadium.

And, it appears that was the case. The Cowboys forced four turnovers in the second half, and capitalized on the first three to take command of the game, on the way to a 37-20 win.

It took a while for the defense to catch up, but when they did, they helped the Cowboys take control of the game and make Wade Phillips 2-0 as the Cowboys’ head coach.

After we got a taste of the quick strike offense last week, it was all about ball control for the Dalls offense in the first half. The Cowboys had the ball for only four possessions in the first half, but went into Miami territory on three of those drives, and scored on two of them, taking a 10-6 lead into the halftime break. The field goal drive lasted seven minutes, and the touchdown drive lasted 6:28, while the other foray into the Miami end went nearly four and a half minutes.

But, Green led the Dolphins to a touchdown right out of the locker room, and after the teams swapped punts, it was the Cowboys’ special teams taht swung the game their way.

Brandon Fields booted a 53-yard punt to the Dallas 16, but had to do it over again after an illegal formation penalty. Fields booted another 53-yarder, but this time, Patrick Crayton got loose and went all the way to the Miami 30, racking up a 49-yard return.

Three plays and a penalty later, the Cowboys were up to stay, after Tony Romo hooked up with Tony Curtis for a 2-yard score. That’s when the defense finally stepped up to help the Cowboys get a cushion. On the next drive, Green was picked off by Ken Hamlin, who returned the ball 35 yards to the Dolphins’ 15. Nick Folk put through his second field goal of the day to make it 20-13, and the lead would get stretched to 10 on another Folk field goal after Jay Ratliff’s fumble recovery set up the Cowboys in Miami territory for the third straight possession.

Then, in the fourth, the game was effectively wrapped up, after Anthony Henry picked off Green and returned it to the Miami 39. Romo hooked up with T.O. on a 34-yard score, and it was 30-13. After Green quickly led the Dolphins to a touchdown to pull them within 30-20, Henry recovered the onside kick, and one play later, Marion Barber put a stamp on the game with a 40-yard score.

Romo was 14 of 29 for 186 yards and two touchdowns, while Barber led the team in rushing with 89 yards and two scores. T.O. was T.O., making five catches for 97 yards. But, it was the five turnovers that made the biggest difference, and gave the Cowboys an early edge in the NFC East.

Offensive MVP: Tony Romo - It wasn’t as eye-popping of a performance as last week’s, but it was efficient. More importantly, he continued to show his abilities as a team leader. After two games, he’s on pace for 48 touchdowns. Don’t know if he’ll reach that mark, but I’ll take 30 or 35.

Defensive MVP: The rush defense and the secondary - The rush defense took a page out of the Redskins book, and stopped Ronnie Brown for the second straight week. After Brown was held to 32 yards last week, he was held to 33 yards this week, and the Dolphins amassed only 61 yards total, getting held to 2.9 yards per carry.

And, as for the secondary, four interceptions is impressive on any day. After they were a liability last week, they had to improve, and they did. True enough, Green did throw for 287 yards, but the four picks negated all of that.

POSITIVES

Well, they’ve pretty much all been listed. The defensive effort was something to be proud of, especially after the 35 points it allowed last week. Just think of what they’ll be capable of when Ellis and Newman return to full strength.

And, the offense showed that it didn’t have to rack up big time yards in order to put together a big game. When they got opportunities, they cashed in on them, especially in that stretch in the second half.

NEGATIVES

The margin might have been a lot bigger if not for penalties on multiple drives. In the first half, the Cowboys were in field goal range, when a holding call on a third down from the 32 took them back to the 40, and instead of having a field goal try, they were forced to punt after settling for a run on 3rd and 18.

Then, with the Cowboys up 20-13 and driving early in the 4th, Sam Hurd got called for an offensive pass interference penalty on what would have been a completion to put the Cowboys at the Miami 4. The penalty pushed the Cowboys from the 14 to the 24, and then a false start penalty on Marc Colombo pushed them back to the 29. Dallas was forced to settle for Nick Folk’s third field goal after Romo’s incomplete pass.

All in all, the Cowboys committed 11 penalties, which cost them 101 yards. But, the Dolphins helped the Cowboys out on a couple of possessions with penalties of their own, so you could say it evened out.

Looking Ahead

Dallas takes to the road for the second straight week, as they face a big one at Chicago next Sunday night. They’ll be on NBC for a primetime showdown for the second time in the opening three weeks, so all eyes will be Romo and the ‘Boys to go to 3-0 and keep the early success going.

The Bears are 1-1 on the season. They opened with a loss at San Diego last week, and evened their record with a 20-10 win against Kansas City at Soldier Field this week.

The first two games have seen the Cowboys face relatively soft defenses, but they’ll be going up against one of the league’s best next Sunday.

The biggest worry on offense might not actually be on an offensive player. Devin Hester, who is a cornerback by trade, is arguably the league’s best return man, in only his second year in the league. Hester had a 73-yard punt return for a score in the win over the Chiefs, and already has seven touchdown returns in his short career.

Rex Grossman has struggled in the first two games, throwing three interceptions and only one touchdown, so the pass defense will look to take advantage once again and give the Bears’ fans more reason to call for the former first-round pick’s head.

It’s going to be yet another huge early-season test, but judging by the first two games, the Cowboys will be ready and prepared for whatever comes their way.