Cowboys get first win, 27-13, over Texans

HOUSTON - The Dallas Cowboys can breathe a little easier - and even smile again.

At least for now.

Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes to Roy Williams, Marion Barber ran for another score, and the Cowboys got their first win by beating the Houston Texans, 27-13, yesterday.

Romo went 23-for-30 for 284 yards, Williams caught five passes for 117 yards and the Cowboys (1-2) finally put together a complete performance after starting 0-2 for the first time since 2001.

Owner Jerry Jones feared the prospect of a humiliating 0-3 start, and having an extra week to stew over it before his team hosts Tennessee on Oct. 10.

"We were going to really be in bad trouble had we lost this ballgame," Jones said. "Candidly, I was worried about going home and facing five weeks without a win. First five weeks in the NFL without a win; there are all kinds of horror stories."

Coach Wade Phillips said he was losing sleep over the Cowboys' bad start, although Jones said last week that Phillips' job was safe. Now, Dallas heads into an early bye with a victory to build on rather than concerns about what changes the team's unpredictable owner might want to make.

"The thing about this league is you either feel good or feel bad after Sunday," Phillips said. "We feel good right now. Our team came out and showed the way we can play. The little things that were missing in the first couple of games, I think we came through with."

The crowd was 71,456, a record for a Texans game at Reliant Stadium. Dallas supporters were well-represented and taunted the hometown fans with a "Let's Go, Cowboys!" chant in the waning minutes.

The Texans (2-1) blew their chance to not only go 3-0 for the first time, but to gain a foothold in their own state, where the Cowboys have always hogged the attention.

The Cowboys' defense got its first three takeaways and held Houston's top-ranked offense to 340 yards. DeMarcus Ware sacked Matt Schaub three times and the Dallas secondary limited Andre Johnson to four catches for 64 yards.