GREEN BAY, Wisc. – The second drive of the second half illustrated what did work for the Cowboys' offense in Sunday's 28-7 loss to the Packers.
Four runs, 80 yards, touchdown.
Running backs Darren McFadden and Robert Turbin dominated the four-play series, starting with McFadden's 45-yard gain to Green Bay's 29-yard line, and Turbin's 7-yard touchdown two plays later trimmed Packers' lead to 14-7 midway through the third quarter.
The Cowboys never got any closer. But on a day in which the passing game sputtered – Matt Cassel completed only 13 of 29 passes for 114 yards and an interception – the running game kept the team competitive on a wet Lambeau Field.
The offense's 171 rushing yards (162 from McFadden and Turbin) were its second-highest output this season. McFadden gained 111 yards on only nine carries, his highest rushing total since Nov. 22 at Miami. Turbin's 51 yards on seven carries were the most he's gained since signing with the Cowboys the week of that Dolphins game.
McFadden topped 100 yards for the fourth time this year thanks largely to a pair of a carries totaling 95 yards, including his 50-yarder on the opening drive that was his longest gain since 2012 as a member of the Raiders. For the first time in six years the Cowboys had two carries of at least 45 yards in the same game.
It was a bounce-back performance for the eight-year veteran, who had totaled only 96 combined rushing yards in three of the Cowboys' last four games.
Turbin scored his first career touchdown with 8:28 remaining in the third quarter, bursting through a big hole created by the offensive line.
"The offensive line did a great job up front to make things easy for us," Turbin said. "On that play, there was really nothing that I had to do except run straight ahead. The offensive line did a great job."
The Cowboys punted on their next three drives, though, and Green Bay's James Starks broke loose for a 30-yard touchdown on 2nd-and-25 to go ahead 21-7 in the fourth quarter. With the offense in full catch-up mode, McFadden and Turbin didn't get another carry in the final two series.
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