CINCINNATI — Numb. Grieving. Distracted. The Cowboys were all those things yesterday, dealing with the death of one teammate and the tribulations of another.
Winners, too, though they hardly felt like it.
Dan Bailey kicked a 40-yard field goal as time ran out, sending the Cowboys to a 20-19 victory over the Bengals that ended a difficult afternoon with a little bit of relief and their playoff chances enhanced.
It didn’t last long, though. There will be a lot more emotional days ahead in Dallas.
“It’s a hard, hard situation we’re in,” quarterback Tony Romo said. “There’s no playbook for this sort of thing in life.”
The Cowboys overcame a nine-point deficit in the closing minutes behind Romo, who held his hand over his heart during a moment of silence to honor teammate Jerry Brown before the kickoff. The linebacker died in an auto accident early Saturday.
Defensive lineman Josh Brent, who was driving, was released from jail in Texas yesterday after being charged with intoxication manslaughter.
The Cowboys (7-6) learned about Brown’s death on their flight to Cincinnati on Saturday. Coach Jason Garrett told his team the best way to honor him was to play well in a game with playoff implications for both teams.
One of the visitors’ metal lockers at Paul Brown Stadium had a strip of white athletic tape with “53 JERRY BROWN” attached to the top, a wooden stool inside sitting upside-down. Brown’s No. 53 jersey was on the sideline during the game — defensive tackle Jason Hatcher held it up after Bailey’s kick decided it.
“I don’t remember crying this much other than maybe the day I was born,” defensive lineman Marcus Spears said. “With Josh’s situation and Jerry being gone, you felt it.”
“The last 24 hours has really been something I’ve never experienced,” Romo said. “It’s just been a roller coaster of emotions.”