Darren McFadden didn’t score a touchdown Sunday, but his presence was felt by the Dallas Cowboys in their first victory in more than two months. McFadden rushed for 129 yards on 29 carries and caught 3 passes for 20 yards in the Cowboys’ 24-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
It was his longest run of the day, for 35 yards, that helped set up quarterback Tony Romo’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant in the fourth quarter to give the Cowboys a 21-14 lead.
On Dallas’ second scoring drive, Mc-Fadden had a nine-yard run called back because of a holding penalty, but the Cowboys took a 14-0 lead with 1:23 left in the first half on Romo’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams. McFadden also recorded a tackle in the first quarter, tackling Miami cornerback Brent Grimes, who intercepted a pass by Romo intended for Bryant at the Dolphins 1. Grimes was brought down by McFadden at the Dolphins 18, but a penalty by the Dolphins backed them up to their own 9.
This season, McFadden has rushed for 623 yards and 2 touchdowns on 159 carries. It’s the first time since 2012 with the Oakland Raiders that McFadden has rushed for more than 600 yards in a season. He had 707 rushing yards in 12 games in 2012.
Wide receiver Jarius Wright (Warren, Razorbacks) caught four passes for 50 yards for the Minnesota Vikings in their 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Linebacker Demario Davis (Arkansas State) recorded 6 tackles in the New York Jets’ 24-17 loss to the Houston Texans.
Defensive end Cedric Thornton (Star City, Southern Arkansas) had five tackles for the Philadelphia Eagles in their 45-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
San Diego Chargers wide receiver Javontee Herndon (Razorbacks) caught five passes for 37 yards in a 33-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Chargers defensive tackle Ryan Carrethers (ASU) had one tackle while tight end David Johnson (Pine Bluff, ASU) started, but did not record any statistics.
Running back Knile Davis (Razorbacks) was not active for the Kansas City Chiefs for the second consecutive game. Davis did not play at Denver last Sunday. He has rushed for 51 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 carries this season.