Brad Johnson, The 40-year-old backup quarterback for Tony Romo couldn’t keep up with the St. Louis Rams’ offense, throwing three interceptions. Steven Jackson ran for 160 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns and the Rams (2-4) looked like contenders instead of sad sacks for the second straight game under new coach Jim Haslett in a surprisingly easy 34-14 victory on Sunday.
The Rams won 19-17 at Washington last week in their first game since replacing Scott Linehan, ending a run of 17 losses in 20 games and four blowout losses to start the season.
Their response to Haslett, beginning his second stint as a head coach, has exceeded expectations.
St. Louis’ defense did its part, forcing four turnovers for the second straight game.
Oshiomogho Atogwe, who had two interceptions, scored the lone touchdown against the Redskins last week on a fumble recovery.
The Rams’ 21-point first quarter dwarfed their season output of just 10 points in the first five games. They asserted themselves after Barber accounted for 45 yards on the Cowboys’ opening drive, quickly answering on Marc Bulger’s first touchdown pass in two starts with a 42-yarder to wide open rookie Donnie Avery.
Jackson added runs of 8 and 1 yards, the Rams’ first two touchdowns all season from inside the 20, for a 21-7 lead. Jackson’s 56-yard sprint down the right sideline made it 31-7 midway through the third quarter and gave him three rushing scores for the first time since the 2006 finale. After that, Cowboys fans seemed to accept that there would be no Romo rescue.
Bulger had a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the first quarter, going 3-for-3 for 73 yards. He finished 14-for-19 for 173 yards and a touchdown.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.