Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin has emerged as the go-to receiver for Tony Romo and the league's No. 2 ranked offense.
And just a few weeks ago, he wasn't even a starter.
Austin made his first career start in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs in place of the injured Roy Williams. Austin set a franchise record with 250 receiving yards to go along with his career-high 10 catches and two touchdowns. The biggest catch of the day was the final play of the game. It was a play that highlights what has made Austin such a dangerous receiver.
Romo threw a 10-yard pass to Austin, who shook off cornerback Maurice Leggett and was off to the races for the game-winning 60-yard touchdown.
"The biggest challenge that Miles, in my opinion, brings is that he has a big lower body. And that's how he breaks through those arm tackles and goes the distance," cornerback Asante Samuel said. "So you just have to make sure you wrap him up when he catches the ball."
Austin has 26 catches for 563 yards and six touchdowns this season. In his first three NFL seasons, the 6-3, 214-pound Austin had 18 catches for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Of his 563 yards this year, 272 have come after the catch which ranks seventh in the league. In fact, Austin averages 10.5 yards after the catch per reception.
"You've seen the progression throughout the last couple of years here. He is a talented guy," head coach Andy Reid said. "He has speed and then he has run ability after the catch. You have to stay close to him or he's going to get right past you after he makes the grab. You want to make sure that you use the proper angles and so on. He has gotten better every week that he's played starting from last year. He is a talented, talented guy."
Austin followed up his record-setting start with another amazing performance. He replaced Patrick Crayton in the starting lineup and had six catches for 171 yards. In fact, Austin's 482 yards in his first three career starts was an NFL record.
The Eagles already had to contend with Romo, running back Marion Barber and tight end Jason Witten. Now, Austin will certainly be on the minds of the defensive backs.
"It's always like as soon as (former Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens) leaves Miles Austin steps up and he's kind of the big playmaker guy now," strong safety Quintin Mikell said. "I feel like it makes them better as a team because you don't have a guy that wants the ball every play, one guy that you can key on."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 11:30 a.m., November 8
