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**BeastJacobs** · 12-23-2007, 11:04 AM

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In a little more than one quarter of football, Terrell Owens already had matched his catch total from the last two games with five receptions.

He found the end zone again for the first time since late November.

Owens appeared on his way to another stellar performance, but his night was cut short by a high left ankle sprain suffered early in the second quarter of the Cowboys' 20-13 win.

Owens never returned to action.

Now, the question is just when he will return again.

X-rays on his ankle came back negative, but Owens will have an MRI on Sunday to determine the severity of the sprain.

While team owner Jerry Jones and Owens himself didn't sound as if the injury was too serious, the Cowboys will be cautious, considering the nagging nature of a high ankle sprain.

"I'm a little sore - in some pain right now," said Owens, who needed crutches and a walking boot leaving the locker room. "But I've been through this before. It definitely could've been worse. I'll have an MRI (on Sunday) and we'll go day-to-day from there."

Owens made two nice sideline grabs in the second quarter to extend drives. But his final catch occurred late in the first half when made a third-down catch over the middle and was brought down awkwardly by Panthers linebacker Jon Beason.

Defenses had kept Owens in check the last two weeks. He caught only three passes for 21 yards against Detroit, and last Sunday against the Eagles, he was held without a catch for the first three quarters before getting two receptions for 37 yards in the fourth quarter.

But the Cowboys got Owens involved much earlier on Saturday night. He scored the first touchdown of the game on quick pass in the flat, where he made Carolina cornerback Richard Marshall miss in the open field and strolled into the end zone for a 10-yard score.

The touchdown was Owens' 15th this season, setting a Cowboys club record previously set by Frank Clarke (1962).

But without Owens for most of the final three quarters, the Cowboys got solid play out of Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd and Miles Austin, who came up with a key fourth-down reception in the second quarter.

Hurd had three grabs for 50 yards, and Crayton led the Cowboys with seven catches for 65 yards without Owens in the lineup.

"Some explosiveness - some big-play capability," Crayton said of what the offense misses without Owens. "That's a serious weapon."

Even if Owens can't go next Sunday against the Redskins, which would give him nearly three full weeks of rest before the team's divisional round playoff game the weekend of Jan. 12-13, the Cowboys might get some relief at wideout as early as next week.

Jones said there is an "outstanding chance" that Terry Glenn will play against Washington, making his season debut after missing the first 15 games following a Sept. 13 knee scope.

Glenn practiced in a limited role last week and the coaching staff made the decision on Friday to sit the receiver once again, still wanting to see him at 100 percent before allowing him to return to action.

This could be a huge blow to the Cowboys hopefully it's nothing serious.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cf...7DF9CE7E2E991C