Cowboys 24, Giants 17: Tony Romo connected with Kevin Ogletree for a pair of touchdowns as visiting Dallas topped New York in the 2012 season opener.

Miles Austin also had a TD reception for the Cowboys, who became the first team to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion in its season opener since 1999.

Trailing 3-0, Dallas took the lead for good with 61 seconds remaining in the second quarter when Romo hit a wide-open Ogletree over the middle from 10 yards out for the score. The pair teamed up again with just under 10 1/2 minutes left in the third as Romo found Ogletree open again on the right side for a 40-yard touchdown and a 14-3 lead.

Ogletree had a career night, finishing with eight catches for 114 yards. The undrafted product of the University of Virginia hauled in just 15 passes for 164 yards in 14 games last season.

The Giants, who had won five of the previous six meetings between the NFC East rivals, got within four when Ahmad Bradshaw ran for a 10-yard score with 5:11 to go in the third. But Dan Bailey booted a 33-yard field goal in the final minute of the quarter and Romo hit Austin, who outleaped two defenders, for a 34-yard TD with 5:57 left in the fourth for a 14-point advantage.

Former Dallas tight end Martellus Bennett caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 2:36 remaining, cutting the deficit to 24-17. But Ogletree made a 13-yard catch on 3rd-and-10 just before the two-minute warning to seal the win.

Romo completed 22 of 29 passes for 307 yards with one interception for the Cowboys, who improved to an NFL-best 35-17-1 in season openers.

DeMarco Murray had 20 carries for 131 yards and Jason Witten made two catches for 10 yards. Witten, who had not played since suffering a lacerated spleen in Dallas' first preseason contest, extended his consecutive games streak to 140 - the second-longest active run among tight ends.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Manning was 21 of 32 for 213 yards for the Giants, who lost cornerback Michael Coe to a hamstring injury. ... With the league's regular officials still locked out, the replacements called 17 penalties - including 13 on the Cowboys for 86 yards. ... Dallas LB DeMarcus Ware, who finished second in the league with 19 1/2 sacks a season ago, had two in Wednesday's opener.