It is no secret that the Dallas Cowboys defense has not played up to par leading up to their Monday Night Football match-up with the Carolina Panthers last night.

However, against the struggling Panthers offense, the Cowboys needed to come up with a big play. They got some from Terrence Newman and rookie linebacker Victor Butler.

Newman returned an interception 27 yards for a lead-stretching touchdown with 5:07 left, then Butler got two sacks and forced a fumble on the next series, sending Dallas to a 21-7 victory over the Panthers.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones let out a huge sigh of relief as Dallas got their first win in their new $1.15 billion home.

"It certainly does feel good," Jones said. "The way it went so early, it just felt like maybe we ought to check this thing out for Grim Reapers living in the back someplace."

Dallas trailed 7-0 at halftime and was booed by the 90,588 fans. The tension could have been cut with a knife and though the defense was playing well and the running game eased the load for quarterback Tony Romo, they looked for a spark.

Then Newman stepped in front of a Jake Delhomme pass to Steve Smith and darted toward the right corner of the end zone. The place erupted.

On the next Carolina series, Butler capped the night with his pair of sacks and the turnover, giving the Cowboys their second win of the season 21-7 and first in Cowboys Stadium.