"Play football long enough and you'll have good days and bad days. But for Sam Bradford, not playing against Dallas because of a high ankle sprain made his game-day experience downright miserable. With the Rams playing in his backyard and with lots of family members and friends in attendance at Cowboys Stadium, Bradford could only watch as the Cowboys ran roughshod over the Rams 34-7.

"It was tough," Bradford said. "Obviously, I had the hope all week that I was going to get to play. So never in my mind did I really think (about) what it was going to be like on Sunday not to play."

Bradford said the reality of missing an NFL game for the first time since he entered the league hit him when he walked into the locker room before the game and didn't see his jersey padded up.

"It just wasn't a good feeling," said Bradford, who is from Oklahoma City, which is about 200 miles north on Interstate 35. "Especially that atmosphere, having the opportunity to play in front of so many people that I knew, and just be out there with my teammates and play.""