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IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys spent most of last week trying to figure out how to slow down Vikings rookie sensation Adrian Peterson. Turns out it was a waste of time since Brad Childress did it for them.

In one of the most baffling play-calling displays to hit Texas Stadium since David Shula briefly was issued a headset, the Minnesota coach put the freeze on the hottest running back in the league.

After touching the ball five times during his team's first possession, and capping the drive with a brilliant 20-yard touchdown run, Peterson had eight carries the rest of the way in a 24-14 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday that dropped the Vikings to 2-4.

The Cowboys dominated the Vikings according to the stats, but they needed a huge special-teams play late in the third quarter to improve to 6-1 heading into a much-needed bye week.

For Peterson, it was a bittersweet afternoon. He grew up an hour and a half east of Texas Stadium in Palestine and provided at least 60 tickets to friends, family members and people who looked vaguely familiar. Fans wearing his No. 28 jersey were scattered throughout Texas Stadium, and a collective hush went over the crowd every time he touched the ball, which wasn't nearly often enough.

After the Cowboys used a hurry-up offense to score on their opening drive, the Vikings answered with a large dose of Peterson. He caught a short pass across the middle from Tarvaris Jackson and turned it into a 12-yard gain on the second play of the drive. And on second-and-10 from the Cowboys' 20, Peterson took an inside handoff, waited for tight end Jim Kleinsasser to pancake Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Ware and bounced outside for a touchdown. As Peterson accelerated at the 5, cornerback Terence Newman clung to his right leg like a toddler.

A week removed from a breakout 224-yard performance in Chicago, it appeared Peterson might run all over the team he grew up rooting for. That's when Childress started playing keep-away from his best player in favor of wildly erratic Jackson, who completed his first pass to a wide receiver with six minutes left in the third quarter. He finished 6-of-19 for 72 yards, but his performance was not even as good as those numbers indicate.

It was the lowest passing yardage total the Cowboys had allowed since Jeff Garcia and the Browns (66 yards) came through town in September 2004.

Childress showed little regard for his quarterback's well-being. Instead of using three-step drops that might have bought Jackson a little time, Childress kept calling for play-action passes in the second half.

By that point, the Cowboys no longer were worried about Peterson. In fact, some of them were just as baffled by Childress' approach as the rest of us.

"I was surprised they didn't feed him as much," defensive end Marcus Spears said of Peterson. "Our objective was to put the game into the quarterback's hands."

Veteran defensive end Greg Ellis, who made his first start of the season, grasped for the following explanation:

"Sometimes you get in a football game and it's like an illusion," Ellis said. "You're really not out of the game, but in your mind, you're down 40-0. I think that factored into his play calling."

It's never a good sign when opposing players are trying desperately to make excuses for you. Peterson did fumble on his last carry, which led to a Cowboys field goal that sealed the victory, but that is hardly justification for Childress' approach. The Vikings ran 49 plays, and Peterson had 13 touches. No matter how many players the Cowboys were stacking in the box, that's inexcusable.

It's not a big deal that Chester Taylor remains the starter, but it's a huge deal that Peterson didn't play an entire series in the game. When the Vikings took over on their 1 early in the second quarter, the Fox telecast immediately showed former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett's 99-yard touchdown against Minnesota on "Monday Night Football" in January 1983.

Not getting caught up in the moment, Childress called for a deep pass to Troy Williamson followed by handoffs to Crazy Legs Tony Richardson and Taylor.

And even though he has become a threat in the passing game, Peterson was whisked off the field on third downs.

Repeatedly asked whether he was frustrated by his lack of touches, Peterson refused to bite.

"Being a running back, you always want the ball," he said. "Having a player like Chester Taylor who can run the route also -- it's like I've said many times: Two horses are better than one."

On Sunday, his coach picked the wrong horse (Jackson) when he had a golden opportunity to sneak out of town with a victory.

After watching Tony Romo go an eye-popping 28-of-32 for 231 yards and a touchdown in the first half, the Vikings somehow were leading, 14-7. Actually, it was cornerback Antoine Winfield who punched the ball away from Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton late in the first half, setting up a wild play that resulted in a Cedric Griffin touchdown.

Romo pursued the play right up until he saw Vikings defensive tackle Fred Evans bearing down on him. He wisely took a dive, but Evans kicked him in the right hamstring, forcing Romo to limp off the field.

Cowboys trainers put a special pad around Romo's hamstring, and he was able to play the rest of the way. Trainer Britt Brown said it was the same type of pad the Dolphins once used on receiver Gary Clark when he had recurring hamstring problems.

The injury still limited Romo's mobility, though, and he completed only three passes in the second half. After the game, center Andre Gurode gave him a ride in a golf cart to a waiting black SUV.

The score was tied at 14 when Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell lined up for a 48-yard field goal attempt late in the third quarter.

Six-foot-7 Cowboys defensive end Chris Canty slashed through the middle of the line and blocked the kick. Patrick Watkins scooped it up and raced 68 yards for a touchdown to put the Cowboys up 21-14.

"Bobby [Carpenter] pushed me in the back," Canty said. "And then he threw a block for Pat. He was huge on that play."

Fortunately for the Cowboys, Childress took over from there.

Matt Mosley covers the NFL for ESPN.com.