IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys lead the NFL in offensive penalties and rank near the bottom of the league with 13 giveaways. FYI: Only two quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions than Tony Romo.

Trust must be earned every day through actions.

Jason Garrett chose to run the ball late on a third-and-9 against Carolina rather than take a shot at the end zone. Paul Moseley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Getty Images

So we shouldn't really be surprised that Jason Garrett trusted his kicker and defense more than his offense to win a game the Cowboys absolutely needed to win.

On third-and-9 from the Carolina 15, Garrett gave the ball to Phillip Tanner on a trap play with 3:39 left and the Cowboys trailing by a point.

It was the right decision.

Tanner's 5-yard run -- he would've picked up the first down if he had cut left instead of right -- set up Dan Bailey's go-ahead field goal as the Cowboys rallied to beat the Carolina Panthers 19-14.

"The biggest thing we wanted to do was preserve the opportunity to win the ballgame," Garrett said, "either by a touchdown or a field goal."

Garrett can spin it any way he chooses, but the decision showed he didn't fully trust his offense.

Hey, this is the second time in the past two weeks Garrett has taken the ball and decision-making out of Romo's hands at the end of a game. If it happens Sunday against the New York Giants, we're going to have to call it a trend.

Against Carolina, which has a raggedy offense and quarterback playing more like Clark Kent than Superman this season, a conservative approach made sense.

If your season is on the line would you trust this offensive line not to yield a sack and, maybe, a fumble? Would you trust Romo not to throw an interception if he found himself under extreme duress? Would you trust Dez Bryant or Kevin Ogletree to run the right route? Or catch the ball?

No. No. No. No.