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| Green Bay recovers a Tony Romo fumble that led to a touchdown giving Green Bay a 17-0 lead. |
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GREEN BAY, Wis. - Game on.
What, you thought this was going to be a cakewalk for the Dallas Cowboys, that by the time you belched away your Thanksgiving dinner they were going to be sitting pretty at 9-2? Beat the Packers here Sunday, then beat the Redskins next Sunday and the Raiders on Thanksgiving day? Meaning they would have won seven straight games?
That this 16-game season would not be a struggle after all?
Ha, think again. Want a cakewalk, go to the county fair.
Packers 17, Cowboys a meaningless 7, here on about as good a Sunday as you could expect in mid-November at Lambeau Field, jostled all the day-dreamers awake.
"We won four in a row," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips sighed, "and it's just so tough to win in this league."
Why, with the Cowboys sitting 5-2, having won three straight and heading to Philadelphia a week ago Sunday, you would have taken a split in the next two road games, meaning the Cowboys would be 6-3 facing consecutive home games with Washington and Oakland. Win those two, and they would be 8-3 rolling into December, meaning they would have won six of their past seven games after that 2-2 start.
Good stuff, right?
Well despite an offensive no-show before 70,894 chilly souls at the not-yet Frozen Tundra, and suffering more boo-booes than Pacquiao inflicted on the pummeled face of Cotto Saturday night in Vegas, the Cowboys still have that chance to hit the 10-day break after Thanksgiving at 8-3 if they take care of business at Cowboys Stadium the next two games.
Yeah, I know, it's nice to dream, nice to grow a tad greedy and start taking these wins for granted. Because beat the Packers, and this would have been a great Sunday since the Cowboys would have gained ground on the Eagles, the idle Giants, on Atlanta and Chicago if there is to be a wild-card tiebreaker, and most importantly the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over The Pack.
But, as Patrick Crayton said, "It was one of those Sundays."
Weird Sundays, and that's why you have to really appreciate a New England going 16-0 during that 2007 regular season or the Saints pushing this year's season-opening winning streak to nine earlier on Sunday and the Colts doing the same in somewhat miraculous fashion later that night.
And please, don't come in with this weak stuff about the Cowboys suffering the swollen head after winning four straight or that they didn't take the erstwhile 4-4 Packers, losers of two straight but playing at home, seriously. Please. These 2009 Cowboys, they have no laurels to rest on.
Just weird.
If you got a minute or three, let's explain.
With just 9:19 gone in the game, Cowboys right tackle Marc Colombo fractures his left fibula. He underwent surgery Monday afternoon to also repair torn ligaments in the ankle. He's likely out for at least the remainder of the regular season, interrupting his streak of 57 consecutive starts.
Same possession, Tony Romo misses his new favorite target Miles Austin a tad high for what might have been a touchdown pass. Why? Because he didn't take the Packers seriously? Or because Austin didn't react to the pass quickly enough and failed to jump?
End of same possession, Nick Folk misses a 38-yard field goal attempt, his first miss in 10 attempts this year from less than 40 yards and only fourth in 38 such attempts in his career. Go figure.
Then Orlando Scandrick sacks Aaron Rodgers, recovering the ensuing fumble at the Green Bay 15. Check that, a flimsy hands to the face call on cornerback Mike Jenkins, which had nothing to do with the Packers never seeing the blitzing Scandrick coming from the back side, wipes out the play. First down Packers.
Then, there goes Roy Williams running full out with a slant from Romo, churning through the Green Bay secondary 42 yards, but at the Packers' 25, Charles Woodson's seemingly innocent arm flailing knocks the ball out, Packers recover. Why, because Roy didn't take the Packers seriously?
Or please explain how the officials missed Tramon Williams stepping out of bounds at his own 43 but the ball getting marked at the 50? No big deal, seven yards? Well, instead of Mason Crosby kicking that half-ending 48-yard |
Mickey Spagnola - 
