Dallas / Detroit

Not much to talk about, unless as Randy Galloway said, you're Ed Hochuli. He was the head referee that had to explain to the Cowboys and their fans all of the Detroit penalties. Sometimes, he even had to explain a choice of penalties for Dallas to choose from. All in all, Dallas, coming off of a poor performance the previous Monday, performed pretty well as expected. Dallas did not play well, but they played good enough to win. They were certainly aided by 17 Detroit penalties, 9 of which gave them first downs.

The strong point of the game was the Dallas defense. They kept Detroit in check the entire game. Combine that with an already inept offense and numerous penalties, and the net result for Detroit was only 11 first downs and 226 total yards.

Special team play was also very good. Kicking coverage was great and old-new Billy Cundiff (signed this past week) set a Dallas record with a 56 yard field goal. I never knew he had that strong of a leg.

Overall, even though the offense was sputtering, Dallas won the game. The Cowboys could easily have been upset this week because of big games the week before and the following Thanksgiving Day Thursday game. But, Detroit did not come ready to play and the Dallas team showed enough concentration to win the game. Now comes the tough part of the Cowboys schedule. This Thursday they play Denver, which is probably the league's second best team behind Indianapolis. In the coming weeks, they also have New York, Washington, and Carolina -- all on the road. If they go on to win their division, it will be well earned.

The Miracle at Philadelphia : Two days after

After two days of celebrating and feasting on a Cowboys win over the Eagles, it is time to take a hard look at the actual game. For those of us who thought Dallas could make a strong run in the playoffs, we are having second thoughts.

Dallas played a very poor game against Philadelphia, and many questions arise on the current state of the team. How could the Eagles, ranked last in league rushing, run for 181 yards? How could the Cowboys themselves run for only 58 yards? Further more, if you take away the draw play that Marion Barber ran late in the game, the Cowboys averaged 1.4 yards per carry. Can Drew Bledsoe regain the passing form he showed early in the season? The past few games, his old traits seemed to have resurfaced -- immobility and holding the ball too long. Does Dallas lack the experience and the composure needed to succeed in the playoffs? Their play Monday night, in their biggest game of the season, seemed lackadaisical with no energy. The team seemed intimidated by both the Philly players and their fans.

The National Conference is wide open this year. Any fairly good team that gets hot in the playoffs can represent the NFC in the Superbowl. Going into the Philly game, I thought Dallas could be one of these teams. Now, I have my doubts.

Miracle at Philadelphia

What an unbelievable game between the Cowboys and the Eagles. It was the Washington / Dallas game all over again, only this time the Cowboys won as the Redskins did earlier this season. Philadelphia totally dominated Dallas for nearly the whole game. They controlled the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense. Dallas' play was lack-luster and they didn't seem to care whether they won or lost the game. I was all set to complain that Purcells did not have his team ready to play.

However, with about 5 minutes left, the Dallas offense began to show some life. Keyshawn caught a key pass across the middle of the field, Barber ran 20 yards on a draw play, and Terry Glenn caught a beautiful touchdown pass to pull Dallas within 6 points.

The next series is when the miracle actually happened. Philadelphia, which had run the ball well all evening, tried to pass the ball on an out pattern from their own 35 yard line. McNabb threw the ball right into Roy Williams' arms and Williams returned it for a touchdown. It was an unbelievable call from the Eagles, and there had to be a mix-up on the passing pattern.

Never the less, it was a great Cowboy victory. This game will go down as one of the great finishes in the history of Cowboy football.

BYE WEEK -- leading up to the Eagles

It's too early to make a prediction on the Cowboys' - Eagles' game. There are too many unanswered questions. Terrell Owens may or may not play -- he's supposed to meet with Andy Reid this week, and Julius Jones is still a question mark.

However, Philly is going to be a very tough place to play. This will be an emotional game for the Eagles, (after their defeat to Dallas earlier), and it will be a game that they need to win very badly. With the homefield advantage, my early leanings are with Philly.

Well, for the first time in ages, I found myself rooting for the Eagles Sunday night. I admire any team that will take a stand on principle and suspend a star player. It also would have been a blow to the ego-driven Owens if the Eagles could have won that game without him. However, it didn't happen, and now it will be interesting to see how the Eagles handle the situation. Let's all stay tuned for our daily soap-opera, "As The T.O. Turns."