GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Cowboys arrived at Lambeau Field's not-yet-frozen tundra with two losses by a combined nine points. Turnovers and missed opportunities had been the culprits in both.
Sunday's third defeat - 17-7 to a desperate Green Bay Packers (5-4) team - was no different.
Because second-place Philadelphia (5-4) also lost, the Cowboys returned home still in sole possession of first place in the NFC East. But gone is their four-game win streak, as well as their continuity on the offensive line with starting right tackle Marc Colombo suffering a potentially season-ending fractured fibula in the first quarter.
And temporarily stalled is their overall momentum following last week's critical road division win over the Eagles.
"Bad day at the office," center Andre Gurode said.
An uncharacteristic day, too, considering how efficient the Cowboys (6-3) had been since mid-October.
During that four-game stretch, they had outscored opponents 121-74 and averaged 408 yards on offense. Sunday, quarterback Tony Romo's unit produced a season-low 278 yards. The team's seven points was its lowest margin since last December's infamous 44-6 loss to the Eagles.
Since Romo became the starter in October 2006, the Cowboys have scored in single-digits only five times. His lone touchdown - a nine-yard pass to Roy Williams - came with 38 seconds remaining and the outcome already decided.
The culprits: Once again, turnovers and missed opportunities.
Their ten penalties was the third-highest total of the season. Kicker Nick Folk missed a 38-yard field goal on the first drive.
Romo (24-of-39 for 251 yards) got sacked a season-high five times and threw an interception at Green Bay's goal line. Williams, despite his best statistical performance as a Cowboy (five catches for 105 yards), fumbled away a 42-yard catch-and-run and dropped another deep pass.
"We made far too many mistakes," Romo said. "I don't just mean penalty-wise; obviously that's going to hurt you. We shot ourselves in the foot with mental mistakes. We just did too many things that were out of character for this football team."
Tight end Jason Witten credited the Packers' new 3-4 scheme under defensive coordinator Dom Capers.
"They have a lot of different personnel groups that they can run and attack you with," he said. "That's a strength for them. We just didn't execute."
The Cowboys also didn't get much help from the officials in the fourth quarter.
With 10:53 remaining, the Packers took a commanding 17-0 lead after the crew upheld Green Bay's recovery of a Romo fumble at the Dallas three-yard line. Head coach Wade Phillips challenged that running back Felix Jones recovered it first and was down by contact before he lost possession.
"They said that because they ruled it a fumble all the way through, that I couldn't challenge it," Phillips said.
Prior to the Packers' ensuing touchdown, the Cowboys had held them to 10 points. The defense also sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers four times.
But the Packers converted critical plays - seven of 15 third downs, including three on an 80-yard touchdown drive bridging the third and fourth quarters.
"From an execution standpoint, we didn't make enough plays and they made more plays than we did," inside linebacker Bradie James said. "I looked up and it was 17-0. I don't even know how they got 10, but that's what happens when we just don't execute altogether. We've just got to bounce back."
They'll get a chance to regroup at home. The next two games - in a 10-day stretch - are at Cowboys Stadium against division rival Washington and this year's Thanksgiving Day opponent, Oakland.
"We just get back to work," Phillips said. "We need to get back in a better rhythm. We play at home next week, which I think will help us.
"It is a tough league and I knew it would be tough here in Green Bay."
Certainly tougher than they'd hoped.
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