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 field goal, he would have been kicking a 55-yarder.
Now before we go any further, let's give the Packers' defense, which came into this game ranked fourth, some credit. Those guys did a good job of getting pressure on Romo. And get this: When Romo went down for the fourth of five times on the second play of the second half, he had been sacked more times than the Cowboys had first downs (three).
"I don't know why we made so many mistakes," Romo was saying afterward, then adding, "we had everything today - breakdowns, penalties, drops, me throwing an interception. Very disappointing we weren't able to overcome those things."
But wait, did you think I was through documenting the inexplicable weirdness of this day? Ha, you got another thing coming.
How do you explain the Cowboys recovering Tramon Williams' fumbled punt return, but referee Jeff Triplette upholding the challenge by Packers head coach Mike McCarthy who claimed Cowboys punter Mat McBriar made contact with his guy with his knee already on the ground before knocking the ball free? Or on the same play, how about the officials throwing a flag on Green Bay's Derrick Martin for an illegal block in the back, the flag resting at the 23, yet the 10-yard penalty leaving the ball at the 23?
How do you explain why Roy Williams says he lost that honey of a Romo pass in the lights, causing him to shed his helmet visor? I mean, he didn't drop the ball, the damn thing hit him in the helmet while looking right at the pigskin, the ball then caroming back off his hands, causing the frustrated wideout to say, "I just saw a brown thing disappear."
Or how about Romo's pass to Tashard Choice down to the Packers' 35 getting wiped out by the offensive pass interference on tight end Jason Witten, who when running a tight crossing route with Patrick Crayton braced for an impending collision with the guy covering Crayton by lowering his shoulder, appearing to intentionally pick him off? No play.
Or try to explain that Packers' 15-play possession - longest of season - when Ken Hamlin makes a big hit on a four-yard run, comes up celebrating and seconds later falls to the ground with what turns out to be a high ankle sprain? You kidding me? So he joins an already sidelined Jenkins (arm), and then I'll be, Terence Newman has to go out for a play after getting "cleated" and Alan Ball, in for Jenkins on the nickel, and then for Newman on standard, goes off with cramps. At one point, three of the top four corners were out, along with Hamlin.
Want to explain how that happens in one series?
And . . . and . . . how about the officials missing Felix Jones recovering the Romo fumble with the Cowboys still hanging on by a thread, trailing 10-0, allowing the Packers to rip the ball free after he had been touched down? On top of that, head referee Jeff Triplette needed nearly five minutes to realize Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips could not challenge the recovery ruling on the field, eventually announcing to everyone recoveries after a ruled fumble are not reviewable.
Want worse? This after Phillips said Triplette told him they missed the call after looking at the replay, the total screw-up giving the Packers the ball at the three and a layup touchdown for the 17-0 lead, and I'm guessing giving Phillips an apology filled with a bunch of nothing.
But not just that, this Triplette dude, along with eight others on the crew, including the replay official and replay supervisor Jerry Markbreit, didn't realize McCarthy should have been penalized for delay of game since he was officially out of challenges.
How do you account for that?
All this because the Cowboys were full of themselves heading into the game? Because the Cowboys didn't take the Packers seriously?
No, no, no, this stuff is the genesis for "on any given Sunday," then mix in being on the road at Lambeau Field where the Cowboys are now 1-6 in their history and playing a team with its back to the Bay. So as the players like to say, it is what it is, which it just wasn't on this Sunday.
And especially on offense, one that picked up two first downs on the first three plays of the game, but ended up with just three for the first half and didn't gain a fourth until 8:44 was left in the third. Or consider this third-ranked offensive bunch, which gained half of its 278 total yards - fewest since gaining just 183 with Brad Johnson at quarterback in Game 9 of last season vs. the Giants - on the final two drives of the game. Come on. What are the chances?
"Bad day, bad day at the office," center Andre Gurode said, his eyes drooping right along with his slumping shoulders. "Got to go back to work at get ready for the next game.
"Hey, that's football."
No kidding, potholes always, but the following Sunday away.
Let the struggle continue.
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Mickey Spagnola - 
