ARLINGTON, Texas - There's a reason I stared at an empty computer screen for about 20 minutes before starting to write anything for this space. In all my time covering sports, I can't think of a real time where I would have what they call "writer's block."
This might be the first. Just like it was the first time I've ever seen a tie. I'm pretty sure those two firsts are … tied together.
All day and night, since they opened the AT&T Stadium doors and the herd of Packers and Cowboys fans filled the stadium, there were strange sounds throughout the entire evening. Hearing cheers or boos didn't exactly tell the story because there were so many fans of both. They showed Micah Parsons on the video board, and it was a healthy mix of both. The Cowboys ran out of the tunnel, and the roar of the Cowboys-dominant crowd also had its share of boos from the Packers faithful. Even in overtime, the "Go Pack Go!" chant was heard for a while before the Cowboys fans would drown it out.
Yet, at the very end, when the field goal went through uprights in overtime to tie the game, it was the quietest moment of the entire night.
I don't think anyone knew how to feel. All the hype, all the build-up, all the drama surrounding this game, and in the end, the winner is … um, NBC? Maybe, we'll see what the ratings look like, but that had to be a strong number. I don't know, maybe fantasy owners of George Pickens, Josh Jacobs and Dak Prescott? They had big games. I guess that would be a winner.
But overall, in the stuff that really matters, there were no winners here. And I guess no losers, but somehow it kind of feels more like a loss.
And that's the odd part of this entire game. The Cowboys were beat up entering the game. They got a lot more injuries to key players later on. And they still managed not to lose to the heavily favored Packers with Micah coming back to town. Anything but a loss should be good, right? Well, it just doesn't feel that way to me.
Maybe the reason for that is the order of events. I mean, when you get the ball to start overtime, you know you have to score points, preferably a touchdown. And after Jalen Tolbert's incredible catch inside the 10-yard line, it's right there for the taking to go score. Yet, the Cowboys can't punch it in this time and settle for three.
Again, the ebbs and flows of the game probably had you thinking the Packers would go down and win it. But you had a fourth-down stop and couldn't end it then. And then the Packers got to the 12 but actually started going backward.
I'll be honest, at the 2:00 warning of overtime, something I've only seen twice in my life (the last two games at AT&T Stadium), I was kind of wondering what Green Bay's plan was. It's not an easy situation with the clock running down in overtime and you're down by three. Sure, you want to win but also play it smart to tie. I thought the Packers were a little too passive for my taste. Because I just hate the thought of a tie so bad that I figured they would hate it, too.
And then, they run a play with a lob to the end zone that hits Jack Sanborn in the back and goes down. Think about if it goes up in the air just a half-second longer, it's probably game over.
Man, if I'm the clock operator there, I'm letting it hit zeros. They can come back and add time if they want and probably will. But I'm letting it go all the way. Then again, that's why I don't have that job. But it's just crazy to think that a game that goes down to 70 minutes is decided by a single second. That's 4,200 seconds of football, and after 4,199 the Cowboys led by three.
And then they lost … I mean, they tied.
Feels like a loss because I think we all know there were plenty of chances to win. And with this team, coming off the game in Chicago and already down to a 1-2 record, the Cowboys really needed this win. They obviously didn't need another loss, but they had to win, especially against an NFC team, knowing that the conference record is going to be huge if you're trying to earn a playoff spot. Getting to 2-2, playing arguably the two best teams in the NFC, would've been a nice outcome for the Cowboys.
Somehow, 1-2-1 just doesn't have a nice ring to it. Maybe it's something to get used to, but I sure hope not.
Is this a good time to mention how badly I hate the NFL rules on ties? I mean, you play this long, with so much intensity and so much effort and energy, and at the end of the game no one actually gets to win?
Sometimes you'll hear announcers say something at the end of a great back-and-forth game like, "It's a shame someone has to lose this game."
You know what, no, it's not a shame. On second thought, I don't think I've ever said that, and I know I never will. Hey, go win the game. If you don't make enough plays, then you lose.
But the longer this column goes on, the more hatred I'm starting to feel about ties in general. You don't see it in basketball ever. Don't see it in baseball. Not in tennis, golf or auto racing. It only really happens in soccer, hockey and I guess, boxing. But there's probably a reason those sports aren't as popular here in the U.S. (Hey, soccer fans, I understand how popular it is worldwide, but here in the U.S. it's not as big. Maybe it's because not all games have a winner.)
So football, maybe it's time to make a change as well. But that's for another time.
Have to be proud of the way the Cowboys fought. The way they kept coming back over and over. But in the end, it still wasn't enough.
All I know is the feeling about this game is something I've never felt before. However, I do believe the Cowboys had a great chance to win this game and they didn't. Sadly, I've felt that one too many times.
