That which we had feared but didn’t expect is upon us. Our beloved Cowboys are all but guaranteed to miss the playoffs. Good thing owner Jerry Jones specifically requested the Baltimore Ravens as the Cowboys’ final opponent in Texas Stadium. At the time of his request, Baltimore seemed like an easy win. Oops.
Baltimore fed off this knowledge the entire game, wanting to show up the presumptuous Cowboys on their last night in the stadium. And as Matt Mosley mentioned on ESPN.com, Baltimore fans got to see once again how fortunate they were to not get the head coach they originally wanted (Jason Garrett).
What, if any, positives can we pull from Saturday night’s game? The only thing that comes to mind is that the Cowboys will never be humiliated like that again on their last game in a stadium. Wow. What a plus.
Those of you chomping at the bit to blame Romo for a third lackluster December, here’s your chance. Do you blame Romo for the loss, or do you see a likelier culprit? Obviously the missed tackles at the end of the game were the deciding factor. Three touchdowns were scored in the final 4 minutes. Take away even just the last touchdown and the Cowboys at least stood a chance to hold and kick a field goal. But extremely poor defensive play in the crucial final minutes cost Dallas a chance to win the game.
One could argue that Romo could have avoided that 4th Quarter scene if he had only not thrown two interceptions and actually completed more of his passes earlier on. That’s true. There were multiple ways the Cowboys could have avoided this loss.
But let’s also give credit where credit is due. Baltimore’s defense is amazing when motivated. When they get up for a game, they get up. Kudos to the Ravens for leaving their mark on history by embarrassing the Cowboys in Texas Stadium’s final showdown.
So who do you, the fan, assign blame to? Romo? The defense? The coaches? There is surely plenty to go around, but let’s look for the weakest link.
*A special shoutout to Aaron Brazell at Technosailor, hardcore Ravens fan, who could have talked a lot more trash on Twitter this past week, but chose to let his team speak for themselves.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
it’s all jason garrett’s fault. give a little blame to wade phillips. romo sucks sometimes, but a good coach could help him find his mojo.
What a bummer! I feel for Cowboys fans. That was a tough game to lose. Hugs are available to those in need.
I disagree. It’s not really anyone’s “fault.” The Cowboys just aren’t as good as you think they are. They play to their potential. When will the rest of you see that?
Wicked evil game, yo! Ravens taught your wussy Cowgirls a lesson! Shoulda asked to play the Lions, bitchez!
crow, you’re a douche. the ravens aren’t THAT good. the cowboys just played a bad game.
i don’t give credit to the ravens. they didn’t play that great either. it was a game of suck. who had it most? yesterday it was dallas.
if they played a dozen times, dallas wins 9 of 12.
It’s true that both teams weren’t especially awesome, but do we REALLY give Romo and and the Cowboys secondary a free pass? What about the receivers? Could they catch a few? And Jason Garret blew that call with the pitch to Choice. Looks to me like there is plenty of blame to go around. But it doesn’t matter now. Too many strokes of luck are needed for the Cows to still be in this. It’s over.
What a bummer! I feel for Cowboys fans. That was a tough game to lose. Hugs are available to those in need.