for a touchdown. Even with just the possession right there at the Packers' 23, the Cowboys would've been in good shape.
It just seemed like they had those kind of penalties all game. Five-yard holding penalties, or pass interference - both offensive and defensive, or offside down on the goal line. The Cowboys just couldn't get out of their own way today.
Give the defense credit for their pressure they applied on the Packers, but there was still too many missed tackles and blown coverages on third down.
Plain and simple, the Cowboys just got beat. And at times, they got beat up. A lot of injuries came out of this game, some will be felt all year and others could just be one-week bumps and bruises.
Who knows, maybe this game in Green Bay is a one-week deal. Just an aberration that gets turned around next week. But the Redskins come to town Sunday after a big win over Denver, a team the Cowboys couldn't beat.
Let's be honest, a lot of Cowboys fans and media experts had this team penciled into a 9-2 record after Thanksgiving. Let's hope the players weren't thinking the same thing.
Because it was clear Green Bay was thinking about nothing but getting to 5-4. That's the difference in being relaxed and hungry. Several players - Roy Williams, Keith Brooking and Patrick Crayton - said the Packers just appeared very hungry and desperate to win.
For some reason, the Cowboys were not.
So, do we reach for the panic button? Absolutely not. In fact, a game like this could be good for this team.
However, what we learned here Sunday is that the Cowboys still are capable of these clunker-games. They're not above an abysmal offensive effort that needed a garbage-time touchdown to prevent a shutout. They're not above random defensive penalties that keep opponents on the field. And we know they're not above playing a game with double-digit penalties, including several at key moments in the game.
And truth be told, this was against Green Bay. Hungry, desperate and stingy on defense for sure, but it's still a rather mediocre football team. Maybe that will change in time, but for now, the Packers are just 5-4. Yet, they manhandled the Cowboys on Sunday.
It's only going to get colder. The opponents are going to get better and the games are only going to mean more than this one did.
Whether or not this was the real Cowboys team remains to be seen. But at least we know this type of performance is not out their system.
