Is it already time for a year in review article?

Last night the Dallas Cowboys lost to the New York Giants 31-14 and blew their chance to make it to the playoffs. The Cowboys stood at 7-4 at one point and seemed almost a shoo-in for the NFL’s second season. While nothing is a sure thing, the Cowboys were primed for a playoff run.

That all went away when the Cowboys dropped games to the Cardinals and Giants. They went to overtime with an inferior, or at least it seemed that way, Arizona team and allowed a 12-point lead to slip away from them against the Giants.

There were a lot of bad moments, like the Revis interception in the first game of the year and the Detroit Lions debacle. But then there are moments that fans can lean on and be happy about.

Let’s revisit a few of the best and worst moments of the 2011 season for the Dallas Cowboys.

Tony Romo Throws Pick to Darrelle Revis 

In the first game of the year for the Cowboys, Tony Romo threw a costly interception to a waiting Darrelle Revis.

The game was tied at 24 with 59 seconds remaining, and the Cowboys driving. Well, they were about to start their drive, and on the first play, Romo found a waiting Revis.

The next day, Romo was railroaded in the press about his inability to win big games or shine in big moments.

I think what's interesting about the Cowboys' loss to the Jets is something I stated in my article about this game. Dallas fell victim to mistakes, turnovers and costly penalties. That sentence was not only foreshadowing, but it became a microcosm of Dallas’ season.

A lonely lowlight that morphed into what defined Dallas as a team in 2011.

Cowboys vs. Jets: 9 Things We've Learned from Both Teams on Sunday

Romo Gets Cracked Ribs, Beats Niners

After throwing a costly interception against the Jets the week before, Tony Romo returned against the 49ers to beat the team’s former rival by three points.

But he did so in such a grand, Roman battlefield type of way. Romo’s ribs were destroyed on a hit by a blitzing San Francisco player, but he returned to lead Dallas to victory.

Tony finished with two touchdowns and over 340 yards passing, but what fans will remember is his 77-yard pass to receiver Jesse Holley to set up the game-winning field goal.

This was probably one of the best moments for Romo this season. He proved his toughness and showed just how tough he can be for his team.

Cowboys vs. 49ers: 8 Things We Learned from Dallas' 27-24 Win

Romo Tosses Three Interceptions Against Lions 

This game will be revisited for a mighty long time. It showed just how fragile the Cowboys were mentally and how easily they let leads slip away.

Dallas jumped out to a 24-point lead on Detroit, but the Lions roared back and beat the Cowboys by four points. The Lions scored 17 fourth-quarter points, and Dallas could do nothing to stop them.

What will stand out for fans is the pick six Romo threw to his best friend Lions linebacker Bobby Carpenter. It was all down hill from there as Dallas dropped to 2-2 on the season.

Lions vs. Cowboys: 7 Things We Learned from Dallas' 34-30 Loss

The Emergence of Laurent Robinson 

How great of a find was this guy for Dallas?

For the year, Robinson caught 54 balls for 858 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had wonderful chemistry with Romo, and it translated to points on the field.

Anytime Romo would scramble or a play would break down, Robinson seemed to know what to do: Get up the field.

Hopefully team owner Jerry Jones brings him back in 2012, and he’s the team’s full-time slot receiver. I think he’s fully capable of being a solid No. 2, but he was a great find for the Cowboys in 2011.

Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

DeMarco Murray’s 253-Yard Performance Against St. Louis 

I predicted that Murray would have 429 yards and just five scores in 2011. I was off by about 400 or so yards.

Murray totaled 897 yards on the ground and a healthy 5.5 yards per carry average. This guy was supposed to be eased into the offense and possibly an injury-prone running back. He shattered expectations and became Dallas’ primary back.

But before all of that, Murray blew the doors off the joint in Arlington when he rushed for 253 yards on 25 carries. The former Oklahoma Sooner popped off for 10 yards every time he touched the ball. He even fired down the field for 91 yards.

It was his coming out party and sans a nasty ankle injury late in the season, he was well on his way to a 1,000-yard season with Dallas.

DeMarco Murray, 85 Carries, 429 Yards, 380 Receiving Yards, 5 Touchdowns

Romo Completes 88 percent of His Passes Against Buffalo 

Romo completed 23-of-26 passes against the Bills and came close to setting an NFL record in doing so.

He had three touchdowns and a rating of 148.4 that day with 270 yards. He was an animal on the field.

I mention this one because it shows just how good Romo is for this team. I know that the questions will continue about his ability or inability to lead the Cowboys, but when a quarterback can play that well against any team, I believe it deserves a mention.

Bills vs Cowboys: 8 Things We Learned from Dallas' 44-7 Win

Cowboys Secondary 

Pick a game. We can start with the Giants game this past Sunday night where the Dallas defensive backfield was destroyed. What about the Giants game prior to that where N.Y. quarterback Eli Manning threw for 400 yards on the nose?

How about Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson going “lob city” on Dallas’ secondary before Chris Paul and them did it with the Clippers?

It was just an overall bad season for the Cowboys secondary, and it most definitely was one of the worst parts of their season.

Sean Lee Turns Into Star 

Sean Lee is one of the best things to happen to the Cowboys in 2011. I don’t think he’ll have a huge drop off next season, but his tackles jumped from 32 in 2010 to 105 in 2011. He led the team in tackles and interceptions, and hopefully, will turn into a team leader next season.

What’s great about Lee’s season is that he had 71 solo tackles, and there's still room for improvement. He missed more than a few tackles, and I’m sure that’s something he’ll work on in the offseason.

Cowboys Finish 8-8, Out of Playoffs 

Who saw this coming? Dallas was on a playoff trek then the walls came down.

They lost too many key games, gave up too many leads and made far too many mistakes. The 2011 season will be known as a season of lost opportunity for the Cowboys.

They have tons of talent but not enough mental toughness to overcome their deficiencies. A better-than-good quarterback, a stout running game and talented receivers couldn’t make up for false starts, blown leads, dropped interceptions, missed tackles, fumbles and etc…

Not sure what to expect in 2012, but for 2011, it was a season to forget.