Cowboys-Giants: Despite Loss To New York, Dallas Deserves Credit For Performance

Now that the Dallas Cowboys lost their first December game of the season">Dallas Cowboys lost their first December game of the season, all the media will talk about for the next week is how Tony Romo and company are on their way to another collapse in the final month of the 2009 regular season.

However, it's unfair to jump to conclusions when not looking at the scenario from both teams.

The Cowboys entered Sunday's game with an 8-3 record and a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.

On the other hand, the Giants came in losing five of their previous six and were hoping to stay in the playoff hunt as a potential Wild Card team—especially since the Eagles defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-7 earlier in the afternoon.

If the Giants lost to the Cowboys, they would have dropped two games back of the Eagles and Green Bay Packers just to make it as a Wild Card team.

With four games remaining in the regular season, they would most likely would have to win-out the next four games and hope for help from other teams just to even have a shot at making the playoffs.

Instead, they treated the game against the Cowboys as a playoff-type game to have a better control over their own destiny.

While the Cowboys dropped to 8-4, they still hold the tiebreaker over the Eagles in the NFC East after a 20-16 win at Lincoln Financial Field in Week Nine. Dallas may have a history of struggling in the month of December, but they deserve some credit for their performance against New York— especially Romo.

Romo finished completed 41-of-55 passes for 392 yards— both career highs— and three touchdowns. Cowboys tight end Jason Witten caught 14 receptions for 156 yards and wide receiver Miles Austin recorded his fourth 100-yard game of the season after hauling in 10 receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Roy Williams also found the end zone twice, finishing with six receptions for 60 yards.

It's hard not to criticize the Cowboys for losing their first game of December with their history of struggling in the Tony Romo era (5-8). However, they deserve some credit considering they lost to a good (and hungry) Giants team desperate for a win to keep their season alive.

Dan Parzych is the founder of the new NFCEastFootball.com