Dallas Cowbows in December: Almost Doesn't Count

The Cowboys almost beat the New York Giants two weeks ago, and they almost beat the San Diego Chargers tonight. The Should've, would've, and could've statements have been spilt out amongst the media and avid Cowboys fans.

But how many "what if" and "only if" statements is it going to take before the harsh reality of this team really sets in?

The Cowboys have had their fair share of criticisms from the media and teams, all season long. The December woes and Romo's past performances have been the headlines of every December game this season.

I have never been a true believer of trends in teams from season to season based on the simple idea that teams change from year to year no matter who's on the roster. But it has become readily apparent that this Cowboys team cannot win in December, in 2009 either. The main reason is that the Cowboys are just not making enough plays to win.

Tony Romo had another good game with zero turnovers and two touchdowns. The running game was on track (for the most part) and on top of that the Offense did not have a single turnover. So what gives? Romo threw for almost 400 yards last week with zero interceptions and still lost to the Giants. The reality of this team is that they are not showing up at the right times on both sides of the ball and especially on defense. 

The Cowboys had many opportunities tonight to put some points on the board as they were within the Chargers 25 yard line three times before halftime, but only came away with three points. Now granted the third trip into the Chargers 25 yard line was the result of a turnover on downs, but still the Cowboys should have had more points than that. And at the end of the game those missed opportunities is what caused them to lose.

Now, the football fan in me is telling myself that this team will bounce back and if these few plays would have went a certain way the Cowboys would have won. Hell they should be 13-0  right now. However, I am starting to realize the issues within this team are becoming very obvious.

For instance, the Cowboys march down the field in the second quarter running through the Chargers defense (literally) but can't come up with one yard on four consecutive run plays.

Now who's to blame on that one? Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett?  Wade Phillips? The O-line? They couldn't make blocks just once out of four plays? Or is it that the whole unit is not executing?

What separates good teams from great teams is execution. Good teams can beat bad and even mediocre teams with okay execution based on superior talent. But good teams will never beat other good teams if they do not execute when they really need to.

The bottom line is the Chargers executed better than the Cowboys on four consecutive plays. And this was just on one drive! The Cowboys will have close games just because they have a very talented team.

But will they be able to beat good teams?

So far the answer is no and in December 2009, they never have.

Next up, an undefeated New Orleans team who seems to squeak their way past mediocre and good teams who fail to execute when they really need to. Hence, the Washington Redskins game last week. They should've beaten the Saints. The Redskins had the lead with a few minutes left and needed a short field goal to put them up by two possessions and Suisham(ironically, an ex-Cowboy) misses it. And everyone knows the end to this story, which is exactly my point.

New Orleans have won a lot of games because they execute well and regularly. I hope to see this Cowboys team start executing better before we start talking about the post season.