Black & Gold Xs & Os: Saints' Loss To Cowboys Not That Big a Deal

Perhaps the photo that accompanies this article, with Drew Brees lying on the ground with DeMarcus Ware the one on top is symoblic. Maybe the Cowboys are rising up and the Saints are falling down.

Maybe this isn't even the best image, or the one that Saints fans will remember this game by. Maybe it's Tony Romo scrambling and throwing to a seemingly wide open Miles Austin for every big conversion.

Maybe it's something altogether.

Whatever it is, it likely isn't a pretty picture in the eye of the beholder, unless those eyes belong to a Cowboys fan.

No Saints fan, even ones like myself who thought a loss might not be the worst thing for a team headed into the playoffs, wanted to see the Saints lose this game on national t.v. to "America's Team".

So when Dallas began the game dominating, it was a concern, but one we all assumed our team would overcome. To some extent they did. They managed to come back to get the game to a touchdown differential. That's a good sign, right?

There were concerns for the Saints headed into this game. Most notable in my eyes was the defense getting into a bad habit of having slow starts.

The running game had been struggling in recent weeks. Pressure had become tougher to come by, and partially as a result, so had turnovers.

Once again, the Saints defense gave up points on their first possession, and I believe on the second as well. The running game struggled again, although this had more to do with the necessity to play catch up pretty much the entire game. And turnovers simply did not take place.

At least they got pressure on Tony Romo.

With a glass half-full approach we can see the Saints iniquities in this area cost them the game, which they should have weeks earlier. Some coaches say it's easier to teach after a win.

I would say it is much easier to teach after going 13-0, then losing to a team you may have chance to get redemption on.

It's almost a fact now that if the Cowboys win just one of their next two games that they'll be in the playoffs. Conceivably they could get in as a six-seed, and if they're able to knock off that third seed, they would be headed to New Orleans in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs.

That in itself should be enough motivation to get things right. Of course, there is even greater motivation, some trophy named after Vince Lombardi is still very much in reach. In fact, it is still just as possible as it was before Saturday's night kickoff.

I feel with Sean Payton's one-game-at-a-time approach, the team will be ready to go next Sunday versus Tampa Bay in order to clinch homefield advantage.

It's also nice this game was played on a Saturday which gives the team an extra day to focus on their issues. They do exist and now the players should be as willing as ever to get them righted. If they want to win a Super Bowl, now is the time to get things fixed.

That's why losing tonight isn't that a big deal. They still have a chance to not lose a game the rest of the year.