There was good news and bad news in the Dallas Cowboys loss to the Washington Redskins. The good news was that there were no additional major injuries, and Tony Romo set franchise records for pass completions in a single season. The bad news was everything else.

This game meant much more to the Redskins than the Cowboys. A Washington win meant they would be heading to the playoffs. A Dallas win would not help the Cowboys in any way, and a Dallas loss would not hurt them in any way. The way the Cowboys played is a little concerning for Dallas fans, considering the starters played well into the third quarter and were basically dominated by Washington the entire game. It was cold. It was raining. Three pro-bowlers were out of the lineup -- Terrance Newman, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams and Andre Gurode. Sam Hurd dropped two possible touchdown passes. Rookie Nick Folk missed a short-range field goal. Every team has a bad game or two, but could this bad of a game at this point in the season be a warning sign of playoff disappointment?

Tony Romo put up amazing numbers all season long. A 7 of 16 performance yesterday allowed him to beat (by one completion) Danny White's 24 year old record for most completions in a season. The weather was bad, and TO was out of the lineup, but Terry Glenn returned and Patrick Crayton has turned into a fairly reliable receiver. If Owens cannot make it back for the first playoff game in two weeks, or plays at less than 100%, it could be another long day for Romo.

As mediocre as the Dallas passing game was, the running game was actually far worse. A franchise record for rushing futility was set yesterday win a whopping total of 1 yard rushing on 16 carries! Julius Jones led the way with 7 positive yards on 8 carries. Marion Barber only needed 15 yard to hit the thousand yard mark, but was corralled by the Redskins defense and managed to rush for negative six yards on six carries.

The Dallas defense had nothing to brag about either. Career backup Todd Collins was a very efficient 22 of 31 for 244 yards. Collins threw for one touchdown and had no interceptions. Clinton Portis ripped through the Dallas defense for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Portis was the first player to rush for over 100 yards in a game against Dallas this season. No one in the injury-riddled secondary could cover Santana Moss who pulled in eight receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.

What does all of this mean for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans? It's hard to say, but the Cowboys seem to fade every season once the calendar hits December. The bye week will help to heal some nagging injuries, and hopefully TO will be able to recover enough to play. Overall the regular season was very good, as Dallas rolled to a 13-3 record. But that will all be forgotten very quickly if Dallas makes another quick exit from the playoffs.

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Source: www.articlesbase.com