Cowboys Will Lose to the Eagles Tonight, Despite Their 17 to 7 Lead in the 2nd Quarter

The Dallas Cowboys are playing the Philadelphia Eagles right now. As I write this, it is 17 to 7 with 3:39 to go in the second quarter. The Cowboys have largely dominated field position through most of the game. The only Eagles score thus far has been on a bit of a trick play with Michael Vick, not Donovan McNabb, in at quarterback. And yet, I am completely confident that the Cowboys will lose this game. Again, I write this at 9:22 Eastern time, with the Cowboys ahead 17 to 7 with about 3:39 to go in the second quarter.

And I am close to completely confident that the Eagles will win this game.

As I watch the Eagles and Cowboys, I remember how things used to be for the Dallas Cowboys. As a young man in the 1980's and 1990's, I put the Cowboys on the same pantheon reserved for the New York Yankees, Boston Celtics and Montreal Canadiens. Of course they did not always win; each of those franchises have had their down-cycles. in fact, in the modern day NBA and NHL, the Celtics and Canadiens both have really become just unremarkable franchises, albeit with proud histories. The Yankees, largely because of Major League Baseball's financial structure, remain the crown jewel of American sport.

While the Canadiens and Celtics do fine, and the Yankees continue to add to their legacy, the Dallas Cowboys are quickly becoming a punch line. There is something very wrong with this franchise. Inexplicably, a culture of losing has developed with the Cowboys that no past glories, larger than life owners, and mega-stadiums can fix.

Too often, including again tonight, the Cowboys seem to have the most talent on the field. And yet, even with a ten point lead in the game with less than four mintues to go in the second quarter, I sense that the Cowboys will find a way to lose this game.

Hey, would I bet my paycheck that the Cowboys will lose tonight? Probably not. Nobody can predict the outcomes of NFL contests well enough to make a living at it.

But as a long time NFL fan and Cowboys observer, I can see certain things. I can see that Wade Phillips is in over his head. I can see that Tony Romo lacks the intangibles needed in big games such as these.

At 14 to 7, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth just said, "I know the score looks close, but thus far it really feels like a mismatch for the Cowboys." Collinsworth has probably forgotten more football than most of the rest of us know. But I believe Collinsworth is wrong about this.

Now it is 17 to 7, Cowboys over the Eagles with 3:40 remaining in the first half. The Cowboys lead will not last. The Dallas Cowboys' playoff futility streak dating back to 1996 will continue tonight.

Source: Joe Lapointe, "Live Analysis, Cowboys 17, Eagles 7", nytimes.com