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These are things that don't usually spell victory.

Your quarterback rushes for 42 yards...and leads the team.

Your tight end catches balls for 50 yards...and leads the team.

You convert five third downs...and that's barely half of how many your opponent converts (nine).

You go for a touchdown on fourth-and-1 with a run by a back who has had three carries with 1 yard to go and converted none of them.

Rough night. ...

With a second-place finish more likely now, in that case, the Cowboys will not make a road trip to New Orleans next season. Carolina or Atlanta would be the destination for the fifth out-of-division road game. Others already set are Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo and Miami. ...

Good to hear Terrell Owens talk about taking a bigger vocal leadership role on this club after the game. Sure the team will respond to more words coming out of T.O.

I'm not sure whether Carrie Underwood stuck around for the bitter end, but Romo had someone bring his Ford Explorer to the tunnel for a quick getaway.

Much, much more to come on this and other issues.

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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called the defense's performance "pitiful" moments after his club's 23-7 loss to the Eagles.

Asked if he was upset at how inconsistent the defense has been, Jones basically said he doesn't recall the unit ever being consistent.

The players were borderline despondent after the loss. I had a long visit with Jason Ferguson who kept saying how "lackadaisical" the defense was. He said the Eagles' ability to convert so many third downs was demoralizing for the defense.

And what should even scare you worse than that is that Ferguson hinted that the defense wasn't even aware of down-and-distance a lot of times.

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Pete will get you through the rest of the game. Just an awful performance by a team team that had the NFC East title within its grasp.

You have to admire what the Eagles have accomplished. Haven't heard the Eagles Suck chant lately.

Oh look, another T.O. drop.

The good news is that the Cowboys have found an answer for fullback Tom Tapeh. And there's another INT by Romo. Put a fork in this one.

Is it too late to get Garcia in the Pro Bowl?

Since that 5-TD explosion, Romo's thrown two TDs and four INTs at home. That's what happens when you're playing from behind.

Pretty surprising that in the biggest game of the season the Cowboys would come out this flat. The Eagles trying to get Tapeh involved late.

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The good news is that he's back on the field.

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After Crazy Legs Garcia was through, Ware did something to his ankle.

Garcia has more rushing yards (41) than Barber or Jones.

You guys still with me?

The Eagles are icing this one on the ground. On the Westbrook carry a few moments ago, Bradie James and Bob Carpenter never had a chance.

This OL has completely taken over. The middle of the line (Jamaal Jackson, Todd Herremans and Shawn Andrews) has been excellent and save for the INT, Garcia has been very efficient.

NBC has eased up on the Underwood cam. Tony's gonna need someone to comfort him after this performance.

Is it too early to pull the plug? Anyone know any good restaurants in Seattle?

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He couldn't take it anymore and returned to higher ground.

Jeff Garcia is managing this game beautifully. Merry Christmas to the Lurie family.

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He thought he had T.O. in one-on-one coverage outside but the throw was too high and too far inside.

It's like he just lost his patience on that drive...The Eagles are going to milk some clock now.

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Looked like Julius was holding Trent Cole from behind on the play when Cole was called for the shot to the head...Big first down to Witten.

Witten somehow escaped the Eagles' all-world specialist Quintin Mikell on that play...And Romo follows it up with an INT in the end zone.

Brian Dawkins didn't have much trouble making that play. Just an all-around horrible showing by the offense. The Cowboys have had opportunities in the second half but haven't come up with anything.

Bill Parcells just finished screaming at play-caller Tony Sparano. Obviously, it's his fault that Colombo and Adams don't know the snap count.

Hey, it's not like it's loud in here. Eagles one TD away from putting this one away. A woman is passing out candy canes in the press box as we speak.

PI on L.J. Smith...Cowboys D could use a stop here. Or maybe a defensive touchdown.

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DeMarcus blew up L.J. Smith and Correll Buckhalter on that sack. And that may have been the most entertaining 8-yard punt return you'll see all year.

Great open-field tackle by Eagles safety Sean Considine.

Cowboys desperately need a scoring drive. And Romo needs to do a better job of hitting T.O.'s good hand.

Terrell Owens had his 14th drop of the season, a career-high, on that long pass from Tony Romo.
A very bad drop.

Handing out T-shirts for one of its prime-time TV shows. Does that qualify as poor form?

If the Cowboys have ever needed a stop, it's now...Ratliff just came racing out of the tunnel like he's read to play.

First down Eagles.

Julius Jones carried six times for 21 yards and Marion Barber had five carries for negative 1.

Romo was 9-of-13 for 103 yards and one touchdown. The problem was that the Eagles had the ball too much.

Another "Eagles Suck" chant breaks out. Love the holiday spirit. Romo sacked by Darwin Walker. That was a coverage sack.

Third-and-19. Romo has them right where he wants them. And what do you know, T.O. drops a deep pass from Romo!

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Owner Jerry Jones is already on the sideline. And I don't think he went down there to get a better look at the Canines in Flight halftime show.

I don't think we're going to see Ratliff again.

Jay Ratliff was able to walk off the field with some assistance. Eagles take a 16-7 lead on the Akers field goal.

Are the Cowboys the worst blitzing team in the league?

Looked like Roy Williams and Nate Jones were attempting to blitz on the 65-yard pass to L.J. Smith. Garcia did a great job of simply dropping the ball over Kevin Burnett's head on the play.

PI on Smith on that last play. Third-and-8.

The dog show is pretty good. The show is preventing the Eagles' David Akers from kicking.

Oh well.

Matt Mosley is talking to Ed Werder. The two are debating if one of the dogs belong to Terrell Owens.

The defense hasn't played well in this first half. Over the last three games the Cowboys defense has allowed 12 plays of 25 or more yards.

Playoff teams, well, teams that go deep into the playoffs, don't do that.

The secondary continues to have problems in coverage and there is very little pressure up front. Jeff Garcia is mobile enough to get away from any pressure to complete passes. Garcia is able to step up in the pocket with ease.

That has to stop if Dallas is to win.

The Cowboys put T.O. on the field in anticipation of a Hail Mary from Philly. Garcia calmly dumps off the ball to Greg Lewis, who steps out of bounds with one second left in the first half.

That's a big score for the Eagles.

I need someone to keep up with how many times NBC shows Carrie Underwood. I think we're already up to four or five times.

Romo does a nice job of stepping up in the pocket on the TD throw to T.O.

And instead of a look-at-me celebration, T.O. flips the ball to center Andre Gurode, who spiked the ball. Little T Learns How to Share (in real life).

ESPN 103.3's Dave Shore just dropped by with some nice nuggets.

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I regret to report that legendary DMN columnist Frank Luksa is taking the day off. I'm sure he'll still have a chili cheese dog at halftime, though. His streak is currently at 237 games.

Cowboys return to action with an 11-yard strike to Jason Witten. And now a defensive holding on Sheldon Brown.

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NBC just showed footage of Romo hugging former American Idol champion Carrie Underwood during pre-game warmups.

She's now been tucked into a suite for safekeeping. Meanwhile, the Cowboys could really use a score on this possession.

Illegal contact on Rod Hood on that last play. Hood was allegedly playing dominoes with T.O. at the Renaissance. Romo takes off on the quarterback sneak and Underwood loves every minute of it.

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Looked like Miles had the ball wrapped up tight on that return. So tight that he forgot to run fast.

And why didn't someone tell me that Quintin Mikell was the greatest player off all time?

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Delay of game on the Eagles, but David Akers still connects on the 25-yarder. His holder, Dirk Johnson, is a longtime friend of the blog.

He used to be a caddie in Denver during the off-season. Great guy. For some reason, I have both Dirk and return specialist Reno Mahe on speed dial.

with warm holiday feelings,

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If the Cowboys lose this game, my sources have them going to Seattle for the first round of the playoffs.

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Since this is Mosley's blog, we must ask if we can change our predictions for today's game. Calvin Watkins, no relation to Cowboys' safety Patrick, is the only one of us to pick the Eagles. He was a genius when the Heat beat the Mavs in the NBA Finals too.

Sure, some of us are celebrating the birth of Christ today. But that's not preventing fans from joining in a thunderous "Eagles Suck" chant.

Not to be all gloom and doom, but this isn't looking good. Timeout Eagles...Man in upper deck telling "Fat Andy" to get off the field.

Hate to see Andy Reid get this type of treatment at Texas Stadium.

Oops. Eagles safety Quinton Mikell makes two huge plays near the goal line. On the fourth-and-1 play, Ollie Hoyte never had a chance against Mikell.

He came clean on the pitch to Barber. And now the Eagles have plenty of breathing room on the 35-yard pass to Stallworth. I'm thinking the Eagles think the middle of the Cowboys pass coverage is weak right now.

Over the past three games, the Cowboys have given up 11 plays of 25 yards or more.

Barber stopped at the 1 on two consecutive plays. Fourth-and-1.

Eagles DE Juqua Thomas came clean on fourth-and-2 but Romo somehow ducked him and then delivered the first down pass while Trent Cole was dragging him down.

If you're looking for season-defining plays, put that one on the reserve list.

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I can't speak with complete authority on this but Roy Williams was the closest man to Matt Schobel on his 25-yard touchdown.

At least Roy delivered a little cheapshot after Schobel crossed the goal line, though.

Oops and Miles Austin gives the Eagles another opportunity. Cowboys desperately looking for a stop here.

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The Cowboys came in worried abour Eagles running back Brian Westbrook and so far their fears are real. Westbrook was stopped for a loss on his first carry but has 28 yards on his last four carries.

If you're looking for a nice holiday film, you could do a lot worse than Will Smith's Pursuit of Happyness (sic). Great message and Smith, who commands about $25 million per film, is completely believable as a down-on-his-luck single dad.

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Professional model Akin Ayodele did a great job of blowing up that last running play, but Jeff Garcia moves up in the pocket to throw for a first down on third-and-11.

Third-and-1 play early in the game. Eagles Pro Bowl guard Shawn Andrews pulls to the right and destroys Roy Williams on the sweep.

First down Eagles on third-and-7. L.J. Smith does a nice job of finding a soft spot and Aaron Glenn was way too late.

L.J. Smith was banged up on that last running play.

On that third-and-3 play, Patrick Crayton didn't really give Romo a good look. CB Sheldon Brown got a great break on the ball to break it up.

McBriar's gross average is taking a beating, but he did his job by making my pal Reno Mahe fair catch the ball at his 10-yard line.

has taken on a life of its own. I'll introduce you to the folks who came up with the banner at some point.

Cowboys trying to get Julius in space early. Look for a steady diet of run plays in the first half. To say the Eagles struggle against the run is an understatement.

Romo just missed Glenn on a fly pattern down the left sideline.

Is it normal for players to bring their dates onto the field before games?

Tony Romo was introducing his friend around before the game. Her last name is Underwood.

We're almost set for kickoff. Bledsoe wins the toss!

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Jacques Reeves wasn't able to overcome his elbow injury in time for today's game. And former 49er Tony Parrish still can't get on the field.

Much to Cowlishaw's chagrin, Junior Glymph is also inactive today. In case you missed it earlier, Montavious Stanley, Joe Berger, Cory Procter, Stephen Bowen and Pat McQuistan are also inactive.

Unless I'm seeing things, former TCU great Quincy Butler is active today. Avid blogger and Horned Frog supporter Rhett M. will be happy to see this.

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On Friday, for some reason, Bill Parcells decided to turn the tables on me and asked a series of trivia questions to answer. Four players were born on Christmas in 1927 (a World Series MVP), 1945 (a Super Bowl winning quarterback), 1946 (a participant in a crazy play in Giants' history) and 1958 (a prolific stolen base guy).

I got the answers back to Parcells within the hour:

1 - Nellie Fox - although he was not a Wirld Series MVP.

2 - Ken Stabler

3 - Larry Csonka

4 - Rickey Henderson

I'd like to thank all the people who e-mailed the answers (although I didn't need the help, seriously) or those who wanted to know the answers.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas,

t

We will have to wait another week for Tony Parrish's Cowboys' debut.

The veteran safety is inactive again, but rookie corner Quincy Butler, called up from the practice squad Saturday, is active. Cornerback Jacques Reeves is inactive with an elbow injury, which required Butler to be called up.

The other inactives: linebacker Junior Glymph, nose tackle Montavious Stanley, guards Joe Berger and Cory Procter, defensive end Stephen Bowen and tackle Pat McQuistan.

T.O. spent three hours playing dominoes at the Eagles team hotel last night before finally checking into his own team hotel.

Several sources have revealed to me that T.O. was playing with former teammates Greg Lewis, Reggie Brown and Rod Hood. They set up shop in a glass-enclosed business center that could be seen from Renaissance Dallas Hotel lobby.

Of course, this is all over ESPN right now. Easy Ed Werder reported on T.O.'s latest adventure and then met singer Carrie Underwood. More on that later.

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Our good friend Carlos A. Nava of Al Dia fame wrote this story about Tony Romo's grandparents.

And here's a touching story on DeMarcus and Taniqua Ware.

Merry Christmas America!

Thanks for joining us for today's first-ever Chistmas Spectacular Live Blogging event. First, let me introduce some of the people you may or may not be hearing from.

Cowboys beat writer Todd Archer has already stopped by this afternoon. Part-time columnist Tim Cowlishaw will provide his award-winning Cowlishaw Halftime Repot.

Also look for amusing tidbits from Mark Konradi and Cal Watkins.

Once he blows back into town from Houston, Pete Aldrich will serve as moderator.

Great to have you with us. Back with a weather report in a few moments.

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T.O. is on the cover of the gameday program. Forgot that earlier. Sorry.

All of Matt's affection,

t

When Tony Romo burst on to the scene two months ago he was almost immediately linked romantically with Jessica Simpson. After many no comments, Romo finally said there was no date.

But Romo was talking with Carrie Underwood, the American Idol star who performed at halftime on Thanksgiving, on the field before the game. Hmm.

So Terrell Owens visited the Eagles' hotel last night. Big deal. If it were any other player nobody would've cared. But because it was Owens and it was Philadelphia it's bigger news than it should have been.

Now, does something like that drive Bill Parcells nuts? I'm sure it does. Is it necessary? No. But again, it's no big deal.

Owens arrived at Texas Stadium in the holiday mood, wearing a Santa hat.