Somehow it seems that the more I keep saying this is a really good defense, but not a "shut-down defense," the more they do to prove me wrong. In two of their three season-ending victories, Dallas beat an opponent despite scoring fewer than the opponent had been averaging all year (New Orleans and Philadelphia.) And against Washington, the Cowboys shut-out is the only thing that pulled their season scoring average (16.6 points per game,) below the 17 Dallas scored against them.
 
The Cowboys finished 2009 as the #2 scoring defense in the NFL, allowing 15.6 per game. That's not the 2000 Ravens, but it's awfully good. Factor out the only two games where they gave up more than 21 points (both of the Giants games,) and it was only 13.3 points per game. Dallas was ninth in yards yielded, giving them what Cold Hard Football Facts calls great "bendability."
 
The offense seems almost a mirror image, ranking #2 in yards per game, but all the way down at 14th in points. I've been saying for weeks that this lack of scoring is going to come back to bite them, and probably should have added "again." Points left on the field did cost Dallas the win against San Diego, wasting a pretty good defensive performance, and in two earlier losses, Dallas was nearly shut out, while the defense held Denver and Green Bay to 17 points each on the road.
 
The good news is that, after failing to score on their opening drive the first thirteen games of the season, Dallas scored touchdowns to open each of the last three, and the team protected its lead all the way through each game. Maybe a team that can pile up close to 500 yards and over 40 minutes time of possession just doesn't need more than 24 points to win.
 
As for the season finale, it is probably true that both teams dialed it back a notch in the second half, but don't kid yourself about the fact that Philly came in to Dallas playing to win. After all, they had more on the line than Dallas, as a win would have given them the second seed and a bye, while Dallas won only a chance to replay this game in less than a week.
 
Yet Philly was dominated, down 17-0 at the half. Eagles fans may protest that their team left points on the field, with McNabb missing a few open receivers on what would have been very big plays, but Dallas left points on the field, too. The difference is that Dallas managed to overcome its miscues, while Philly did not. Nevertheless, the number of false starts and holds, putting the team into tough long yardage dons, has simply got to be cleaned up.
 
The numbers say that McNabb did not have a terrible day (20-36 for 233 yards,) but, as I already mentioned, he missed some big opportunities. He also fumbled a snap, turning the ball over on Philly's only trip into the red zone, and just looked a little flustered all day, even though, it seemed to me, the pressure was dialed down a bit after a furious start by Dallas.
 
This also seemed to dictate the Eagles' blocking, as it seemed Ratliff faced double and even triple teams often. Once again, the Dallas DL stuffed the run completely, finishing the season having allowed not one 100 yard rusher all year.
 
Can I interrupt the football talk to say a kind word about David Buehler and Mat McBriar? For all the hoopla about Shane Lechler's booming averages this year, McBriar, to my mind, has been more effective. That's not a knock on Lechler, but when you play for a team with no offense, you are going to be punting from near your own end zone a lot, and that will boost your average. We already know McBriar can punt the ball 75 yards, but if he is doing that on a regular basis, something has gone terribly awry. McBriar kicked far more often from around midfield, yet managed to drop 38 of his 72 punts inside the 20, with 23 fair catches. That is really tremendous, and probably deserved a Pro Bowl spot, but voters get all jazzed up about high averages, rather than value to the game.
 
Buehler helped the field position battle, as well, leading all NFL kickers with 29 touchbacks. He ranked second in touchback percentage behind Atlanta's Michael Koenen, who notched 28 on four fewer kicks. You could not have asked for more from the rookie. Since that is the only reason he was on the team, I guess you also could not have asked for less, but there it is.
 
So now they get to do it all over again to start the post-season, hosting Philly at home this Saturday night. I said last week they were playing for atonement, to wipe clean the memory of last season's awful finish. Next week, they get to do it all over again - erasing the memory of 2007, when they got booted from the play-offs by a team they'd beaten twice already. And I won't even mention that 13 year play-off victory drought. oops.
 
But after a season of broken streaks, I am ready to see a post-season start with breaking one, too.