The expected happened at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, the Dallas Cowboys crushed the New York Jets 34-3. The Cowboys defense so dominated the game that it was never in doubt who would win, leading to a methodical beat-down of the Jets that was good for the Cowboys but not very exciting TV. The Cowboys were so thoroughly in control of the game by halftime that there was no thought of a Jets comeback. It was enough to make me battle a turkey coma throughout the game.
Tony Romo was efficient in the win and the Cowboys finally turned in an effective running game. Julius Jones had 64 yards and Marion Barber closed it out finishing with 103 yards and a TD.
But it was the defense who owned the game. Greg Ellis had a few sacks, the secondary was very good in coverage, and Terence Newman made a big-time play by picking off the ball and returning it for a TD. The Jets couldn’t rush the ball and they couldn’t throw it; the Dallas defense was that dominant on the day.
The special teams also bottled up the Jets return game on kicks and punts leaving the Jets befuddled in all three phases of the game.
The Cowboys are 10-1 for the first time and are ready for the showdown next week with the 10-1 Green Bay Packers. This could be the game of the year in the NFC regular season and should go a long way towards determining home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. I can't wait.
This is an open thread for Cowboys victory chat and for the Colts/Falcons game tonight, if you can watch it.