First things first this morning, now that the unpleasantness of watching Jerry Jones celebrating with his dweeb friends -- really, FOX, was that necessary? -- has mostly subsided:
The Blob does not wear a star on its helmet.
Which is to say, you won't find any Cowboys' fans on the premises, the Blob having wearied of the Cowboys back in the days when they presumed to declare themselves America's Team (or at least allowed others to do so on their behalf). I actually liked the Cowboys back when Don Meredith and Bob Hayes and Bob Lilly played for them, and they were endearing foils for the Packers. Then they won a Super Bowl and got all self-important, and that was that.
That said ... no one in Dallas paid the zebras to hand them their wild-card playoff game against the Lions. The Lions did that all by themselves.
Yes, the Phantom Flag call was outrageous and clearly pass interference (and even if it wasn't, why no penalty on Dez Bryant for entering the field of play without a helmet?). But other than that, the Lions were responsible for their own demise.
The penalties they committed to keep Dallas' winning drive breathing were, as far as I could tell, legit. The Lions simply self-destructed, as the Lions have historically had a habit of doing. They needed no assistance.
No, what you had here was a team that played an almost flawless first half coming unraveled as the Cowboys made their second-half push. In the second half, they were outscored 17-3. Matthew Stafford's protection broke down at crucial spots. The running game dried up. And the defense both wore down and, on the final drive, lost its composure.
That's what happened. And so now the Cowboys are headed to Green Bay for a throwback playoff experience.
Maybe they'll make Jerry and his friends sit outside. One can hope.
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