EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – No longer is this season about burying a dreadful decade of football. Or ending a nine-year drought without a playoff win, which just happens to be the longest in franchise history. It's not even about the Cowboys being in position to capture their first NFC East title since 1998. This season is now about the Super Bowl.
Let that sink in. Seriously, roll the thought around in your mind for a moment.
Not even the most ardent fan or critic could've imagined that two months ago, so don't e-mail me that you've known the Cowboys were a Super Bowl team since training camp because I won't believe you. And don't bother reminding me that I said the Cowboys weren't contenders because that team – the one with Drew Bledsoe at quarterback and a dreadful offensive line – wasn't a contender.
These Cowboys have a new reality, one forged by the NFL's newest star quarterback and a vagabond kicker after Tony Romo and Martin Gramatica led Dallas to a 23-20 victory over the Giants in a rugged game that paid homage to the glory days of NFC East football.
Now that we've redefined the Cowboys' goals, it's clear the defense must perform better than it did Sunday for Dallas to spend the first week of February practicing in South Beach. It's not that Dallas played poorly, but championship-caliber defenses shouldn't blow a seven-point lead with 3:28 left in the fourth quarter and a division title on the line.
But that's what happened.
Trailing 20-13, much-maligned Eli Manning needed only seven plays and 2:27 to drive the Giants 63 yards for the tying touchdown. Ironically, New York scored so quickly Romo had enough time to rally the Cowboys.
Otherwise, we might be discussing a defensive collapse of gargantuan proportion. Bradie James said the defense must play better. So did Jason Ferguson and Aaron Glenn. That's good. This is not the time for the players to lie to themselves. Or each other.
They allowed 396 yards and 22 first downs. The Giants converted 6 of 12 third downs and kept the ball for 33:21. Usually, that results in a loss.
"We did some good, and we did some bad," Glenn said. "I don't know a team that plays to its full potential every time out, but we didn't let the bad plays carry over, which is what a good defense does."
The Cowboys survived because they did a good job protecting their end zone. Late in the third quarter, Anthony Henry broke up a third-down pass in the end zone, forcing the Giants to settle for a short field goal after a 17-play drive. Early in the fourth quarter, Glenn broke up a third-down pass in the end zone, forcing New York to settle for another short field goal after an 11-play drive.
In the first half, DeMarcus Ware stopped 264-pound running back Brandon Jacobs on fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 24 with 1:30 left. Eight plays later, the Cowboys took a three-point halftime lead on Gramatica's 41-yard field goal.
"We used the bend but don't break defense this week," Ferguson said. "As long as we could hold them to field goals, we knew we'd stay in the game."
Championship defenses don't just survive, they dominate. And with the outcome in doubt, especially in the fourth quarter, they suffocate their opponents.
This is the first game the Cowboys really felt the loss of Greg Ellis, who is out for the season after rupturing his Achilles' tendon. Without him, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer doesn't have a pass-rusher he can trust.
The Cowboys didn't sack Manning. Not sure they even touched him. No, blitzing didn't help. Even an inconsistent passer such as Manning can succeed when he has all day to scan the defense. Before playing the Colts, Peyton Manning scared Bill Parcells so he gave Zimmer permission to blitz to ensure the Cowboys pressured Peyton.
Parcells didn't have nearly as much respect for this Manning, so he returned to his conservative defensive roots.
"This was a defining moment for our season, even though it didn't go as planned," James said. "We want to be the side of the ball responsible for winning."
To win a championship, they must.
E-mail jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
