After New Orleans scored two touchdowns by the 8:00 mark of the fourth quarter, everyone had to be saying “uh oh…here’s where the Cowboys are going to fall apart.”

The Saints had trimmed the deficit down to 24-17, and had an offensive momentum which they hadn’t been able to muster throughout the contest.  But the Cowboys embarked on a drive that ate up about 6 minutes of game time.  The drive did not produce any points (Dallas placekicker Nick Folk missed a 24-yarder), but it left the Saints with only a little over two minutes to put together a game-tying score.

New Orleans moved the ball to the Dallas 42 yard line with under half a minute left on the clock.  They lost time on an incomplete pass, and then Drew Brees was sacked and fumbled the football (forced by DeMarcus Ware) with 12 seconds left in the game.

Miles Austin has clearly become the Cowboy's go-to receiver.

The Cowboys jumped out of the gate strongly.  Tony Romo led them on touchdown drives in their first two possessions of the game.  The drives included a 49-yard touchdown and another 26-yard completion to Miles Austin.  Along with their impressive offensive start, Dallas held New Orleans to only 3 points through the first three quarters.  Linebackers Anthony Spencer and Ware had two sacks each on MVP candidate Drew Brees.

The Cowboys must keep their momentum going.  They are now 9-5, and are tied with .  Next week Dallas will battle their rival Washington (which we’re counting as a win) followed by a potentially pivotal matchup against the New York Giants – who could be tied or one game behind the Cowboys when they meet.

The Saints will continue their journey towards home field advantage in the NFC throughout the playoffs.  They end their season at home against Tampa Bay and then take a trip to Carolina – - so New Orleans shouldn’t have any challenges with ending the regular season with a record of 15-1.