Mike Woods

IRVING, Texas - It was another moment of truth evening, and what we learned Thursday is that while it may be true that America’s Team may be a distant runner-up to the best team the AFC has to offer, it’s earned the leader in the clubhouse title as the best of the Best of the Rest Conference.

If it doesn’t sound like much, you’re right. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would even side with you on that one, his team winning 37-27 against an injury-plagued Packers bunch that rallied from a 17-point deficit with its future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre in X-ray with a bum right elbow and a separated left shoulder before finally running out of breath.

So this is a big win because unless the Cowboys go Jimmy Hoffa on us, they are going to prevail in the NFC Home Field Advantage Sweepstakes. Which means, if these two outfits find their way on the same field again this year, it will be in the NFC Championship Game at Texas Stadium, the Packers’ personal electric chair, as they’ve now lost nine straight games in this place.

But Romo found no reason to be overly giddy about that notion.

"This win doesn’t put us in the Super Bowl,’’ he said, "and a loss wouldn’t have knocked us out of it. Obviously, does it help our chances? Let’s say we had a 50 percent chance of going to the Super Bowl, maybe (now) it’s 52 percent because maybe we get to play a home game against this team again if we see them.’’

The kid was no history major, but he apparently has a grasp on recent history when it comes to championship games. Over the past 10 years, the home team in the conference title games have gone a not-so-comforting 11-9.

And while the Cowboys’ 11-1 mark may look rather spiffy, they couldn’t deliver the kind of dominating performance you would have hoped to see, especially with Packers starting cornerback Charles Woodson unavailable for duty and Favre missing 2 1/2 quarters.

"There are some things the defense needs to work on,’’ said Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware, "but I think as a whole we played pretty good.’’

Perhaps, but one thing’s for certain, no one in New England broke out in a cold sweat.

Despite the kick in the teeth, the Packers will eventually be buoyed by what they accomplished here while playing at less than full strength.

If Woodson is available, then Jarrett Bush wouldn’t have been. Considering he gave up two touchdowns and had a 40-yard pass interference called on him before being sent to the bench, things could have been much different.

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If pass-rush specialist Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila — tied for third in the NFL in sacks with 9.5 — could have played, perhaps Romo wouldn’t have had time to continue working on his autobiography while also completing passes to wide open receivers.

And if Favre could have remained upright the whole game, well, perhaps the Cowboys don’t want to consider that since a rusty Aaron Rodgers nearly ran them down.

All that said, unless the Packers learn to Cowboy Up, a possible second trip to Texas Stadium will end like the previous nine.

"When you play a team twice, it’s going to help’’ said Packers cornerback Al Harris.

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If the rematch was in Lambeau in January, you couldn’t argue with his logic.

But for reasons that defy logic, one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game can’t figure out how to walk out of this town a winner.

That’s a cold, hard truth that makes it easy to believe that if they do meet again in the playoffs, it will be Groundhog day all over again for the Cowboys.

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