The defense played poorly, that said:
- They weren't on the field for the last 6. If you say "the defense gave up 40", you aren't being accurate or even rational.
- They got a fumble stop late in the 4th that should have iced it.
- They got a 3 and out in overtime that should have won it
- They gave the offense the ball around the Jags 40, which turned into a 3 and out fieldgoal instead of a TD
- One of the TD's was again on a short field after an interception
This game was lost on both sides of the ball. The Dallas offense had multiple opportunities set up by the defense to win the game and they either got stopped or turned the ball over.
Parcells used to be very big into time management, field position, ball control, etc. Today is a beautiful example of why his methods win games even if its not always pretty. Dallas had this game in the bag and the just handed it away.