[Bette]

It's become fashionable to claim that Philadelphia and Baltimore have provided the rest of the league with a blueprint on how to beat New England.
Let's not suggest that Detroit has done the same with the Cowboys. For one thing, the Lions didn't win. That seems to be a crucial element to any successful blueprint and one that has been ignored when discussing what the Eagles and Ravens have accomplished.

But Detroit and offensive wizard Mike Martz employed a game plan the Cowboys are certain to encounter again in the playoffs.
The Lions ran the ball to control the clock, neutralize the pass rush on quarterback Jon Kitna and keep the Cowboys offense off the field. The defense played a Cover 2 designed to take the popcorn away from Terrell Owens and prevent the Cowboys from hitting the big play.
The hope was that quarterback Tony Romo would lose his patience or that Owens would lose his mind.
Neither happened. But Detroit's defense did manage to hold the Cowboys to just one play of more than 20 yards. That's a season low.

It wasn't a blueprint on how to beat the Cowboys, but it was a solid scheme. The Cowboys can expect to see it again.
Soon.

A blueprint against Dallas Cowboys? Possibly | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | SportsDay: Football: Cowboys