Patriots-Cowboys

As a casual fan (didn't read any recaps yesterday), I didn't come away all that dispirited from the game Sunday. Two of their biggest concerns were simply exploited by a superior team: pass coverage and penalties.
They did a good enough job containing Moss, but at the expense of (again, without knowing the stats) a good game from Stallworth and Welker abusing them underneath. He showed them that they have to be good covering allll areas/zones. Pass defense was something I was hoping they were working on since Week 1.
And the penalties, aye yiy YIY! My first thought: for all the "right fit at the right time" commentary about Phillips, aren't excessive penalties the kind of thing that follow an easy-going coach, as opposed to a drill sergeant? That, to me, was the worst part of the game.

They played true to form. They were all over the field, hustling and whatnot. They could be a diamond whose rough edges simply need smoothing. I was impressed to see them close to 4 by halftime, and take the lead in the 3rd quarter. But their defense helped the Patriots prove that sometimes the best defense is a good offense. They wore the Cowboys D down. The Pats last two scores looked like they came against a tired defense. I can't help but wonder if a few more 3rd down stops and a few less (offensive) penalties would have contributed to something less than a 21-point final margin.