So much for perfection

The Colts won't say so, because the idea goes counter to the essence of always winning, but the 21-14 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday eases substantial pressure on the team. It put an end to the increasing buildup and attention over the Colts' record and puts them back on equal track with every other elite NFL team. There are definitely some positives in a loss. Now they can concentrate on improving and getting ready for January.

Here's how I saw the Cowboys game:

Passing offense: It looked very much like the loss to the Steelers in last year's playoffs. The Cowboys pressured Manning early and often, and played rough with the Colts receivers. If not for the four turnovers, the Colts could have survived. In this type of situation, losing the ball once is critical. Any more than that vastly increases the chances of a loss. Manning wasn't as sharp as usual because he didn't have his usual time. You could say they had protection problems. But Manning would be careful not to say that.

Running game: Largely contained by the Cowboys. It got off to a rough start on Dominic Rhodes' dancing around first carry and didn't improve a whole lot from there. Joseph Addai played OK, but not as well as some games. However, he did have some good pass-protection moments.

Pass defense: The Colts slipped in the second half, but few teams can contain Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens for an entire game. The pass rush got to Tony Romo on occasion, but not often enough. Big late gains and long drives by the Cowboys showed how much they still miss Bob Sanders. Marlin Jackson (or anyone else) can't drop those interceptions that fall right into their hands.

Run defense: For the Colts, this was a fairly strong effort. They wore down in the second half, but showed enough improvement to make this one of the more encouraging areas of the loss.

Special teams: They didn't get that huge return by Terrence Wilkins, and Adam Vinatieri was never given the chance to be a factor. The return coverage was decent for once.

Coaching: Tony Dungy should have thrown the red flag on the interception return for a touchdown. I'm sure the Cowboys didn't show multiple replays on the big screen, but coaches in the press box have to get word down to Dungy that a play like that is open to review. You can't afford to allow points on the board that could be erased by review.

Overall, this was a great effort by the Cowboys and a mediocre one by the Colts. Mediocrity can't beat a contender, especially on the road. The Colts should bounce back against the Eagles, especially since Donovan McNabb is out for the season. At the very least, the Colts are through with the irritating "Can they go undefeated?" questions for this season.