off to a quick start leading 28–3 at halftime. The Cowboys fought back in the second half, but it was not enough, and the game ended in a 38–31 loss. The Cowboys won their next three games before losing in Week 16 to the New Orleans Saints in overtime. Going into Week 17 they were once again one win away from winning their division, but so were their opponents that week, the Redskins. The game was tight throughout. With less than 3 minutes to go, the Cowboys were down 21–18 but had the ball and were starting to drive down the field. Tony Romo threw a game-ending interception, though, and they lost 28–18, ending their season with an 8–8 record and missing the playoffs for the third straight year. 2013 The Cowboys opened the 2013 season by defeating their division rival New York Giants 36–31. This win was punctuated after Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw an interception to Brandon Carr whom returned it for a touchdown. This was the first time the Cowboys had defeated the Giants at home since 2008. Just like the previous year, the Cowboys lost three of their next four games. The third loss of that run was a shootout to the eventual AFC Champion Denver Broncos 51–48. Tony Romo threw for over 500 yards with five touchdowns. However, late in the 4th quarter with the game tied at 48 he threw an interception to Danny Trevathan which set up the Broncos' winning field goal. They rebounded in Week 6 by decisively defeating the division rival Washington Redskins 31–16. Week 7 brought another division game, this time against the Philadelphia Eagles, and a 17–3 win. However, the next week they lost to the Detroit Lions in a tight 31–30 loss to end the month of October. They went 3–1 in the month of November which included another win over the Giants. Their sole loss that month was a Week 10 49-17 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints. They began December with two crucial losses to the Chicago Bears 45-28 and to the Green Bay Packers 37–36. The Week 15 loss to the Packers was especially noteworthy since the Cowboys had a 26–3 halftime lead. Talk of the annual "December Curse" was in full effect. They came into their Week 16 division matchup against the Redskins with a 7–7 record but still in the hunt with