I believe that there is a chance that Bill Parcells will return as coach of the Dallas Cowboys next season regardless of Terrell Owens’ employment status with owner Jerry Jones.

T.O. coming back to Big D may not drive Parcells to retirement in Saratoga, N.Y., but a team that can’t win the big game just might. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Dallas playoff-bound team be embarrassed in consecutive home games by the likes of Drew Brees and Jeff Garcia. The score count in those two losses: 65-24.

The New Orleans Saints, once the laughingstock of the NFL for their general incompetence, humiliated the Cowboys in Texas Stadium. Now, the “no-shot Eagles,” like Jimmy Johnson likes to say, were beaten by a quarterback Owens once outted as an unmanly man.

Several things doomed the Cowboys from having a merry Christmas:

One, Marion Barber finished with negative yards in three goal-line carries late in the first quarter. Hey, Parcells loves going for it on fourth down and Barber is one determined running back. But when the kid can’t gain a foot in two attempts against a supposedly porous Philadelphia run defense maybe a light should go on and say, ‘Hey, these Eagles may know our run calls better than we’re blocking right now.’ If Dallas kicks the field goal, the Eagles don’t gain street cred for being Christmas bullies.

Two, Tony Romo didn’t look like a Pro Bowl quarterback. Granted, the NFC doesn’t have many good quarterbacks this season, but Romo struggled with Philadelphia’s blitz pressure and misfired, completing less than 50 percent of his attempts for 142 yards and had two interceptions against a rejuvenated Eagles’ secondary.

Three, Owens dropped another huge third-down ball down the left sidelines, with the score 16-7 and the Cowboys in desperate need of a big play. Owens said the defender interfered with him and then complained about not seeing enough passes his way early in the game. The thing about Dallas is that Romo is going to the open man and not every Dallas play, based on his 16 dropped passes this season, can be earmarked for Owens.

Packers need computer error

Supposedly, the Packers have a chance at the final NFC wild-card berth even if the New York Giants beat Washington this Saturday and the Packers upset division rival Chicago. I don’t see how. I mean, there would have to be a computer glitch or something.

Right now, the Giants have beaten seven teams who have won 46 games. The Packers have beaten six teams (Minnesota twice) who have won 33 games. And this is when the so-called strength of victory category that will come into play. Even by collecting 13 wins by beating the Bears, the Giants will collect 5 more wins by beating the Redskins. They’ll collect another win when Philadelphia and Atlanta play (they’ve beaten both of those teams) and there’s no way that Dallas will lose to Detroit. The Eagles swept the Cowboys.

To me, the Giants are in — even though I'm not sure they deserve to be going anywhere but home at the end of the season — by simply beating the Redskins.

One more year

It is looking more and more like Lions GM Matt Millen will return for one final season. Owner William Clay Ford hasn’t tipped his hand or said anything publicly on the subject, but Millen’s fate is probably hinged to head coach Rod Marinelli. Ford likes Marinelli and his no-nonsense approach to the players. Millen hired Marinelli and Ford probably thinks that it’s too early to dump Marinelli, who does have confidence in Millen.

One more year for Millen may make the rest of the NFL jealous of his status and salary, but that’s the way it goes in Motown.

Christmas Day afterthoughts

One of the worst teams I saw this summer was the New Orleans Saints. Personnel people around the league concurred with me.

Now, that the Saints are 3-0 and heading toward a showdown game with the Carolina Panthers this Sunday, there are two theories: 1.) preseason games definitely don't reveal a team's true identity or 2.) new head coach Sean Payton and his defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs have this team playing well above their heads.

Granted, the Saints played with enormous emotion Monday night in the franchise's return to the Superdome, but they also stuffed the potent Atlanta rushing game and Drew Brees directed a wide-open offense.

Payton has done a masterful job with Reggie Bush, who may not have huge numbers but truly scares defensive coordinators. The Falcons made an effort to account for Bush and in the process it opened up other areas on the field for Deuce McAlister and rookie receiver Marques Colston. In August, the Saints' offensive line looked like it had major holes, but that hasn't been the case with Payton's aggressive play-calling.

Give Payton another huge pat on the back for realizing early in training camp that Colston, a mere seventh-rounder from Hofstra, might be a big-time receiver. Payton's confidence in Colston (15 catches for 204 yards) allowed the Saints to trade away Donte Stallworth to the Eagles.

Anybody notice that Stallworth is injured again?

Some truth to Shockey

It had been written for a week or more that Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren was seriously considering a lot of four-wide receiver formations prior to the New York game because he had to get newcomer Deion Branch on the field. Holmgren even admitted to possibly using the formation at least 10 times a game.

Well, the New York Giants apparently can't read.

They looked totally unprepared to deal with the four-wide look on Sunday as Holmgren used it extensively, helping Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a career day. Hasselbeck threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first half as Seattle built a 35-3 lead. In most cases, receivers were wide open. There wasn't a Giant within 10 yards of tight end Will Heller when he caught his fourth career touchdown.

The formation prevented the Giants' pass rushers from getting to Hasselbeck because with a receiver always open, Hasselbeck was getting rid of the ball before anyone got near him. It was a frustrating day for players like Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.

Ponder these numbers

- Everything you hear out of Detroit is that the Lions finally have the right head coach in Rod Marinelli. And still the Lions are off to a 0-3 start and GM Matt Millen is now 21-62.

- Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger doesn't have a quarterback rating over 31.0 in his last three starts, which includes the Super Bowl. The "great" Hines Ward has nine catches for 99 yards. Where are the big plays?

- The Raiders are in their must-win mode this week. But just remember they lost to the Browns last season at home on three Phil Dawson field goals, 9-7.

- Minnesota's offense has gone 10 quarters now without a touchdown.

Good move

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy opted for a lot more shotgun formations last Sunday in order to give Brett Favre time to see downfield. With young offensive linemen learning a new zone-blocking system, it made a lot of sense and Favre delivered with three touchdown (402 in his career) passes. McCarthy figures to do more of the same because Green Bay will be in a lot of high-scoring games this season.

Wait a week on Leinart

Arizona coach Denny Green is leaning towards starting rookie Matt Leinart over Kurt Warner this Sunday in Atlanta. But wouldn't it be better, considering the Georgia Dome might be pretty hostile this weekend, to wait a week and allow Leinart to get his first start at home against the Kansas City Chiefs?

Of the rookie quarterbacks, Leinart was always considered the one most ready to play this season. Mentally, he knows the playbook. He possesses big-game poise, too. But there's nothing wrong in waiting because Green really doesn't want him to fail and there's really no sense in turning back to Warner once the coach makes the switch.