ARLINGTON, Texas — Please, no whining about fluky interceptions or lucky touchdowns.

Not one single word.
Don’t give these Cowboys any excuses. They don’t deserve them.
Not after the laughable performance they turned in Sunday night before a national television audience and 105,121 folks at Cowboys Stadium.
New York 33, Dallas 31.
Ridiculous.
Maybe, you prefer pathetic.
What about raggedy?
Take your pick. They’re all applicable after the Cowboys made mistake after mistake after mistake and gave the Giants a game they had no business winning.
The players won’t like that description. Neither will the coaches.
So what?
It’s the truth. We all saw it.
Understand, this isn’t about effort. They played hard. They just played poorly.
Tell me you were surprised the Giants drove 56 yards to set up Lawrence Tynes’ 37-yard, winning field goal with no time left.
You shouldn’t have been.
This team regularly finds new and creative ways to lose. For now, it’s their legacy until they man up and change it.
Think about it. The Giants didn’t have starting cornerback Aaron Ross or former Cowboy Chris Canty, a key member of their defensive line rotation. In case you forgot, they lost wide receiver Domenik Hixon in the first quarter and defensive end Justin Tuck in the third.
It didn’t matter, because the Cowboys did their best to keep the Giants in the game with missed tackles, busted coverages and turnovers galore.
Let’s not forget the penalties.
A tripping penalty by Flozell Adams negated a 36-yard gain by Patrick Crayton late in the first half that would’ve given the Cowboys the ball at the 48.
Three plays later, Tony Romo’s pass ricocheted off Jason Witten’s foot and into Kenny Phillips’ arm for an interception. Mario Manningham caught a 22-yard touchdown pass three plays later for a 20-14 lead.
Romo was awful, throwing three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown. He never found a rhythm. It would be easier to accept if the Giants’ defensive line had controlled the game and harassed him into mistakes.
But that didn’t happen. He was just off, completing 13 of 29 passes for 127 yards.
Then there was the defense, which failed to generate a sack or a turnover for the second consecutive game.
Wade Phillips can talk about pressure all he wants, but at some point the Cowboys needs to sack the quarterback. The Cowboys led the league with 59 sacks last season.
We know they struggle to force turnovers, but it becomes nearly impossible if they’re not putting the quarterback under extreme duress.
This was a game the Cowboys needed to win in the worst way, especially after the embarrassing way they closed Texas Stadium. Who will ever forget Baltimore recording the two longest runs in stadium history in the final four minutes to clinch the game?
Actually, given the way the Cowboys closed Texas Stadium, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised they laid an egg in the first game in Cowboys Stadium.
That aside, this was a game the Cowboys needed because the first half of their schedule is considerably easier than the second. Given their propensity for fading — some folks call it choking — after Dec. 1, when the games are more important and legacies are forged, they can’t afford to give away games, especially NFC East games at home.
Now the Cowboys have dug themselves a hole in the division, giving the Giants even more confidence that the Cowboys will find a way to succumb under pressure.
The players won’t like that, but it’s the truth.
We all know it. We’ve all seen it. Time and time again.
The question about the Cowboys the last three years has nothing to do with talent. This team has plenty of skill.
The questions about the Cowboys center on their ability to handle pressure and play when the games matter most.
Their performance against the Giants is yet another example of their failure to do so.