"In the first quarter Sunday, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips predicted a high-scoring game by having the offense go for it on fourth-and-4 in San Diego territory.

The offense picked up the first down, but the gamble only led to a field goal. With that, the Cowboys determined their fate.

When they needed touchdowns, the Cowboys got a field goal or worse. When the moments were ripe for success, the Cowboys blinked.

Or hooked a field goal try. Or failed to score from the Chargers' 1 on three consecutive tries when it was football at its most basic.

"We let opportunity slip away," tight end Jason Witten said.

In the first half, the Cowboys had three prime scoring possessions: first downs at the San Diego 4, 16 and 27. They came away with only three points.

At first glance, quarterback Tony Romo, running back Marion Barber and kicker Nick Folk were to blame.

On the subsequent plays in those possessions, Romo completed 1 of 4 passes for six yards, and Barber had six runs for three yards. Folk made only 1 of 2 field goal tries, missing from 42 yards to put him on top of the endangered-species list.

"It all comes back to haunt you," Romo said. "They always do. That's why getting points and executing when you are down there is very important."

In their two December games, both losses, the Cowboys have shown a self-destructive tendency to do little with scoring chances. In last week's 31-24 loss at the New York Giants, the Cowboys scored 24 points on six possessions that went to or inside the opponents' 35. "