New Orleans ? Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are marching toward perfection no more.

Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware helped Dallas end its December doldrums, and the Cowboys held off a frenzied rally by the Saints for a 24-17 victory Saturday night.

The loss by the Saints (13-1) left the Indianapolis Colts (14-0) as the NFL’s only unbeaten team this season.

“We’ll digest this. It’ll sting a little bit going down,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Nonetheless, it is what it is, and we’ve got to get back to work next week. We have two important games in front of us, and we’ll take that approach.”

The high-powered Saints trailed, 24-3, going into the fourth quarter, then scored two fast touchdowns. After Dallas kicker Nick Folk watched his 24-yard field goal try clang off the right upright shortly before the two-minute warning, Brees got a final chance to tie it.

Brees quickly moved the Saints into Dallas territory. But on second down, Ware sacked Brees and forced a fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys with six seconds left.

“As poorly as we played, we were fortunate just to have that chance on the final drive,” Payton said. “But we couldn’t get anything going, really.”

Romo passed for 312 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown to Miles Austin. Ware returned from a neck injury that left his status in doubt and was part of a relentless Dallas pass rush that pressured Brees all night.

Marion Barber had two short touchdown runs for the Cowboys (9-5), who ended a two-game skid and proved they were good enough to beat the top team in the NFC in front of a charged-up, hostile crowd.

The Cowboys’ troubles in December had been well documented — they are 4-8 in the month in three seasons under coach Wade Phillips — but this win provided a dramatic boost to their playoff chances. They’ll hold on to a wild-card spot for at least another week.