Did "Fake" Jessica Simpson Derail Dallas Cowboys?

Jan. 14, 2008 — -- Jessica Simpson has a look-alike, and a good one at that -- maybe even good enough to throw "America's team" off its game.

At first glance, the blonde bombshell in the stands during Sunday's NFC Divisional Playoff game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboy's, clad in oversize sunglasses and a replica Cowboys jersey emblazoned with a hot pink No. 9, was a dead ringer for Simpson.

But the blonde-haired beauty was actually Lynsey Nordstrom, a 21-year-old full-time nanny from Washington state who was planted in the third row behind the 50-yard-line by the New York Post. The Post hoped the pseudo-Simpson would distract Dallas' real No. 9, quarterback Tony Romo, who had a notably bad game earlier in the season while a similarly attired Simpson watched from the stands.

Romo also weathered heavy media criticism in the days leading up to the Giants game after the rumored romantic couple were photographed on vacation in Mexico last weekend while many fans thought he should have been preparing for the playoff run.

And the Post's plan may have worked -- the Giants beat Dallas 21-17, with Romo throwing a game-cinching interception in the closing seconds. With the loss, the top-seeded Cowboys fumbled their shot at the Super Bowl and increased speculation that Romo's romantic feelings for Simpson may have taken his eye off the ball.

"We just had fun with this," said Post reporter David Li, who contributed to the Post's front-page coverage of the story.

Li was reluctant to take much responsibility for the Giants' win, "but anything that played any kind of moderate distraction added to the fun of the atmosphere. As a former sports writer and a big football fan, I do think this was more about the [Cowboy's performance] than Jessica Simpson," he said.

Li told ABCNEWS.com that the idea to plant a fake Simpson was the brainchild of one of his editors, who after hearing that the real Simpson was not going to attend the game, came across lookalike Nordstrom's photograph on a sports blog.

"My editor thought it would be funny to provide our own Jessica Simpson and see if it would help our local team," said Li.

Post reporter Jennifer Fermino accompanied Simpson's double to the game, and told ABCNEWS.com that Nordstrom got a lot of double takes.

"As we walked to the stadium fans kept saying, 'Jessica, I thought you weren't coming' or 'Don't come, Jessica,'" said Fermino. "But by the end of the game I was surprised how many people were nice to her and were asking to take photographs with her."