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After dropping two consecutive games—for the only time this season—against the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals in Weeks 8 and 9, Dallas has won its last two and is rolling heading into the crucial final quarter of the season's matchups, which will feature two games against the Eagles.
Romo did not play against the Cardinals due to a re-aggravation of last season's back injury against Washington, and in that two-game stretch, Cowboys Nation held its breath as it contemplated the reality of Romo missing multiple games or playing ineffectively due to pain.
It remains to be seen if Romo's back can withstand the brutal three games in 12 days schedule that Dallas is in the midst of, with the next matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thanksgiving Day and then a game against the Chicago Bears the following Thursday.
But the momentum Romo and the Cowboys started building in his Week 10 return against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in which he went a surgical 20-of-27 for 246 yards and three touchdowns, carried through the well-timed bye week into Sunday night's prime-time game against the Giants.
Romo posted a season-high passer rating of 143.4 as he threw for 275 yards and four scores, two of them to Dez Bryant, who also accounted for 86 of Romo's yards.
But the win over the Giants was truly a team effort by Dallas; Romo connected with seven different receivers and handed the ball to DeMarco Murray often, who motored to 121 yards on the night.
Cole Beasley was the team's second-most productive receiver, with 66 yards and a touchdown. In his postgame press conference, Jason Garrett stressed the importance of getting players like Beasley involved in the offensive attack in addition to Bryant, Jason Witten and Murray.
"Those complementary players, they can really challenge a defense," Garrett said. That's exactly what the Cowboys were able to do against the Giants.
The offensive line also deserved enormous praise; it gave Romo excessive time in the pocket against the Giants.
That kind of offensive balance will be the Cowboys' calling card for the remainder of the season as they attempt to overtake the Eagles for the division crown, including in their head-to-head matchup next week. But the run game, especially, may prove to be Dallas' edge.
"They have a good team and so do we," LeSean McCoy said about the Cowboys on Sunday, per Chris McPherson of PhiladelphiaEagles.com. "It’s a game we must win.”
Murray has outperformed LeSean McCoy in every category this season, and is in fact having the best season of his professional career. Though McCoy took the NFL rushing title last season, Murray has almost twice as many yards as him.
And though the Eagles lead the Cowboys in passing offense heading into the matchup, take that ranking with a grain of salt. Though Mark Sanchez has averaged more yards per game (296.8) than Nick Foles (270.4), the Eagles' offensive weapons have scored less since he took over at the helm.
Jeremy Maclin has scored just one touchdown in the last three games, despite scoring two in two consecutive games prior to Sanchez taking over as the starter, and doesn't appear to have fully developed chemistry with his new quarterback.
Philadelphia's special teams, however, could be Dallas' undoing. Josh Huff's 107-yard kick return for a score against the Tennessee Titans was the sixth such special-teams touchdown of the season for the Eagles. Philadelphia leads the league in punt return yards, with 423 total and an average of 16.3.
Darren Sproles, a nightmare for any defensive coordinator to plan for, is a big reason why, and Dallas must prepare to contain him and the Eagles' productive special teams unit.
On defense, against all dire predictions preceding the season, the Cowboys have approached something like stoutness, and are certainly well-prepared to slow down their remaining opponents, including Philadelphia (twice in three weeks), Chicago, the Indianapolis Colts and Washington.
As balanced as Dallas' offense is, so too is its defense, equipped to stop both the run and the pass with comparable degrees of success. It happily welcomed back inside linebacker and playmaker Rolando McClain, who missed the game against the Jaguars in London prior to the bye with "several nagging injuries" per DallasCowboys.com.
But his presence was certainly felt Sunday against New York, especially when he made a game-sealing tackle that prevented a Giants first down by Rashad Jennings, and thus any attempt at a last-ditch comeback.
He'll be crucial against McCoy and Matt Forte in the upcoming matchups.
Tied for first place with two games to go against Philadelphia, the Cowboys are tantalizingly close to controlling their own destiny, a coveted position to be in for a team that has finished 8-8 the last three seasons in a row.
Dallas needs just one more win to leave that unwanted distinction behind this season, while the path to the division title certainly runs through Philadelphia. Sweeping those matchups in the next three weeks puts this team in position to contend for the NFC championship.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
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