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ARLINGTON, Texas — As Bill Belichick would say, the Dallas Cowboys are "on to Seattle" for another measuring-stick showdown.
The Cowboys are on their way despite a less-than-stellar performance in a 20-17 overtime victory against the Houston Texans.
The Cowboys had two red-zone turnovers. They fumbled a punt, dropped a possible touchdown pass at the 1-yard line, blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead and missed a potential game-winning kick at the end of regulation.
Yet the Cowboys got an satisfyingly ugly victory thanks to a miraculous catch by receiver Dez Bryant in overtime to set up a Dan Bailey's game-winning 49-yard field goal.
One of the steps to becoming a good team is learning how to win.
And if the 2014 season turns into something special for the Cowboys, they will look back at the Sunday's win against the Texans as an important moment in the process.
It was game they likely would have lost in past years. But against the Texans, the Cowboys never wavered, never stopped believing and kept on fighting even when things weren't perfect.
"That's something that would have made us fold last year," linebacker Justin Durant said. "We take pride in what we are doing right now. We know the type of players we have, the attitude we have, and it's showing on the field."
"We have been through a lot here" said cornerback Brandon Carr. "We have been blown out. We have blown leads. We have lost leads. We have been thought it all. We would have lost this game last year. You have to learn how to win. You win ugly. You win pretty. You win whatever. You just win."
The Cowboys did win.
They are now headed to the sleepy Northwest with growing confidence, riding a four-game winning streak, their longest since 2011.
The Cowboys are on to Seattle with a 4-1 mark for the first time since 2008, looking to see just how good they really are in another measuring-stick showdown against the defending Super Bowl champions.
That's how the Cowboys felt about Week 4's 38-17 victory against the New Orleans Saints, a team that had dominated them of late with wins in eight of the previous nine games in the series.
They looked at that game to see how they measured up against a team that has been a perennial playoff contender for much of the past decade, and they passed the test with flying colors.
But all of the momentum they gained in Week 4 against the Saints would have been lost with a setback in what essentially was a trap game against a better-than-expected Houston team.
Owner Jerry Jones has watched his team crumble late and miss the playoffs during 8-8 seasons of past years.
So the victory against the Texans was important to give Dallas some cushion against another tough December slate.
It's important to note that no Cowboys team has ever started 4-1 and ended with a record worse than 9-7. And only twice has Dallas failed to make the playoffs after starting 4-1.
But the Cowboys also know a truer test is waiting for them in Seattle on Sunday to see just where they are in the process of becoming a legitimate playoff contender.
"We're a team that's trying to really get our feet up under us," Jones said. "We're trying to build, and it would have been a setback to lose the game today, for us, after having that big effort last week. The [Seattle game] is really an opportunity just as that Saint game was an opportunity.
"You go up there, and if we could have a win and come out of Seattle when no one is expecting it, then that would be a real. You look for those. You try to find those, how you can basically build this thing and build that mirror so that they know they can do it. That'll give us an opportunity to do that."
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...
The Cowboys are on their way despite a less-than-stellar performance in a 20-17 overtime victory against the Houston Texans.
The Cowboys had two red-zone turnovers. They fumbled a punt, dropped a possible touchdown pass at the 1-yard line, blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead and missed a potential game-winning kick at the end of regulation.
Yet the Cowboys got an satisfyingly ugly victory thanks to a miraculous catch by receiver Dez Bryant in overtime to set up a Dan Bailey's game-winning 49-yard field goal.
One of the steps to becoming a good team is learning how to win.
And if the 2014 season turns into something special for the Cowboys, they will look back at the Sunday's win against the Texans as an important moment in the process.
It was game they likely would have lost in past years. But against the Texans, the Cowboys never wavered, never stopped believing and kept on fighting even when things weren't perfect.
"That's something that would have made us fold last year," linebacker Justin Durant said. "We take pride in what we are doing right now. We know the type of players we have, the attitude we have, and it's showing on the field."
"We have been through a lot here" said cornerback Brandon Carr. "We have been blown out. We have blown leads. We have lost leads. We have been thought it all. We would have lost this game last year. You have to learn how to win. You win ugly. You win pretty. You win whatever. You just win."
The Cowboys did win.
They are now headed to the sleepy Northwest with growing confidence, riding a four-game winning streak, their longest since 2011.
The Cowboys are on to Seattle with a 4-1 mark for the first time since 2008, looking to see just how good they really are in another measuring-stick showdown against the defending Super Bowl champions.
That's how the Cowboys felt about Week 4's 38-17 victory against the New Orleans Saints, a team that had dominated them of late with wins in eight of the previous nine games in the series.
They looked at that game to see how they measured up against a team that has been a perennial playoff contender for much of the past decade, and they passed the test with flying colors.
But all of the momentum they gained in Week 4 against the Saints would have been lost with a setback in what essentially was a trap game against a better-than-expected Houston team.
Owner Jerry Jones has watched his team crumble late and miss the playoffs during 8-8 seasons of past years.
So the victory against the Texans was important to give Dallas some cushion against another tough December slate.
It's important to note that no Cowboys team has ever started 4-1 and ended with a record worse than 9-7. And only twice has Dallas failed to make the playoffs after starting 4-1.
But the Cowboys also know a truer test is waiting for them in Seattle on Sunday to see just where they are in the process of becoming a legitimate playoff contender.
"We're a team that's trying to really get our feet up under us," Jones said. "We're trying to build, and it would have been a setback to lose the game today, for us, after having that big effort last week. The [Seattle game] is really an opportunity just as that Saint game was an opportunity.
"You go up there, and if we could have a win and come out of Seattle when no one is expecting it, then that would be a real. You look for those. You try to find those, how you can basically build this thing and build that mirror so that they know they can do it. That'll give us an opportunity to do that."
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...