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At 10-4, they already have their most wins since 2009 when they went 11-5.
And they are in first place in the NFC East with two games to go, thanks to a 38-27 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. Corby Davidson is pleased with the Cowboys' current position:
10-4. I repeat, the Dallas Cowboys are 10-4. 2-0 in December. 7-0 on the road.
— Corby Davidson (@corbydavidson) December 15, 2014
The Cowboys still have a shot at a first-round bye and possible home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Now, nothing is guaranteed and the Cowboys could possibly be home for the post season if they lose even one of their final two games against the Indianapolis Colts Dec. 21 and the Washington Commanders.
Still, what the Cowboys have accomplished so far is pure joy to admittedly shocked owner Jerry Jones. He even told fans at the team kickoff luncheon before the season that they were coming into 2014 with their backs against the wall because of a defense seemingly void of any difference-making talent.
Jones appeared to be bracing for something worse than the disappointing 8-8 marks of each of the past three seasons.
He readily acknowledges the Cowboys have “exceeded expectations.”
“It just seems like yesterday that we started the season, and we were trying to guess what this team could do,” Jones said. “There’s no question that we’ve probably in my view, relative to the prior 8-8 teams that we’ve had, we’ve probably given this team, from talent and personnel, the last chance of having 10 wins of any of the last 3-4 years.
"The one reason we did it is because we thought we were giving the teams over the last few years the best chance to win. It is beyond my expectation when we started the year that we’re sitting here with 10 wins.”
The hyperbolic Jones is at once spellbound by the Cowboys' unforeseen situation as well, in a tizzy with excitement and new expectations.
Now that the Cowboys are here—staring at the electrifying possibility of a division title and possible run to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1995—Jones refuses to be satisfied.
He certainly has changed his standard of what constitutes a good season for the Cowboys in 2014.
“It’s difficult for me to admit that at this time,” Jones said Tuesday on his local radio show. “We have a team that’s good enough to not only be in the playoffs, but in my mind, advance in the playoffs. And now that we know that, now that we’ve seen it evolve into that, then I do want to see what it could do in the tournament.
“And I’m pretty positive about how we’re playing and if we can continue to potentially get a little better, which I think that game in Philadelphia will make us better. And if we continue to have those types of experiences and minimize the health issues, the injury issues, then I’m not ready to say this is a good season no matter what.”
Jones credits his newfound optimism not only to the success the Cowboys have had this season but also the eye-opening play of quarterback Tony Romo.
Romo has overcome offseason back surgery while enduring fractured bones in his back and torn rib cartilage to have arguably his best season with the Cowboys. His quarterback rating of 110.4 is nearly eight points higher than his previous career best of 102.5 in 2011. He ranks second in the NFL in that category as well as completion percentage (69.3).
Romo completed 22 of 31 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns against the Eagles. His quarterback rating of 129.1 was the eighth this season of 100.0 or better. Six of the eight have come on the road. Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com provided Romo's stats from the road:
Tony Romo on road this year: 117-of-163 (71.8%), 1,369 yards, 15 TD, 1 INT, 125.0 rating, 6-0 W-L.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 14, 2014
"Most of us can see what Tony was when he was at OTAs or what he was in the offseason, what he was in training camp and he’s been during the season," Jones said. "There’s total transparency here. We’ve watched him cope with his back. We watched him cope with his regimen. He’s one example of how this team (is better).”
Pointing to the victory against the Eagles, Jones said Romo and game-breaking receiver Dez Bryant playing their best football at the right time for the Cowboys. Bryant had six receptions for 114 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in the game.
“Well, I thought it was his best,” Jones said of Bryant. “But I was particularly pleased that he got the opportunity to do that. It really, without over-exaggerating, it was a thing of beauty the way [Tony] Romo was getting the ball to him. I just think that Dez has picked a good time to take it to possibly another level in his play. And that’s right here at playoff time for us. And we’re going to benefit from that.”
Jones believes the Cowboys are also going to benefit from the way they won against the Eagles—jumping out to a 21-0 lead and then weathering a 24-point onslaught before regaining control of the game and getting a decisive victory on the road.
He said it was an example of their mental toughness and how much they have grown during the season while serving as a possible tipping point for something special. According to NFL.com's Judy Battista, there's now a comparative link between the team's mental toughness and how tough Roma is physically:
"The Cowboys are now as tough mentally as Romo is physically." (via @JudyBattista) http://t.co/5Gll0XXZhT pic.twitter.com/OmyTzuUtIu
— NFL (@nfl) December 16, 2014
“We have some young players that are superior players to what they were in training camp,” Jones said. “There’s no question they’ve evolved. They should. You play 20 games to go through a regular season and more if you’re going into the playoffs.
"It’s like starting as a freshman and finishing up the middle of your junior year. You’re supposed to either get better or you’re supposed to go the other way. Well, this bunch is getting better.
"I thought that was significant [against the Eagles]. It was significant. I’ve had cornerstone times in my time with the Cowboys. I had it in Washington when we went up and beat a great Washington team in our second year, then another time when we went up and had a milestone victory.
"Letting these guys jump up here and getting ahead of us again after we were up 21 points and coming on back and playing well is something that will stay with them.”
Jones believes the milestone victory can be the impetus to a playoff run and possibly something super.
While he is surprised by the 10 wins so far, there is no reason to be satisfied now.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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