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Cowboys' numbers impressive, but beating Packers most important goal now
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
November 23, 2007
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- The records keep coming for the Dallas Cowboys, with more in sight. Good ones, too.
Most wins? The record is 13, and this club is already 10-1, itself a record for best start. Dallas would have to finish 2-3 or worse not to get this one.
Most points? The record is 479, and this club has 358. The Cowboys' season low is 24 points, done only once. They'll have to average that or less to fall short of this mark.
Most touchdown passes? With 29, Tony Romo already has surpassed the greatest seasons by Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach and tied the record set by Danny White. Terrell Owens has been on the receiving end of 13 TDs, one shy of matching that record.
As glorious as it all sounds for a franchise with such a proud history, these milestones will be pretty useless if the Cowboys don't win their next game -- at home, Thursday night, against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, who happen to also be 10-1.
The winner will have a two-game lead in the chase for home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs with only four games left. Put more bluntly, the upcoming game could determine whether the conference championship is played at Texas Stadium or Lambeau Field.
"I like Texas Stadium better," Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware said.
A late January game in Green Bay wouldn't necessarily doom Dallas' Super Bowl chances. After all, the Cowboys are 5-0 on the road and, as coach Wade Phillips noted Friday, a game in nasty weather would mean fewer passes and more runs, which probably would benefit his club.
Still, there's something to be said about getting to play at home, like Dallas will do in this potential NFC championship preview.
"The thing that excites me is this team always seems like they've been up for a challenge like this," tight end Jason Witten said. "This is why you play, to be in these situations."
The Cowboys are enjoying their most pleasantly surprising season since 1992, when Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin went from up-and-comers to team to beat.
Like the '92 squad, Dallas came into this season expecting to be good, just not so good that it's rattled off a pair of five-game winning streaks around the lone loss, to undefeated New England. Expectations are now flying despite the team having gone 10 straight seasons without winning a playoff game.
"To see those really hard, lean years, and now to be part of the Dallas Cowboys on a positive side, it's a good feeling," said linebacker Greg Ellis, who arrived in 1998, when the postseason drought was only a year old.
Playing before a national audience on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys offered a pretty good primer for folks who haven't been watching with their 34-3 stomping of the New York Jets.
While it was far from their best performance, they were in control from the start and never relented. Romo didn't dominate, but still completed 75 percent of his passes and had two touchdowns. They ran for another score and had their most yards rushing all season. They didn't allow a touchdown for the first time and won by their widest margin.
"The goal is to continue to get better, continue to work," linebacker Bradie James said.
Taking care of business is never as easy as it sounds in the NFL. In this case, Dallas had to get fired up for a 2-8 team on a short week following a win over rival Washington that closed a 3-0 stretch against division foes. And right before the showdown with the Packers.
"We have done that all year," Phillips said. "We have focused at the game at hand, and I think we will continue to do that. We will certainly focus on this one. ... If we play our best, we are going to do well."
A big part of the buildup for this game will be the quarterbacks, Favre vs. the kid who grew up in Wisconsin cheering for No. 4. It can't be a coincidence that Romo's swashbuckling style is a lot like Favre's.
"I just think it's going to be fun," Romo said. "Any time you play in a big game it's enjoyable. The fact it's the Packers is exciting for me."
Dallas and Green Bay will be only the second 10-1 teams to square off since 1970.
The last time it happened was in 1990, when the New York Giants went to San Francisco and lost to the 49ers. They met again at Candlestick Park in the NFC championship game and the Bill Parcells-coached Giants won the rematch. They went on to win the Super Bowl.
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
November 23, 2007
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- The records keep coming for the Dallas Cowboys, with more in sight. Good ones, too.
Most wins? The record is 13, and this club is already 10-1, itself a record for best start. Dallas would have to finish 2-3 or worse not to get this one.
Most points? The record is 479, and this club has 358. The Cowboys' season low is 24 points, done only once. They'll have to average that or less to fall short of this mark.
Most touchdown passes? With 29, Tony Romo already has surpassed the greatest seasons by Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach and tied the record set by Danny White. Terrell Owens has been on the receiving end of 13 TDs, one shy of matching that record.
As glorious as it all sounds for a franchise with such a proud history, these milestones will be pretty useless if the Cowboys don't win their next game -- at home, Thursday night, against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, who happen to also be 10-1.
The winner will have a two-game lead in the chase for home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs with only four games left. Put more bluntly, the upcoming game could determine whether the conference championship is played at Texas Stadium or Lambeau Field.
"I like Texas Stadium better," Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware said.
A late January game in Green Bay wouldn't necessarily doom Dallas' Super Bowl chances. After all, the Cowboys are 5-0 on the road and, as coach Wade Phillips noted Friday, a game in nasty weather would mean fewer passes and more runs, which probably would benefit his club.
Still, there's something to be said about getting to play at home, like Dallas will do in this potential NFC championship preview.
"The thing that excites me is this team always seems like they've been up for a challenge like this," tight end Jason Witten said. "This is why you play, to be in these situations."
The Cowboys are enjoying their most pleasantly surprising season since 1992, when Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin went from up-and-comers to team to beat.
Like the '92 squad, Dallas came into this season expecting to be good, just not so good that it's rattled off a pair of five-game winning streaks around the lone loss, to undefeated New England. Expectations are now flying despite the team having gone 10 straight seasons without winning a playoff game.
"To see those really hard, lean years, and now to be part of the Dallas Cowboys on a positive side, it's a good feeling," said linebacker Greg Ellis, who arrived in 1998, when the postseason drought was only a year old.
Playing before a national audience on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys offered a pretty good primer for folks who haven't been watching with their 34-3 stomping of the New York Jets.
While it was far from their best performance, they were in control from the start and never relented. Romo didn't dominate, but still completed 75 percent of his passes and had two touchdowns. They ran for another score and had their most yards rushing all season. They didn't allow a touchdown for the first time and won by their widest margin.
"The goal is to continue to get better, continue to work," linebacker Bradie James said.
Taking care of business is never as easy as it sounds in the NFL. In this case, Dallas had to get fired up for a 2-8 team on a short week following a win over rival Washington that closed a 3-0 stretch against division foes. And right before the showdown with the Packers.
"We have done that all year," Phillips said. "We have focused at the game at hand, and I think we will continue to do that. We will certainly focus on this one. ... If we play our best, we are going to do well."
A big part of the buildup for this game will be the quarterbacks, Favre vs. the kid who grew up in Wisconsin cheering for No. 4. It can't be a coincidence that Romo's swashbuckling style is a lot like Favre's.
"I just think it's going to be fun," Romo said. "Any time you play in a big game it's enjoyable. The fact it's the Packers is exciting for me."
Dallas and Green Bay will be only the second 10-1 teams to square off since 1970.
The last time it happened was in 1990, when the New York Giants went to San Francisco and lost to the 49ers. They met again at Candlestick Park in the NFC championship game and the Bill Parcells-coached Giants won the rematch. They went on to win the Super Bowl.
