Dallas Cowboys Seal Status As Early Season Contender

If I’m asleep, please, nobody wake me up. Because the last five weeks of the 2014 NFL season have been a big blue Dallas Cowboys dream come true.

Yes, I know we are only six weeks into a long, grinding campaign, but there are plenty of reasons to be happy right now for the ‘Boys who wear the Star and their fans. While the Cowboys played a complete game, except for a couple of special teams boo-boos, the most impressive thing that came out of Sunday’s big win against the Seattle Seahawks was that Dallas was able to hold firm in the face of adversity at several points in the game.

Indeed, the Cowboys dug themselves into a 10-point hole before the first quarter was over and looked to be anything but a super bowl champion slayer. Quarterback Tony Romo had all of Cowboys Nation holding its collective breath as he struggled to regain his feet after a shot to the ribs on the sixth snap of the game. Follow that up with a blocked punt return for touchdown and you have what could have been a recipe for disaster that would have made the Cowboys haters happy.

Shoulda…Coulda…Woulda…Not a chance.

These Cowboys continued to show a level of maturity that hasn’t been seen deep in the heart of Texas for many an NFL season by calmly driving down the field for a touchdown to cut the Seahawks’ lead to three points. Kicker Dan Bailey proved his value to the roster by splitting the uprights from 56-yards out to tie the score and by halftime Dallas was holding a seven point advantage over the reigning champs in the much ballyhooed home of the 12th Man.

The second half saw the Cowboys come up big on defense when the game was in jeopardy with linebacker Rolando McClain hauling in the game clinching interception with under a minute left on the clock. Dallas was able to keep Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson running for all the wrong reasons as he tried to escape pressure from a Dallas defense that appears to be gaining confidence with every passing week. The Cowboys were also able to limit running back Marshawn Lynch to 10 carries for 61 yards.

On the flip side, Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray joined the elite company of Jim Brown as just the second running back in league history to gain over 100 yards in the first six games of the season. He did it in grand style by plowing through the Seahawks number one rated rushing defense.

When the momentum of the game shifted after a fumble by special teams ace Dwayne Harris, the Cowboys circled the wagons and stuck to their game plan. There hasn’t been a sign of panic from this crop of Cowboys yet, as they proved in their rally against the St. Louis Rams and again after the Seahawks regained the lead on Sunday afternoon. Unlike past years when the wheels would fall off in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, this Dallas team has been able to overcome whatever obstacles that are put before them in order to secure a victory. They believe in themselves and that belief is starting to spread throughout Cowboys Nation and beyond.

Dallas’ QB  Romo, who has had anything but good luck in his past battles in Seattle, has been a large part of that change in attitude. He was half of a spectacular toss and catch to wide out Terrance Williams on third and 20 that kept what turned out to be the Cowboys game winning drive alive. We can only hope that Romo’s performance on Sunday will put that awful footage of his playoff bobble in the mothballs once and for all.

There isn’t much opportunity for the Cowboys to savor their huge road win before they must turn their attention to the upcoming visit by the New York Giants. For the fans, though, there is still a little more time to kick back, enjoy some blue Kool-Aid and say with pride,  “How ’bout them Cowboys!”