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Mentally tough Cowboys no longer 'panic' when facing big deficit

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It was a frustration born of 8-8 and 8-8 and 8-8, of not making the few extra plays that win a few extra games that determine the difference between a trip to the playoffs and another infuriatingly average season.

"I think we've always been tough," Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. "I think being poised is what we've done a better job of … not really panicking when we're down at the half and then going and doing something about it."

\ason Witten (82) celebrates with teammates after scoring a TD against the Giants. (AP)
\ason Witten (82) celebrates with teammates after scoring a TD against the Giants. (AP)

The music was blaring inside the Cowboys' locker room as midnight struck here and Witten spoke in front of his locker. A 31-28 come-from-behind victory against the New York Giants was assured, an eighth win was secured yet it's pre-Thanksgiving this time.

This wasn't pretty. The three-win Giants led 21-10 at the half and the place was buzzing because of Odell Beckham Jr.'s circus catch and New York had wracked up 237 total yards and plenty of the Cowboys fans were wondering if this is when the collapse begins. Including, perhaps, even the owner.

"The first half scared me," Jerry Jones admitted.

Only it didn't scare the Cowboys players. Across last spring, they say, during the churn of OTAs, personal workouts and private conversations, there was an agreement to change things, change how this team would react to getting down. It's not that this win against the Giants – or the previous come-from-behind victories of this season – mean everything is solved. Just as it doesn't mean the teams of the past weren't capable of storming back.

It does mean, they say, the mentality is different now. They're doing something about things.

"I don't want to say you speak it into fruition," cornerback Brandon Carr said. "It is just guys reassuring that, 'I've got your back.' When your back is against the wall and you can look to the left and the right and you've got your soldiers, guys you've been grinding with since March, April, when you see that and the confidence in each guy's eyes, and you can see nothing rattles them, then that gives you more confidence."

So the Dallas defense stiffened and the Dallas offense came together and eventually the ball wound up with Tony Romo standing behind an offensive line that gave him all day to lead a late game-winning drive. It ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant on a play that felt 13 seconds long.

"It's unbelievable," safety Cowboys Barry Church said. "For Tony to sit back there and have nine to 10 seconds before he even has to release the ball, it's amazing. It shows you what this offensive line is capable of."

The whole team, really. It isn't easy buying into the Cowboys because … well, all those 8-8 seasons.

This looks different and feels different. And it isn't going away. Maybe they aren't Green Bay or New England, but in a wide-open NFC, who knows what they are capable of achieving.

Thursday's game against Philadelphia will be a true test – divisional positioning and national credibility are on the line and the Cowboys know it. They've been focused on the opportunity.

"We've prepared during our bye week for Philadelphia," Jones said. "So we have some hay in the barn. We're as ready as we can be."

The Eagles (8-3) loom large. Dallas knows that even with its own 8-3 record and a share of the division lead, the playoffs are anything but assured.

The NFC is a conference of contradictions; seven teams with seven or more victories all competing for five playoff sports – three divisions, two wild cards. Two teams with good records right now will be left out … while some lousy team from the NFC South will get in.

There's more, though. Dallas is still in the process of proving to itself that this year is, indeed, different. External expectations were low coming in, yet around the team there was always a confidence something special was possible.

Now the offensive line is a rock. The defense is better than predicted. Romo is holding up physically and playing well – four TDs Sunday, with no picks. DeMarco Murray is churning on – 143 total yards. There is a slew of offensive weapons on the perimeter.

And there's a full push to deal with setbacks and seize games they used to lose, of not falling back into the same old Cowboys.

"I think when you come up short three years in a row," Witten said, "there is a lot of self-evaluating. There is a lot of looking yourself in the mirror and you go back, there is always two or three or four, five plays that make a difference. …The core group of us have fought but somehow come up short in those games."

Witten is the first to remind people the team blew a game against Washington and fell into too big of a hole against San Francisco and let the Arizona game get away from it. No one is saying this is perfect. This was a victory, though.

"You are down 11 on the road at the half, it's a matter of challenging each other to stay focused," coach Jason Garrett said. "It's going to come down to your mental toughness."

Go figure, the Dallas Cowboys … mentally tough. The Dallas Cowboys positioned for a playoff push. The Dallas Cowboys standing at 8-3.

"It's better than having seven," Romo said.

For Dallas, a commitment made last spring, playing out deep into the fall, deep into a season with so few expectations, so many doubters and now so much possibility.