Wednesday, November 16, 2005

The Dallas Cowboys put the rest of the NFC on NOTICE

Jean-Jacques Taylor: Cowboys make a statement
06:47 PM CST on Tuesday, November 15, 2005

TIDBIT: Every team goes through it. At some point, it has to beat the neighborhood bully to legitimize itself as a contender in the division or the conference. In 1966, Tom Landry’s Cowboys ended a seven-game losing streak to Jim Brown and the Cleveland Browns with a 26-14 win in November. Dallas finished 10-3-1 – the franchise’s first winning season – and advanced to the NFL Championship game, losing to Green Bay. The Cowboys did not have another losing season until 1986. In 1991, Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys ended an eight-game losing streak to Reggie White, Randall Cunningham and the Philadelphia Eagles on a rainy night at Veterans Stadium. Backup quarterback Steve Beuerlein and punt returner Kelvin Martin propelled Dallas to a 25-13 win. Dallas finished 11-5 and made the playoffs for the first time since 1985. The next year, the Cowboys won the first of three Super Bowls in a four-year period.

Dallas took a similar step Monday night with its shocking, 21-20 come-from-behind win over Philadelphia. The Cowboys swept the Eagles for the first time since 1998 and proved their 23-point win over the Eagles and Donovan McNabb last month was no fluke. Now, they believe.