Dallas Cowboys Hitting Super Bowl-Worthy Stride Entering January

The Dallas Cowboys have exceeded almost everyone's expectations this season, but what's really amazing about the surprisingly strong Cowboys is that they seem to be getting even better as the season continues. 

Proof of that really came in Week 17, as Dallas crushed the Washington Redskins in a game that carried little meaning. Even when the Cowboys began sitting some starters, they continued to dominate a division rival they lost to at home earlier this season. 

Remember that Monday Night Football defeat? On that night, back in Week 8, it seemed as though the 'Skins had created a blueprint for beating Dallas by using a wide array of front-seven looks in order to confuse a young offensive line and apply constant pressure on quarterback Tony Romo. 

They chased Romo from that game with a back injury, which he suffered on the last of five sacks from the Washington defense. But two months later, in Washington, the Dallas offensive line basically shut down the Redskins pass rush, limiting the 'Skins to just a single sack while enabling Romo to do his thing.

The result: a 44-17 victory, Dallas' fourth in a row entering the playoffs. And now, the Cowboys are the league's hottest all-around team as the postseason arrives, having won those four matchups by a combined score of 165-79. 

Category	First 3 months	December
Record	8-4	4-0
Points/game	25.2	41.3
Points allowed/game	22.8	19.8
Turnover margin	-3	+9

The Cowboys defense, which was supposed to be a huge liability this year, forced a season-high four turnovers Sunday and now has 12 takeaways in the last four games. That unsung hero-laden unit no longer looks like it'll sink the Cowboys in January, while the star-studded offense looks primed to carry the load. 

“We felt like we were playing in the playoffs this month,” Romo said after the victory, per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

Romo was once again tremendous in Washington and is likely to finish the regular season as the NFL's highest-rated passer. Running back DeMarco Murray, who will win the rushing crown, hit 100 yards Sunday for the 12th time in 16 games. Only six other backs in NFL history have accomplished that feat. And wide receiver Dez Bryant caught two more touchdown passes to boost his league-leading total to 16. 

Throw in that the jacked-up Dallas offensive line has been dominant on nearly a weekly basis, and it's hard to find a reason why this team doesn't have a Super Bowl run in it. 

Granted, the 'Boys aren't the No. 1 seed. That means there's a chance they will have to win a road game or two in order to get to the Super Bowl. But with the win over Washington, Dallas became just the sixth franchise in NFL history to go 8-0 away from home. 

Team	Year	Season result
San Francisco 49ers	1984	Super Bowl winner
San Francisco 49ers	1989	Super Bowl winner
San Francisco 49ers	1990	Conference finalist
St. Louis Rams	2001	Super Bowl finalist
New England Patriots	2007	Super Bowl finalist
Dallas Cowboys	2014	?

Eight of the last 10 teams with perfect road records played in the Super Bowl or NFL Championship Game, according to ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer, which obviously bodes well for the Cowboys' chances. 

Should fans fear that this is all too good to be true? You couldn't blame them considering that…

• Dallas has just one playoff win since 1997. 
• Romo has a career postseason passer rating of just 80.8, with a sub-60 completion percentage. 
• The Cowboys also won the division in 2007 and 2009, winning 13 and 11 games, respectively. But they lost in the divisional playoffs on both of those occasions. 

But this team feels different. Romo has become a much better quarterback, especially in clutch situations, and his supporting cast is as good as it gets. In that '07 season, the Cowboys lost two of their last three regular-season games. And in '09, they lost to a hot Minnesota Vikings team on the road after killing the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round. 

This year, they're the hottest team in the league and they're tough to beat on the road. Dallas isn't just the surprise success story of 2014—it has become the team to beat in the NFC. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon