Mike McCarthy: Cowboys Gained 'Big Chunk of Confidence' from Back-to-Back Wins

Though the Dallas Cowboys still have some work to do in order to climb into first place in the NFC East, head coach Mike McCarthy is encouraged by his team following a 41-33 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

"It's refreshing to see," McCarthy told reporters after the game. "The biggest part that comes out of stacking success is the confidence. It's a big chunk of confidence."  

Andy Dalton threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns while Tony Pollard ran for 69 yards and two scores. The Cowboys defense also intercepted a pair of passes from Nick Mullens and recovered two fumbles.

Because of how tightly packed the division is, Dallas' position in the East changed significantly based on Sunday's results.

The team's surge might come too late to make a difference, though.

The Cowboys are still one game back of the Washington Football Team with two weeks remaining, and Washington's two head-to-head wins would break the tie in the event the teams finished with the same record.

Things in Dallas may not ultimately end as badly as they looked like they would following a 2-7 start. Having said that, it will be impossible to sugarcoat missing the playoffs during a season in which contending for a Super Bowl was the initial expectation.