Monday Night Football: The 5 Cowboys That Led Dallas to Victory

This was just another Cowboys-Redskins game, right? It is still September, right? Well, yes, and no.

The Redskins came into the week on a high, considering their great start. The Cowboys injury report looked more like a potential Pro Bowl roster. The Redskins were hooting and hollering the entire week, and before the game began, London Fletcher began a stomp-fest on the Cowboys star at midfield. All week, Romo maintained composure in the interviews and Jason Garrett had a great game plan set up. This was truly a signature victory for Jason Garrett.

Here are five pivotal Cowboys in today’s victory.

1. Tony Romo: Third-and-18 with 3 minutes left in the game. Too often, we write Romo off because of his well-documented fourth quarter lapses. In sports, the best way to rid yourself of your demons is to prove yourself when things matter. Does this game change his legacy? Absolutely not. He still needs to continue improving and making his teammates better. Legacies are determined in December and January, but for those games to be meaningful, you must excel in the September and October games. All this being said—he played with a painful injury, took a handful of shots and had an incredibly young set of wide receivers and an offensive line. He took it all, managed the game and led his team to victory. This is certainly a step in the right direction.

2. Dan Bailey: Cowboys fans are used to missing field goals. We are also used to being introduced to new ones every couple of months after a string of bad misses. Today, Bailey was a stud. He bailed out the Cowboys on a handful of horrible red zone sets and kicked, kicked and kept on kicking. He was stone-cold the entire game. He really solidified himself as the Cowboys kicker today.

3. Sean Lee: Some football players just have “it.” Ever since he started playing regularly in the linebacker unit for the defense, he has shown his talent and football IQ. Not only does he have great vision, but he is a playmaker. Last year, he made his splash with a pick-six against Peyton Manning. This year, he already has an interception he returned to the one-yard line against the Jets, and today, he had another interception along with a game-sealing fumble recovery. This kid plays, and plays well. Jerry Jones has had a series of draft day busts, but Sean Lee is certainly not one of them.

4. DeMarcus Ware + Anthony Spencer: We know DeMarcus is one of the best three defensive players in the NFL. He keeps to himself, frequently introduces himself to quarterbacks and forces opposing offenses to game plan for him. Anthony Spencer, on the other hand, has shown flashes of brilliance. Today, he reminded Cowboys fans of how lethal this defense can be if he keeps this up. He ended the game on a sack-fumble and showed great confidence the entire game. Hey Matthew Stafford, watch yourself next weekend.

5. Rob Ryan: The legend finally came to life with his product on the field. We have heard the words—aggressive, blitz-heavy, deceiving, game-changing, turnover forcing. Today, we saw it all happen. Kudos for Jason Garrett for wanting to bring Rob in, and kudos to Rob for executing an excellent game plan. Today was the first game the entire defensive unit was healthy, and it showed. There were a few lapses in judgment that must be fixed, but their play was tenacious.

In years past, we lose this game. Tony Romo does not convert on third-and-18. Felix Jones sits with a dislocated shoulder. Phil Costa costs us this game.

The postgame conference is composed of “we just did not execute, we had chances and a lot of injuries.” This is a different team. The Cowboys expect to win because of their preparation during the week, because of the hard work during a shortened training camp and because of the genuine trust the players have in each other. It has nothing to do with the star on the helmet, the million dollar signing bonuses or being America’s Team. This season is different, it is a team on a mission.