ARLINGTON, Texas – On the rare occasion one chance isn't enough for Dan Bailey to win a game, two chances will suffice.
Bailey snapped a streak of 30 straight made field goals by pulling a 53-yard chance to win it with three seconds remaining in regulation wide left, but he answered when given another opportunity by nailing a 49-yard kick to win it in overtime.
"That's just the reality of the situation," Bailey said. '"Sometimes you're going to get another shot, and you've got to be ready. As a unit, we just try to approach it as going 1-for-1.
Obviously, went 0-for-1 on that one, but we knew we might get another shot. You just have to kind of put that behind you and move on to the next one."
Bailey hadn't missed a kick since Week 4 of last season. He made his 30th straight field goal at the end of the first half and said he was a little surprised to follow that up by hooking the kick at the end of regulation.
But he got another shot soon after and delivered. The Cowboys elected to bring Bailey in on a third-and-10 situation from the left hash mark with 8:37 remaining in overtime at the Texans' 31-yard-line.
Despite missing to close out regulation, the Cowboys still had enough confidence Bailey could make a 49-yard kick that they chose not to run another play to get it closer on third down. Bailey said it showed confidence in the whole unit, and he said the protection he gets gives him confidence he'll make every try.
"Your expectation going out is you want to make them all," Bailey said. "When you don't, that next opportunity can't come fast enough. But, you know, the reality of the game is that sometimes they do come up like they did today, and you've just got to go out there and hopefully knock it through."
Head coach Jason Garrett said he didn't say anything to Bailey between the kick at the end of regulation and the game-winner in overtime. And he didn't need to.
"This guy's as locked in and focused an individual as I've ever been around, and he's just unbelievable at what he does," Garrett said. "Obviously, he didn't waver at all."
Bailey's limit depends on the situation, but he said he tries to keep the same approach on every kick, whether it's an extra point or a 50-yarder. He said he'd be willing to try a 60-yard kick if he was asked to, particularly in a game-winning situation.
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This time, he only needed to kick it 49 yards and sailed it straight through.
The Cowboys' kicker was a perfect 6-for-6 this season entering the game on kicks of at least 40 yards. After Sunday's win against the Texans, he's now 7-for-8.
Bailey gave a lot of the credit for getting another chance to Dez Bryant, who made a miraculous 37-yard catch over his defender to get the Cowboys into Texans territory and give Bailey the opportunity.
"That was a huge play, one of those plays probably only Dez can make," Bailey said. "So, you know, just happy he could come down with the ball and we could go out there and put points on the board and win the game."
