FRISCO, Texas — To put it plainly, the Dallas Cowboys needed a win like lungs need air and gills need water. They went on to mount the best and most impressive defensive outing of the season on Sunday to help accomplish that feat against the Washington Commanders on the road, buying just enough time for the offense and special teams to detonate as well.
The way it snowballed from a low-scoring jabfest to an all-out assault of haymakers by both teams in the waning seconds of the battle — a total of 41 points scored in the fourth quarter alone, including not one, but two kickoff returns for touchdown by the Cowboys and a missed extra point attempt by the Commanders that might've forced overtime.
It was bedlam.
"That game yesterday, in the fourth quarter, was as wild as any game I've ever been a part of," said head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday, also offering praise for the resilience of his bunch in a season owned by Murphy's Law. "I think, as a whole, they've just done a great job and it starts in the preparation phase, and just really staying the course. … They've done a really nice job in staying the course and preparing."
As they move to 4-7 on the season and a chance to push to 5-8 only four days later, just six games remaining in the regular season, McCarthy isn't taking any time to enjoy what happened in the nation's capital.
Neither he nor the team can afford to.
"Clearly, if you need a definition of urgency, we've definitely had it here over this last month and, frankly, I'm just thankful and really happy for the players — to have some success that they work so hard to achieve," he said. "The fight has definitely been there. … [But] we're still pretty far down in the valley of adversity right now. We've made one step in the right direction, so we've still got a lot of climbing to do.
"It was great to get some wind under our wings, but this Thursday's game comes on you so fast. It really does. … That's really where my mind is and my heart is, too."
Having once again defeated the Giants earlier this season, the Cowboys will look to deliver yet another sweeping blow to Big Blue in a contest that looks wildly different on paper for both clubs this time around.
"We really need this game," McCarthy said. "The urgency is there, and we've got a long ways to go."
The journey of a thousand miles, and whatnot.
