IRVING, Texas – A four-game win streak doesn't come with many complaints, but the Cowboys have seen a recent rise in penalties.
They've committed 28 of their 82 penalties over the last three games in particular, including season-highs of nine and 11 in each of the last two games. Those 82 infractions tie for 25th-most in the NFL, and their 611 penalty yards are 23rd most.
"You just continue to address it and continue to focus on it," head coach Jason Garrett said, "and you talk to players and show players why it happened and when it happened, and you continue to work on helping them in practice to carry that through the game.
"I think at different times we have done that very well this year and other times we haven't. And we've got to make sure we get that right. "
Garrett's right. The Cowboys committed only 14 in their previous three games.
Excessive penalties don't always translate to losses, but five of the Cowboys' 11 against the Dolphins on Thanksgiving came in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Three could have been avoided: an unnecessary roughness, a false start and an illegal formation.
Playing so many tight games, the Cowboys can't hand any extra yardage and/or first downs to their opponents.
