In the throes of their annual month from hell, the Cowboys didn’t just shake off a jinx.
They may have turned a corner. Convincingly. Dramatically.
Finally.
Frankly, it’s just about impossible to overestimate their 24-17 win before 70,213 fans dying to blow the lid off the Superdome. From all over the French Quarter, you could hear bartenders weeping.
This is the kind of hyperbole the Cowboys inspire when all they do is win their biggest December road game since they reinvented themselves. Not since Jerry Jones’ formative years as an owner — in 1991, when the Cowboys beat Philadelphia on the road to clinch their first playoff berth in six years — has Dallas won a regular-season game so late, so important, so seemingly out of the realm of possibility.
Next question: What now?
Can this win do the same for these Cowboys that the ’91 win did over the Eagles, setting up a brief playoff run and a Super Bowl title the next season?
Or will it mean nothing more than 2005’s late win over Carolina, when they missed the playoffs like a Nick Folk chip shot?
If it’s any help, history tilts to the Cowboys’ side. The only other December road wins that come close to the magnitude of Saturday’s — over Arizona in ’95 and the Giants in ’93 — ultimately ended up in Super Bowl titles.
Not that I’m predicting any such thing now. Not for a team that can’t seem to stomach success.
But winning on the road anywhere is a challenge. Beating an undefeated team on the road, nearly impossible.
The Cowboys winning on the road against a 13-0 team in December?
Priceless.
Given the circumstances, the victory made a case for just about every knock against the Cowboys coming in. Character. Leadership. Coaching.
But not kicking.
Memo to Wade Phillips: Time to call for auditions.
Except for Folk — who managed a 44-yarder before missing a dunk that would have put the game out of reach — the Cowboys got superb performances everywhere.
DeMarcus Ware came back from last week’s scary injury to make the game’s last great defensive play. Anthony Spencer had two sacks and a crucial strip. Mike Jenkins continues to show that opponents should throw to the other side. Hey, even Bobby Carpenter made plays.
Question: Where has this offense been, Jerry, and what have you done with Jason Garrett?
Give the offensive coordinator and even the owner credit. Before the game, Jerry told the guys from the NFL Network, who won’t win any Emmys for last night’s performance, “Our team is disappointed. ›ellipsisfl When we gather all that up, we say, ’What the hell is going on here? Let’s win a ballgame.’ “
Of course, you could argue that the Saints were ripe for an upset. Only one NFL team has ever been perfect. For two weeks, the strain had shown on the Saints in wins over Washington and Atlanta.
The Saints weren’t very lucky Saturday, either. Devery Henderson dropped a touchdown pass, and Reggie Bush pulled up lame on a play where he was as free as Bourbon Street beads.
But the Saints also owned a five-game winning streak over Dallas, and the Superdome has been a tough venue even when the tenants were the ’Aints.
If it’s any consolation to the locals, Sean Payton’s bunch is likely to recover quickly with Tampa Bay and Carolina on the horizon.
As for the Cowboys? They get the Redskins on the road and the Eagles at home. They’ll need to win at least one.
The prospects appear considerably greater than they did this time last week. As for what it means to the Cowboys’ fortunes from here on out, I won’t be so bold. But if this win turns out anything like the Cowboys’ biggest road wins of Decembers past, at least we’ll know where it all started.
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