Cowboys Catalyst to Turnaround? Coach Mike McCarthy Reveals 'Lesson Learned'; Injury Practice Update
The Dallas Cowboys have rattled off three straight wins after the heartbreak of relinquishing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead against the Green Bay Packers to lose 31-28 in overtime.
And maybe the lessons learned at Lambeau have led to the three straight successes?
"I think the lessons in that game are ones that we had to be very honest with ourselves and really focus on moving forward, and I think our football team has done that," coach Mike McCarthy said.
At the time, Dallas was sitting at 6-3 with the Philadelphia Eagles running away with the division. Since then however, the Cowboys have righted the wrongs of that Lambeau letdown. A blowout win over the Minnesota Vikings, a second-half domination of the New York Giants, and then a 54-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts have followed to catapult them to 9-3.
Looking back on that homecoming loss, McCarthy feels the team has done well not to repeat those same mistakes.
"Lesson learned, no doubt about it,'' he said, adding, "but at the end of the day, it's about winning."
There is no denying that in the Cowboys' last two games, against teams they were heavily favored to beat, Dallas struggled before hitting the accelerator and securing victories.
Coordinator Dan Quinn's defense has been a big reason for the wins, only allowing 20 and 19 points respectively, while getting five takeaways and six sacks. For McCarthy, Quinn's unit reminds him of his own Super Bowl-winning defense in Green Bay.
"I think when you look at the numbers, very similar," McCarthy said. "That was a defense that was really coming off of (coach) Dom Capers' second year, Charles Woodson was Defensive Player of the Year in '09, so it was definitely a group that had playmakers on every level."
Is there something about the Dallas defense that might be even better than that group?
"Our pass rush is elite," McCarthy said.
But, as of Friday at The Star, is it healthy? Tank Lawrence continues to nurse his bum foot, and rookie Sam Williams has been ill part of this week. The update ...
There are some similarities. Green Bay's defense of 2010 was ranked second in points allowed per game (15), and Dallas currently ranks third (17 points per game). The Packers were second in sacks (47), and the Cowboys are first with 48.
But what McCarthy will want for his Dallas team is to replicate that Green Bay team by winning the Super Bowl, and they have just as good a chance as anyone, especially with Quinn's kick-ass defense. ... with the "lessons learned'' concept extending to Sunday's noon start against the lowly Houston Texans.
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