FRISCO, Texas — Improbable only begins to describe it. And afterward, head coach Jason Garrett talked about recapturing the Cowboys' identity in their 44-21 rout of the Rams.
"We talked about recapturing the DNA of our team, toughness," said Garrett. "Toughness was on display today."
And that toughness was no more evident than in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys, where they set the tone. Rams running back Todd Gurley gained just one yard in his first six carries, with the Rams running for just 22 yards all game.
That's the same Rams team that rolled up 273 rushing yards to vanquish the Cowboys from the 2018 playoffs.
"Having the D-line play like they played today, that was a big step for us," linebacker Sean Lee said. "It’s fun to watch."
Lee also gave credit to head coach Jason Garrett. The night before the game Garrett apparently giving a rousing speech that not only got the defense ready but got the entire team in the right frame of mind.
"Coach Garrett gave an unbelievable speech talking about, 'Hey, we need to pick each other up," Lee said. "It’s one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard from him. It was great and I think we all kind of rallied around that and really I think we took that motto that we have to find a way to pick each other up no matter what."
Lee’s pivotal second-quarter interception provided a big lift, allowing the Cowboys to take control of the game.
It was among the many examples of the Cowboys turning their desperation into the determination needed to play their best.
"Our identity was at risk," said Lee. "We really weren’t playing like we were for the past five years. We weren’t the type of team defense we wanted to be."
The Cowboys defense looked lost at times during the three-game losing streak the Cowboys snapped against the Rams. Building momentum and confidence were an important by-product of the spirited effort.
"To get our feet back underneath us, understand we’re still a good team, we just learn from our mistakes and keep rolling just got to build on it now," said defensive lineman Demarcus Lawrence.
And that’s the key, with an NFC East title on the line Sunday in Philly.
"We still have more room to improve," said Lee. "We have to win games. We have to take advantage of this to be the team we want to be.
"We still have to find out who we really are."
It won’t be long now before we all find out.
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