The Dallas Cowboys dropped another difficult road game on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Miami Dolphins 22-20 on a last second field-goal from kicker Jason Sanders. It continued a trend of poor results on the road, but are there some positive takeaways to glean from the performance?
One can argue that moral victories don't exist, especially in the NFL, and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy doesn't buck against that. Still, he does see some aspects of his team that can make it successful in the postseason.
"I think the resilience, battle and grit that we're looking for — we clearly have that,'' said McCarthy, adding that he is "excited'' by the positives here.
There is still the proverbial elephant in the room, however. The Cowboys can't seem to consistently get the job done in road games this season, falling to 3-5 in those contests with Sunday's loss.
McCarthy feels that pressure. Everyone who follows the Cowboys feels it, and if Dallas fails to win the NFC East crown, its playoff road will not run through the friendly confines of AT&T Stadium.
"We have to play better than we did today," McCarthy said. "We have to play above it on the road. Road warriors we will be."
The Cowboys return home next week to host the Detroit Lions on Dec. 30. Kickoff is slated for 7:15 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ABC. And then comes a season-closer at lowly Washington.
So when McCarthy is vowing "road warriors we will be,'' he's talking about the playoffs. ... and they will need to be just that.
More must-reads: