Cowboys make statement with dominant win over Eagles, though some questions still remain

ARLINGTON, Texas -- When the Dallas Cowboys left the field after their 33-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, they did not look particularly excited. They were mostly quiet as they entered their locker room, not all that different in demeanor from when they narrowly lost to the Eagles just a few weeks ago. They didn't even do anything special to recognize that Mike McCarthy coached a nearly unstoppable offense just five days after he had to have surgery for acute appendicitis.

But owner Jerry Jones has an appreciation for drama and big moments and victories that can stamp a team as contenders. This was one of those, and so Jones, never one to shy from the grandiose, reached into his knowledge of medieval Spanish history for the story of El Cid, the national hero who, legend has it, after being mortally wounded, was fitted with his armor and strapped to his horse to lead his troops against Valencia's besiegers.

"Mike was strapped on a horse going down that beach," Jones said of his coach.

You can forgive Jones his giddiness after what he said was the most significant victory of the McCarthy era. This was the legitimizing victory of Dallas' season. Until Sunday night, the Cowboys had not beaten one of the NFL's elite teams -- they got smashed by the 49ers in October and lost by an inch here and there to the Eagles in November -- or even defeated one that currently has a winning record. And as a result, the Cowboys entered December with the age-old question still hanging over them: Could they win the biggest games?

We still don't really have the only answer that matters in Dallas: Can the Cowboys play like this in the postseason? But we do know their defense is good enough to hold one of the league's top scoring offenses