Cowboys’ playoff focus: Finish the fight

For the first time in five years, the Dallas Cowboys ended the regular season without talking about next season.

It was Happy Monday at Valley Ranch after a 44-17 victory over the Washington Redskins sent the Cowboys into the postseason riding a four-game winning streak. Only the Seattle Seahawks, who have won six in a row, enter the playoffs on a better roll.

“We’re one of 12 teams still playing, and we’ve worked very hard to get into this position,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “We’re hosting a playoff game at our place. It’s been a long journey to get here. ... You don’t need a whole hell of a lot of motivation this week. I think our guys played with a great spirit and demeanor yesterday, and they’re excited about this opportunity this week.”

The Cowboys found out when they landed at D/FW Airport on Sunday night that they would host the Detroit Lions at 3:40 p.m. Sunday. Dallas blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead at Detroit last season, losing 31-30 as Calvin Johnson had 329 receiving yards.

But these Cowboys aren’t those Cowboys.

These Cowboys finished off the regular season in style, dominating their NFC East rival. The starters played nearly the entire way even though the game didn’t help their seeding.

“I think the biggest thing that we try to emphasize is try to take full advantage of every opportunity every time you get it and go be your best,” Garrett said. “That’s part of the culture that we’ve tried to instill in our football team. That’s the way we try to live each and every day. I think the game yesterday was a good example. A lot of people were telling us that it wasn’t a very important game for whatever reason, and that’s not the approach we take around here. We just want to go and take advantage of our opportunities every time we get them to go be a better football player, better football team and try to embrace the opportunity to play.”

In the locker room afterward, Garrett preached mental toughness and “being your best regardless of circumstances.” He told the Cowboys that they had to be their best for five weeks, one week at a time.

“The biggest thing we’ll emphasize is to go be yourselves and really focus on trying to be your best each and every day of preparation and that will give us the best chance to play well on Sunday,” Garrett said. “We’ll kick it off. We’ll play it like a regular game come Sunday and what we want to do is focus on our preparation first and foremost, and when it comes to game time just go play.”

Only 14 players on the team’s active roster have playoff experience, including six who were with the Cowboys in 2009.

But their Super Bowl odds are down to 17-2.

After starting training camp with T-shirts that read “Fight,” their new mantra has become “Finish the Fight.”

“You’ve got to finish the job — each play, each series, each game and certainly over the course of the season,” Garrett said. “The championship teams, by definition, finish well. You try to instill that every chance you get.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2014 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Cowboys’ playoff focus: Finish the fight."