Stay the Course

Formerly flashy Dallas Cowboys eschew glitz for substantive wins

Seriously, how happy are you right now that Stephen Jones allegedly ripped the Johnny Manziel draft card out of Jerry Jones’ hand? While Manziel has yet to start a game in Cleveland, the player Dallas took instead, offensive guard Zack Martin, has become an integral part of a dominant offensive line. The line leads the way for a record-setting running game that reminds fans of the ’90s Cowboys, which makes life easier on quarterback Tony Romo than it’s ever been.

These are all things that people thought could happen. What no one foresaw is the Cowboys defense, derided as one of the worst in NFL history, coming into the season, stepping up and becoming a legitimate force.

Perhaps the craziest part of this year so far is how Dallas is winning games. The team has been known as long on glitz and flash but short on substance.

The empty stats that Dallas fans are used to seeing have been replaced by stats that lead to wins.

En route to a 6-1 record, the Cowboys have used clock control to thwart opposing offenses and tire out defenses. The Cowboys defense, on the other hand, ranks at the bottom of the league in sacks, but it is in the top 10 for points scored against. In other words, the empty stats that Dallas fans are used to seeing have been replaced by stats that lead to wins.

Dallas shocked the world by going up to Seattle and knocking off the defending Super Bowl champs in what is considered the loudest home field in the NFL. They followed up that performance by holding their own home field against a desperate New York Giants team that promised to take the fight to Dallas. Now it’s time to show how professional this team really is.

The Cowboys have the attention of division rival Philadelphia, Dallas’ primary challenger for a playoff spot. The two teams don’t meet until Thanksgiving; they will play twice in a month. Until then, Dallas plays exactly one team that has a winning record, Arizona. The other three teams currently have a combined 6-15 record. These are teams that the Cowboys should beat. These are teams that the Cowboys need to beat.

The schedule makers have done the Cowboys no favors after Thanksgiving, giving them the Eagles twice, followed by a road game against Chicago and the Colts at home before ending the season in Washington. Cold weather, playoff-caliber opponents, division rivals — not a good recipe for a Dallas team that has been branded over this era as one that folds in December.

It’s going to be a rough winter, but if Dallas can go into the home stretch 9-2, maybe they can pull out a few victories and clinch only their second playoff berth since the ’90s.

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World Cup match recap

Croatia can't weather Harry Kane in England's 4-2 World Cup win in Dallas

England v Croatia: Group L - FIFA World Cup 2026

Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Harry Kane of England celebrates the team's 4-2 World Cup win over Croatia at Dallas Stadium on June 17.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Harry Kane scored twice to equal the English record for FIFA World Cup goals, Jude Bellingham added another two minutes into the second half, and England beat Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday at Dallas Stadium in Arlington.

Martin Baturina and Petar Musa answered each of Kane's first-half goals in a rematch of the 2018 semifinal game won by Croatia. Musa's goal came on the final play before the whistle ending the first half.

The even score didn't last long once play resumed.

Bellingham took a long pass and stayed clear of the defender the rest of the way, sending a shot past Dominik Livakovic and in off the far post. Marcus Rashford padded the lead in the 85th minute.

Kane, who won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia by scoring six times, is up to 10 World Cup goals, tying Gary Lineker's mark from the 1986 and 1990 tournaments.

The 32-year-old striker's first goal came on his second chance on a penalty kick after Livakovic's save on the first try was nullified by a video review that showed both his feet off the goal line as Kane was striking the ball.

Kane went the same way toward the right post with the second attempt, while Livakovic lunged the other direction, to his right.

The penalty was called when Luka Modric, the 40-year-old midfielder who extended his Croatian record by appearing in his fifth World Cup, kicked Noni Madueke in the thigh.

England vs. Croatia World Cup Luka Modric #10, of Croatia, is challenged by Harry Kane, #9 of England, during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Croatia at Dallas Stadium on June 17. Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Kane matched Lineker's mark when the Bayern Munich striker easily beat Livakovic with a powerful header off a corner kick from Declan Rice. Kane has 81 international goals.

Bellingham almost immediately had another great scoring chance soon after his seventh international goal. Livakovic made that save and about a half-dozen more in a matter of minutes during a frenetic English attack.

Musa plays for Major League Soccer's FC Dallas, which has its home games about 40 miles from AT&T Stadium.

The retractable roof venue that is home to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys is giving World Cup fans an air-conditioned reprieve from the muggy Texas heat, this time for white-clad English fans and Croatian supporters who were mostly wearing their country's familiar red-and-white checkered uniforms, not the blue kits the players had on.

Musa tracked a header from Ivan Perisic and put a one-timer past Jordan Pickford, who was also beaten in the 36th minute by Baturina. That shot into the left corner ticked off Pickford's hand.

England next plays Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in Group L on Tuesday, the same day Croatia plays Panama in Toronto.

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