National Football League

Cowboys' win over Seahawks creates new opponent: expectations

Published Oct. 12, 2014 11:48 p.m. ET

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On the 25th anniversary of the Herschel Walker trade the Cowboys produced another game-changer: A win at Seattle.

Beating the Super Bowl champs in their noise furnace is the kind of win that legitimizes a team.

It's also a win that will create a new opponent: Expectations.

Until now, the Cowboys had been a pleasant surprise. Not much was expected of this team, especially after a dreary preseason, but a four-game win streak had people wondering whether to buy in.

After beating the Seahawks, 30-23, on Sunday, people are buying in. All in.

No fan base can suddenly ramp up expectations like Cowboys Nation. Three straight years of 8-8 records hasn't changed that.

No team ever sees media flocking to it like the Cowboys, who are covered by a bigger press corps than the White House even when they're losing.

Wipe out all the preseason predictions of 6-10 (or worse). By beating the Seahawks on the road, the Cowboys catapulted to the short list of NFC contenders.

They've gotten there because Rod Marinelli somehow has taken a defense lacking in star power and gotten it to just enough to keep offenses in check.

It's no Doomsday III - there has to be more of a pass rush to deserve that vaunted title. But the biggest perceived weakness coming into the season can no longer be considered an Achilles heel.

Offensively, Tony Romo's surgically repaired (twice) back is holding up better than anyone could have hoped. Romo shows flashes of his younger self by twisting out of sacks and spotting receivers on the run.

Romo had an interception-free game Sunday. He's now thrown 11 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He's making far more big plays than bad ones. His third-and-20 throw to a toe-dragging Terrance Williams in the fourth quarter was as masterful as his touchdown toss the week before after somehow avoiding a locked-on J.J. Watt.

What's making Romo effective is that he isn't having to do everything on his own, finally. A young, talented offensive line stocked with three No.1 draft picks is providing protection and paving the way for running back DeMarco Murray, who had his sixth consecutive 100-yard game against the Seahawks.

And then there's Dan Bailey, the (almost) can't-miss kicker who may be the most underrated weapon in the NFL. Bailey sent three more through the pipes Sunday, including a career-long 56-yarder.

What the Cowboys are doing is causing everyone to reassess the expectations for this team. How they handle those new expectations will be a key to the rest of the season.

So far, the Cowboys have thrived as underdogs. They've obviously developed a "We'll show them" attitude after hearing all off-season about how bad the defense is, and how limited Romo will be.

So now they've proven everyone wrong, but here comes the hard part. These Cowboys will have to learn how to perform with the exalted expectations the great Cowboys teams of the 1970s and 1990s endured.

It may not be "Super Bowl or Bust" time, as it had been for so many years of Cowboys success. But it's not far off. Sweep the next three games, all at home, and people will be talking about home field advantage in the playoffs.

Winning brings a whole new set of worries for this Cowboys team. At least they probably won't have to worry about opposing fans taking over AT&T Stadium anymore.

Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire