7-2 Looks Good to Cowboys

Coach Bill Parcells certainly has taught the Dallas Cowboys how to win. Next comes how to look good when doing it.

The Cowboys won ugly again Sunday, defeating the Buffalo Bills, 10-6, despite advancing only 51 yards on their two scoring drives and going more than 15 minutes between first downs in the second half.

The result is what matters, though, and Dallas (7-2) remains tied with Carolina for the best record in the NFC. The Cowboys are 2-0 in the five-game stretch Parcells has dubbed “Showtime.”

The rub is that Dallas has looked more ready for vaudeville than Broadway the last two games. The Cowboys had to overcome four turnovers, three in the first six plays, to beat Washington.

This time, the Cowboys used a two-yard touchdown reception by Dan Campbell, a 51-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff and a stifling performance by the league’s stingiest defense.

Add that to a wild overtime victory over the New York Giants and another defense-led victory over the New York Jets, and Dallas could soon be running out of ways to win.

“This is a young team that doesn’t understand everything there is to understand about what this league is,” Parcells said. “The more you win, the more that people get ready for you. You’re going to run into some tough games.”

Buffalo seems to run into a tough game every time it leaves home.

The Bills (4-5) failed to score a touchdown for the third consecutive road game. They’ve lost four in a row on the road, getting outscored, 95-21.

Buffalo scored on field goals of 29 and 41 yards by Rian Lindell, both in the second quarter.

The Bills gained 185 yards against a unit that was giving up a league-low 240.8 yards a game.

Drew Bledsoe completed 17 of 34 passes for 104 yards while under constant pressure. He was sacked three times and lost two fumbles.

Quincy Carter completed 15 of 32 passes for a season-low 116 yards.