Cowboys... 34, Seahawks... 9

Tony Romo, playing with a splint on his passing hand, crisply guided the Dallas Cowboys to touchdowns on their first three drives and points on the first four, on their way to a 34-9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

The Cowboys won their third straight, all coming since Romo returned from a broken right pinkie, and are 8-4 and back near the top of the NFC playoff race. Now comes the hard part -- staying there.

Their next three opponents are Pittsburgh, the New York Giants and Baltimore. The stretch will be even tougher if linebacker DeMarcus Ware and running back Marion Barber are out. Both left with injuries in the third quarter: a sprained left knee for Ware, a bruised right little toe for Barber.

The Seahawks lost their fifth straight and fell to 2-10.

Quoteworthy: “Our confidence level is that on any given Sunday we can compete with the best of anybody.” -- Tony Romo, Cowboys quarterback