IRVING, Texas - Things can certainly change fast in the NFL.
Two days ago, the Cowboys were considered by many as the league's best team. They had just come off two impressive wins on prime time, and were about to hit a stretch of games that conceivably had this team looking at an undefeated first half of the season.
And that's when the Redskins showed up and crashed the party. They beat the Cowboys at their own game, kept them second-guessing all day and headed back to the Nation's Capital with a 26-24 upset.
All of a sudden, the Cowboys' world has been flipped upside down.
Now they're a team with question marks not only in the secondary, but with they're overall commitment to the run.
They went from a team within hours of having the only 4-0 record in the NFC, to a team that is technically third in their own division. And to make things worse, the Cowboys actually haven't even beaten a team with a winning record now, considering Green Bay and Philadelphia both lost on Sunday to drop to 2-2 and the Browns won their first game, standing at 1-3.
That's quite a turnaround.
But now the Cowboys must pick themselves up, dust off and get ready for the winless Cincinnati Bengals that come to town Sunday with an 0-4 mark.
It shouldn't have come as a big surprise that most of the players who bothered to show up in the locker room Monday were ready to move on to the following game.
However, there are some doubts, especially from the veteran players, as to how the team will respond.
"Yeah, you have a lot of concerns about how we are going to bounce back from it," said linebacker Greg Ellis. "You don't know it until it happens. This is our chance. We got smacked in the face (Sunday). So how we are going to respond to it? It's going to be up to us. I don't have the answer, but I hope we respond the way I think we will."
When asked if suffering a loss can be turned into a positive, head coach Wade Phillips was a little reluctant, but somewhat agreed.
"I know it's not good for your record," Phillips joked. "I do believe we'll get stronger. I think we'll bond together. We'll be more focused on everything we're doing. I think we won't get as many pats on the back on how great we are. I think that'll help us a little."
And that was the consensus from the other players, who said looking forward is the best approach.
"We've never had a problem bouncing back after a loss," wide receiver Patrick Crayton said. "You just go out and get ready for Cincinnati. I think we'll be fine. I think we've been tuned in every week in practice. We just got beat. It was a loss. They wanted it more, I guess. Man vs. Man. They beat us on Sunday. But we'll bounce back."
Recent history, especially this time of year, suggests that will be the case.
Since 2004, the Cowboys have only lost consecutive games in the first half of the season just once, and only three times overall.
"We usually do a good job of rallying around each other and responding well," defensive end Marcus Spears said. "We're not going to point fingers. It's easy to do that sometimes, but that's not what we do. We'll stick together and come back. It's one game. We know it's a long season."
But there will be some differences this week, special teams captain Keith Davis said. While he said the team should not be worried with the defeat, he does expect a little more intensity in practice.
"We're fine, but this will be a test of character," Davis said. "A test to guys' wills, their heart, their work ethic. We'll be fine. We just go back to the drawing board and get back to the basics. I don't think it's time to hit the panic button or anything."
While the Cowboys are one of three NFC East teams with three wins, they are percentage points behind the 3-0 Giants, who had a bye last week. And currently, the Redskins are ahead of the Cowboys because of the one-game tiebreaker.
"It's really early for all that," Davis said. "Right now, we know those are going to be tough games. Regardless of the records, the games between the Cowboys, Giants, Redskins and Eagles will always be those types of games. We just came up on the short end of the stick this week. But we'll get back to the drawing board and get ready for Cincinnati."
The Cowboys will get up and will probably bounce back. But Phillips said it doesn't mean his team has to be too excited about it.
"I think we are upset," Phillips said. "But we are also mad we didn't play our best. It will bring out the best in our team. Some teams will get their head down, but this team will get its nose to the grindstone and go forward and get better."
Who knows, in another week, the Cowboys might be right back where they were last week.
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Nick Eatman - 
