IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys had their roughest day on defence when they lost to Philadelphia on Thanksgiving to raise doubts about their playoff hopes. Blaine Gabbert Titans Jersey.They responded with four straight games that were anywhere from good to great on a December winning streak that ended a four-year post-season drought.We took a butt-kicking like men, said defensive end Jeremy Mincey, and came back and retaliated like men.Theres a similar bounce-back theme for Dallas (12-4) in Sundays wild-card game against Detroit (11-5) because the Cowboys gave up a franchise-record 480 yards passing to Matt Stafford in a 31-30 loss to the Lions last year.Not only did Calvin Johnson have 329 yards receiving — the second-most in NFL history — but the Cowboys let the Lions go 80 yards in just 50 seconds in the final minute for the winning touchdown.Stafford sees something different this year, though.Theyre in all the right spots all the time, it seems to me, he said. Theyre playing extremely physical up front and doing a great job of playing with a bunch of passion and getting after the passer and stopping the run on the way.Big plays were a problem a year ago for the Dallas defence, which finished last in the league and gave up the first two 600-yard games in franchise history (yes, Detroit was one of them). And big plays were a problem against the Eagles on Thanksgiving, when LeSean McCoy had a 38-yard run to set up one score and Jeremy Maclin had a 58-yard catch to set up another.Whether that loss was an aberration or a trigger, its hard to say. But the Cowboys gave up 170 fewer yards in the rematch, held Indianapolis to 1 yard rushing a week later and had a season-high four takeaways in the regular-season finale against Washington.The big plays were definitely an aberration. The Cowboys gave up 135 big plays passing and rushing last season. That number was 85 this season.The ball is critical — turnover ratio, but certainly big plays are a close second to that, coach Jason Garrett said. If you prevent big plays, its hard for teams to score against you.It wasnt hard for teams to score against the Cowboys a year ago.You have to play good, sound, fundamental defence, you have to tackle well, Garrett said. So we really tried to make an emphasis on being better in those areas, and I think we have made improvement.Mincey wasnt around a year ago — he went to the Super Bowl with Denver before coming to the Cowboys as a free agent. He was a steady presence for an improving unit early in the season, and now has emerged as the team leader with six sacks.While the Cowboys were close to the bottom of the league in sacks, they had nine the last three games of the regular season. Theyve also forced 10 turnovers in that span, surging to second in the league with 31.Were dominating our opponents, Mincey said. Everybody understands whats going on, understanding what they need to do specifically as an individual and those individuals doing what they need to do in bringing a collective effort because everybody has the same frame of mind, same frequency.Linebacker Bruce Carter, who struggled with the switch to the 4-3 defence last year, had two interceptions last week against the Redskins and leads the team with five. Along with Brandon Carr struggling to stay with Johnson, Carters difficulties were exposed a year against Detroit.Bruce has always had a knack for making plays on the ball, whether its blocking punts or intercepting passes or picking up fumbles, Garrett said. But I think, like with anybody else, he gets better with experience.And the Dallas defence sure did get better after Thanksgiving.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler Bennie Logan Jersey . Still, Inter moved one point ahead of Parma in the race for fifth place and the final Europa League spot. Udinese remained 14th, 11 points above the relegation zone. Inter was beaten 2-1 by Atalanta at home on Sunday and has won only seven of 16 matches at the San Siro this season, as the squad seems to still be searching for its identity under new owner Erick Thohir and first-year manager Walter Mazzarri. Harold Landry Jersey . Detroits powerful offence made that unnecessary. Scherzer allowed two hits and struck out seven, and the Tigers backed their star right-hander with three early homers in an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.ASHBURN, Va. - Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed and defensive lineman Chris Baker are out for Sundays game against the San Francisco 49ers, while the team is holding out hope that left tackle Trent Williams will play despite a knee injury.Reed strained his right hamstring and Baker sprained a joint in the upper part of the chest in last weeks loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Williams sprained his rightt MCL against Tampa Bay and did not practice again Friday. Malcolm Butler Jersey. The two-time Pro Bowl player is listed as questionable.If Williams cant play, third-round pick Morgan Moses would make a first career start.Also questionable for Sunday is guard Shawn Lauvao, who suffered a concussion last week and was limited in practice Friday.___AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Wholesale NFL JerseysWholesale Nike NFL JerseysNFL Jerseys From ChinaCheap Nike Basketball JerseysWholesale Hockey JerseysChina Nike Baseball JerseysCheap College Jerseys ChinaCheap Football JerseysWholesale Jerseys CanadaWholesale NHL Jerseys CanadaWholesale Nike MLB Jerseys CanadaCheap NBA Jerseys Authentic CanadaStitched Soccer Jerseys CanadaCheap Jerseys Canada NFL ' ' '