More than a few people have said this season that the Cowboys needed to be taken down a peg. After going 4-3 after the first seven games I think it was safe to say that is exactly what happened.

But Nick Eatman says the players are liking the idea that they are now seen as the underdogs, read here.

No matter how many times players insist they don't listen to the radio, read the papers or watch the news, they hear things.

And they know what's being said.

They know what kind of chances they're getting to win this game Sunday against the Giants (3:15 p.m., CST).

And they like it.

Of course they do. What choices do they have?

One Cowboys player, who obviously didn't want to be named, walked by the exterior of the locker room and said, "I hope they pick us to lose by a hundred. Just let 'em keep talking."

I have no idea who said that, but I think it's safe to say Patrick Crayton's name would be a good guess if you were making one, lol.

Being the underdog should let the team relax and just focus on the task at hand instead of feeling the pressure of having to go in NY as the favorites.

However, stranger things have happened. But the Cowboys aren't focused on those strange events as much as what they've done up at the Meadowlands in each of the last two years.

The Cowboys have won two straight games on the road against the Giants, and both were pitted as showdown clashes between two of the NFC East's top teams.

The Cowboys used a last-second field goal by newly-signed Martin Gramatica to edge the Giants 23-20 in 2006. Then last year, they got a pair of second-half touchdowns from Tony Romo to Terrell Owens to pull away from New York 31-20 in a game that gave the club a season sweep over the Giants.

Of course, New York returned the favor in a much bigger way last season, beating the Cowboys 21-17 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs en route to a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots.

This just furthers the point of how close games can be between familiar foes.

This is why the Cowboys still have a great shot at winning this game even though they are banged up. These games are about guts and glory. The NFC East battles come down to 'who wants it more and who will leave it all out on the field'. 

"We're not just going out there to play the game, we're going up there to win," said Witten. "It's not to walk away feeling good about ourselves or anything like that. If anyone feels that way, they need to check themselves because we're going up there to win the game."

That's a feeling Witten wants his teammates to share. As for everyone else, it doesn't really matter they think.

In fact, Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware said that's the way it should be.

"I mean, if they're 6-1 and we're (5-3) and we've been having an up and down season, no one's going to give you a chance," Ware said. "But the thing is, I feel like we're back in action. I feel like we're stronger than we were at the beginning of the season, even though we have a lot of injuries and everything. No one's going to give you a chance, but the guys here have to be motivated and ready to play."

This Cowboys team will be ready to play. And from the sound of things, and contrary to popular belief, they seem ready to win, too.

I still find it hard to believe some people were saying the Cowboys had already resigned to the idea that they were going to lose this game. There are no NFL football players who go out on the field expecting to lose. Those types of players have already quit putting in enough effort to become an NFL caliber player a long time ago.

The Cowboys are going to win this game and then when we come back after the Bye week they will once again be seen as the 'favorite' in just about every game for the rest of the season.