ARLINGTON , Texas -- Win big, win small; win pretty, win ugly. Tony Romo learned a long time ago that victories are the only thing that matters.
So on a day when he was sloppier than he'd been in more than a month, and when his defense was giving up plenty of long drives but only one touchdown, Romo had one chance to make it pay off -- and he did. He and DeMarco Murray led an efficient final drive, setting up rookie Dan Bailey for a 28-yard field goal as time expired that gave the Dallas Cowboys a 20-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins yesterday.
Dallas (7-4) won its fourth straight, and fourth this season decided by a kick by Bailey in the final two minutes or in overtime. It was the second time in five days that he ended a game with a winning field goal.
"We're just finding ways to win," said Romo, who offset a pair of interceptions with a pair of touchdown passes.
That plucky formula will send the Cowboys into December with at least a share of the NFC East lead. They're a half-game ahead of the Giants , who play at New Orleans on Monday night. If the Giants win, the clubs will be tied; a Saints win would give Dallas a one-game lead.
The Dolphins (3-8), who had won three straight, had four drives that got within 10 yards of the end zone but had to settle for field goals each time. Their only touchdown came on a 35-yard pass from Matt Moore to Brandon Marshall . However, Miami still nearly pulled it out. In the second half, the Dolphins scored on all but their final drive.
"When you come into somebody else's place, those [drives into the red zone] have got to be touchdowns," Miami coach Tony Sparano said. "They've been touchdowns the last few weeks, and that's why you win."
Eighteen years after the teams played a Thanksgiving game decided on a last-second field goal -- one best remembered for Leon Lett 's gaffe on snow and ice, as he touched a dead ball to set up Miami's winning kick -- conditions were so balmy that the glass end-zone doors at Cowboys Stadium were opened for the first time all season.
Things got plenty interesting after halftime. Moore led Miami on three straight scoring drives of at least 70 yards, the last putting the Dolphins up 19-17 with 7:14 left.
But Romo drove the Cowboys late, and Murray churned out 27 yards on his last five carries before Dallas got the winning field goal from Bailey, who has made 26 in a row, one shy of the club record.
Romo ended a streak of 128 straight passes without an interception but completed 22 of 34 for 226 yards.
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