Elite.

For 19 possessions - the Redskins' last eight and the 49ers' first 11 - the Cowboys kept the other team out of the end zone, allowing four field goals.

The second part of that streak, along with big plays from Tony Romo and Terrell Owens, provided Dallas with a 35-22 victory at Texas Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It continued the Cowboys' resurgence toward wild-card land, which seemed so far away when Romo was injured and the team was dragging along at 5-4.

Two goal-line stands in the first quarter kept the 49ers from gaining an early foothold. The 49ers had first-and-goal at the 4 on consecutive drives, and the Cowboys turned them into field goals.

"We didn't want to give up seven points," linebacker Bradie James said. "I know that's a cliche. But we've been in games where we give up seven points right away and the games get out of hand. If we can hold teams to field goals, we have a better chance to win."

It's always difficult to grade a performance against a bad team, which is what the 49ers remain. Here are the good marks for the defense.

Four sacks. An end-zone interception by Anthony Henry on a badly underthrown pass. Back-to-back sacks by Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware to set up a blocked punt for a safety.

The biggest plus was limiting running back Frank Gore to 32 total yards. His previous low this season was 61 yards against the New York Giants .

"I thought the defense turned the game around for us," Jerry Jones said. "I think having Terence Newman and Anthony Spencer out there, those are difference-makers that we need to have on the field."

Here are the not-so-good signs for this defense.

Those goal-line stands were a product of poor pass defense - a 34-yard catch by Isaac Bruce, a 47-yard reception by Vernon Davis. Shaun Hill threw for 303 yards. On their last two possessions, the 49ers went 80 yards and 57 yards for touchdowns that nearly allowed them back in the game.

One of the touchdowns came on a drive that included roughing-the-passer penalties by Tank Johnson and Orlando Scandrick.

"There are things to clean up," said coach Wade Phillips, who was told by owner Jerry Jones to have more input in the defensive play-calling after a loss to the St . Louis Rams . "Those two 15-yard penalties really gave them an opportunity to score."

Since the team's worst loss of the season - 34-14 to the down-and-out Rams - the Cowboys have allowed 9, 35, 10 and 22 points. The 35 came against the New York Giants , whom the Cowboys not only face in December but will probably have to contend with if they plan to make a playoff run.

They won't be going against offenses like the 49ers' when it counts. They get one more layup Thursday against Seattle, and that should get them to 8-4.

Then it gets very dicey for a defense that has rarely lived up to its billing in recent seasons, including this one.

The Cowboys play the Steelers and Giants in their first two games of December, a month that has tormented Cowboys teams for years.

If the defense can't make plays and stay solid against those two teams, the Cowboys won't have a chance to win. That will mean must-wins over Baltimore and Philadelphia the final two weeks just to get to 10-6.

That probably would get Dallas in as a wild card, but there are no guarantees, not for a team with a 5-4 conference record.

Not allowing a touchdown for six quarters against the Redskins and 49ers has allowed the Cowboys to re-enter the playoff discussion.

To stay in it, Phillips' defense has to become a big-play unit for four quarters a game. Not just three.