What did Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Cooper Rush have to say after beating the New York Giants, 27-20, on Thanksgiving? Here’s what they said to the media after the game:

COACH MIKE MCCARTHY

On the feeling of the locker room following the two-game winning streak

“Just really focused on answering some quick questions and getting the hell out of here because it’s Thanksgiving. That’s where my focus is. No, I mean, you know how I feel about that. I think that, and I’ve done this a long time, I’ve said this a long time: you really waste your time talking about narratives that are really hypotheticals. You never talk about that until you get to 10 wins. But if that’s the path to it, then that’s the reality of where we are. Yeah, we’ve just done a really solid job of staying focused on what’s up next. Having the experience of playing in a Thanksgiving game each and every year is important. I am proud of the way they prepared, proud of the way they played. We had a number of guys go down today. There were injuries on both sides of the ball. There was a lot of ebb and flow, up and down, to that football game. I think that complimentary football – really, started with our defense with the big turnover, the pick-six, what an incredible play. It really got the crowd going and I felt like the whole atmosphere changed after that. So, I’m just proud of the way they’re staying after it. It’s one game at a time.”

On getting the first home win this season

“I mean, you have to recognize the way we’ve played in the past here. The crowd…it’s an incredible place to compete. Our fans are great. So yes, it was definitely overdue. It was important to get the win on a lot of fronts, but it was really important to get a home win.”

On DeMarvion Overshown’s interception

“It looked like a championship volleyball play, the hand-eye coordination and anticipation. You don’t see that play every day. It speaks to his athletic ability, but to get his hands on the ball, control it, and then, obviously put it in the end zone. It was a huge play – probably one of the highlight plays so far in the season.”

On if it feels different after winning back-to-back division games moving forward

“The division games are important. Yeah definitely, we feel a lot differently today than we did Saturday night going into Washington. That’s fair and accurate. It’s a good feeling. This is where we deserve to be. We’ve had to fight to get here. We’re still in the valley of adversity, we’ve taken two steps forward, but we’ve still got a long ways to go. We recognize that. That’s the fun part about it. If you could just see these guys work every day. Their resiliency is evident, their positive attitude. As long as we can get blessed with some good health here and hopefully the guys that were injured today, we’ll get good news on them moving forward quickly. We just got to stay the course. Sometimes you don’t get into your rhythm right away. Some teams come out of the gates smoking in September. Look at Detroit today, had a chance to watch some of them. They’ve been playing good football all year. I’m hopeful that because of the way we’ve worked and the adversity we’re going through, our best days are ahead of us.”

On if it was a quick decision on the last possession to decline the penalty

“That’s the Aggie call when they did the 12 men on the field. We call it after 12th man, Texas A&M, It’s an Aggie situation.”

On injuries to CeeDee Lamb and others

“CeeDee had a shoulder injury, that’s why he didn’t go back in. Juanyeh Thomas was a knee. I want to say Tyler Guyton was ankle and knee, he had a couple of things going on, but he was able to go back in on field goal protection.” On tying Bill Parcells for 14th all-time in wins “That’s definitely something that I know I never thought about when I got into coaching. I have such great respect for this game and the people before me. I don’t know Coach Parcells, but I’ve just always admired him – particularly his generation, that was the generation I broke in under. I was so blessed to work for Marty Schottenheimer and the staff that I was on. You hear stories, you work with different people, I’ve always felt Marty and Bill had very similar styles and approaches. Just to be mentioned with any of those guys, it’s a blessing.”

On Rico Dowdle’s development:

“Rico is a young man who’s worked incredibly hard. He’s fought through the injury challenges in the early part of his career. You’re just getting to see what we see every day. This team needs that. We need to run the ball not only for our offense but for our football team.”

On DeMarvion Overshown:

“Definitely, he’s got so much in front of him. Just think, as you see not only him growing, but the defense is. As you get players back, their connection is there but their continuity and consistency is starting to really take a step each and every week. Outside the two-minute defense, I thought we played really well and have us in position. We were in a three-score game there for a while. Yes, I think he really is just a reflection of how I think the defense is rolling.”

On Brandon Cooks:

It’s great having Brandon back full time on every front, frankly. He’s a great leader. He’s a wonderful human being. Everybody enjoys working with him. He’s just so consistent, precise, detailed in everything he does. He’s a great example for the young players. Most importantly, when we started that series, we were going to run it and take took timeouts off the clock, and that was the third down call. That third down, that was a call that was decided before the series even started. So that clearly tells you what we think of Brandon. It was great to have him back.

On what he is thankful for this Thanksgiving when it comes to his players:

“I’m thankful for what each and every one of them does every day. The way they first start personally, how they represent the Dallas Cowboys. They do the extra. A lot is asked of them, and they never complain. They don’t blink with it, so I am very proud of them for that. I’m obviously thankful for what they do, what they give up, the sacrifice not only they make physically, mentally and emotionally – but what their families make. Their families are a huge part of this. A huge part of their individual success and a huge part of our success. So just thankful for the opportunity to work with each and every one of these players. It’s an opportunity that I don’t take lightly. I know that my career has gone very quickly. From 1993 to today, its gone so fast. So I am just thankful to be able to be a part of these young men’s lives, and hopefully I can give them something in return so I can go on and on and on. I am very thankful.”

On the team’s rest before the next stretch:

“This is where we wanted to be. This week, getting these two wins, the way we break the season down, this will be the third semester. The way the third semester lays out, we have the next one at home, Carolina was 3-5 at home. The rest might be the most important part of the schedule. If you just look at what we’ve been dealing with, rest and recovery will really help us. The schedule is set up for our players to be on a bye week. They have some responsibility on Monday, we’ll do a later start on Wednesday. I do want them to get away, get their batteries charged, and be ready to go. We are going to have to play our best football, clearly, in front of us.”

On how Micah Parson’s return has kicked off the defensive improvement:

“We’re a better football team, a better defense, when Micah is on the field. That is without question. I think he came back, we had him a little bit on a pitch count, and now he is at full speed. He’s an impact player without a doubt.” Closing remarks: “Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, seriously. Thank you for everyone here, really. This week, maybe.” QB Cooper Rush On how it is in the locker room following a two-game winning streak… We just needed that one last week to kind of get the ball running. We felt that victory feeling in the locker room postgame last week. Really proud of everyone on a short week. It’s always tough, always hard, and another game of top premier football. Turnovers during touchdowns. The defense was playing well in the first half, again. So, I think everyone’s kind of coming together, feeling good.

On the thought of continuing to win to get to the playoffs…

That’s always the goal and it’s on to the next one now.

On having Brandin Cooks back in the offense…

It’s big. A veteran guy who made big catch after big catch throughout his whole career. He can do a lot of different things, receiver wise, and showed up today in big moments. A touchdown, great catch running through the ball there and then last play at third down. I kind of put it out there a little too far, but he made a great play and sometimes it comes down to that.

On playing to a national audience on Thanksgiving and getting a win…

Yeah, it was cool. Was special. I’ve been here on Thanksgiving Day over the years and finally getting to start one and play one was cool. You’re in Turkey Bowls when you’re a kid and to play a real one in the NFL is really cool. It’s a lot of fun and obviously the win makes it even better.

On shaking off the rust and getting into a groove now…

It definitely didn’t start great versus Philly and Houston wasn’t the result we wanted, but we did some things fundamentally that I was proud of. Just trying to take care of the ball. Trying to run the ball well the last couple of games and our defense keeping us in the game early allows us to keep running it. It’s a great team win. Guys are stepping up on both sides of the ball.

On how much Rico Dowdle means to the team following his first 100-yard performance…

The way he runs is infectious. Runs hard, high motor. It’s two weeks in a row now that we’re getting contacted five more yards pushing the piles. Those add up over time. You get into the fourth quarter and those four-or-five yard runs that he’s wearing on guys start turning into eight yards, 10 yards and he bust a couple there late. That’s why it’s important to stick with it and he’s running really well.

On what having a long break before the next game and on a two-game winning streak does for the team…

We’re going into the third trimester of the season. This November month always goes super fast with the schedule. To come out of the 10 days going 2-3 was big and important. We had to have it. Now its time for Cincinnati, you get a little breather and catch our breaths a little bit. That last part of the season, we have to make a run.

On his confidence knowing that he has more games to play at quarterback…

You gain confidence with every game. You learn every rep. You can practice all you want, but game reps do matter. I’m feeling more comfortable. Guys are coming together and playing together. We have to keep it going.