ST. LOUIS -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Cowboys’ 34-31 win over the St. Louis Rams:

Staying in it: Jason Garrett has preached to his team to fight and finish. The Cowboys fought back and finished off the Rams late in tying the franchise record for the biggest deficit in a comeback win. The Cowboys were down 21-0 with 6:06 left in the first half but scored 10 points before halftime to get in the game.

“It’s a sign of maturity in a team,” Garrett said. “That’s what you have to do. You have to execute and fight. I thought our guys were able to do that.”

Staying with it: Trailing by such a large margin, the Cowboys easily could have gotten away from the run as they have numerous times in the past. On the drive after the Rams took a 21-0 lead, the Cowboys ran five times with DeMarco Murray picking up 37 yards, including the final yard for Dallas’ first touchdown. He finished with 24 carries for 100 yards, and the Cowboys ran it 29 times for 123 yards as a team.

“It’s more about in-game, how this game is going,” quarterback Tony Romo said. “The fact that we weren’t in a rush because it was so early in the game to just abandon it, that’s a great job by Scott [Linehan] and staff. It was just a really well-called game.”

Staying level-headed: Morris Claiborne’s afternoon was horrid before the final defensive play. He gave up a 51-yard touchdown. He gave up a 38-yard completion. He missed a tackle on a 16-yard run. He had an illegal-contact penalty. He was the closest defender on the Rams’ final touchdown. But he made an acrobatic pick of Austin Davis with 1:02 to play to seal the win.

How much did he need that?

“A lot,” Claiborne said. “Not just for myself, but for the team. I’m happy for both of us.”