FRISCO -- One of the qualities that forms the Cowboys' identity is one of the reasons no one lists this team among the Super Bowl favorites.

The organization takes great pride in how this team is built to win close games. Head coach Jason Garrett and his players view it as a strength.

It often comes across as a weakness.

How can that be, you ask incredulously? A team that can't win close games won't go far in today's NFL.

That's true. But if a team puts itself on a steady diet of these games rather than splurge with an occasional blowout, it can be detrimental to their mental and physical health.

And record.

The Cowboys have proven to be the exception. The team's two-point win over Seattle in the wild-card game was its slimmest margin of victory in the postseason since a 30-28 win over San Francisco in the divisional round 47 years ago.

This continues a regular-season trend.

Seven of the team's games this season -- including the playoff win over the Seahawks -- have been decided by three points or less. Dallas has won five of those games.

That's the highest number of victories in close games since Jerry Jones purchased the franchise in 1989.

Again you ask, how is this a bad thing? Look at it in these terms.

The Cowboys outscored opponents by a total of 15 points in the regular season. That's the lowest point differential by any playoff team in the franchise's history.

Saturday's foes, the Los Angeles Rams, are often up by 15 points in the first quarter before their opponent breaks a sweat.

The Rams, New Orleans Saints and others play a style that's more aesthetically pleasing than Dallas. That makes the Cowboys easier to dismiss in the eyes of many.

Now, let's take it further. Of the 17 games the Cowboys have played this season, 13 have been decided by eight points or less.

Dallas is 10-3 in those games.

"If you look at the games played, so many come down to what you do in the fourth quarter," Garrett said. "Make stops, drive on offense and make game-winning drives.

"In 13 of the 17 games we've played, we've been within one score at the end. We've won 10 of those. Dak [Prescott] has been a huge part of that.

"This [Seattle] game was no different. He made critical plays at critical times with his arm and his feet. That was a big-time run to get us in there close."

The big-time run Garrett referred to came on third-and-14 with 2:33 remaining as the Cowboys clung to a three-point lead. Prescott picked up 16 yards on a punishing quarterback draw and scored on a sneak the next play to ice the victory.

This came seven days after Prescott's spectacular escape on fourth-and-15 resulted in a 32-yard pass to Cole Beasley and the winning touchdown with 1:12 left against the New York Giants.

But back to that play against the Seahawks.

"It's hard to imagine making a third-and-14 on a play like that," Garrett said. "I'll tell you what, he knew it was going to happen. He willed it to happen.

"Dak made a fantastic run. He's an outstanding football player and a leader and it showed up big in that game."

Prescott's poise in the stretch. Ezekiel Elliott's running. The highest-ranked defense left in the postseason.

That's why this team has been able to "finish this fight" -- their mantra -- more often than not.

"I mean, we've got fighters, man," defensive end Tyrone Crawford said. "I'll pick any one of our guys to go one-on-one with anyone in the fourth or at any time.

"We've got fighters, we've got guys who don't stop and want to win. You can look at our quarterback. The guy will fight to the finish."

The Cowboys don't make it easy on themselves with all these close games. They don't make it easy on opponents, either.

We're about to see how far it takes them.

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.