If someone would have said on November 6, when the team was 3-5 and fresh off a 28-14 beatdown at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, that the Dallas Cowboys would not only get into the playoffs but also win (at least) a game, he or she wouldn't have been taken seriously.

But here we are on January 6, and the Cowboys are headed into the divisional playoff round after a 24-22 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. It's amazing how quickly fortunes change.

The Cowboys defense was excellent for the majority of the game, holding Seattle under 300 total yards for just the fifth time this season. The Cowboys defense certainly profited from questionable play-calling by the Seahawks, but it did an excellent job limiting Seattle in key situations, as the Seahawks went 2-for-13 on third-down conversions.

The Cowboys offense had another up-and-down day but were able to play their best when it mattered most, putting together two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to put the Cowboys over the top.

Now, as the Cowboys await to find out who their opponent will be in the divisional round, let's discuss a few things we can glean from Dallas' victory:

Cowboys break out new wrinkles to get Dak Prescott's feet involved in red zone

After ignoring Prescott's running ability for the last month of the season, the Cowboys finally unleashed one of their best red zone weapons against Seattle in the fourth quarter. Prescott is one of the most gifted running quarterbacks in the league, as he possesses rare power and open field vision for a signal caller.

Yet, it wasn't just that Dallas used Prescott's feet in the red zone that made it so effective, it was how the Cowboys used Prescott's running ability Saturday night, as the Cowboys quarterback finished with six carries (two were kneel downs) for 29 yards and a touchdown.

Throughout the regular season, the vast majority of Prescott's called runs came on zone read concepts, where Prescott reads an unblocked defender to determine whether he gives the ball to Ezekiel Elliott at the mesh point or keeps it himself.

Out of Prescott's four called runs against Seattle, only one was a zone read, which picked up a modest five-yard gain on first down with just over five minutes remaining in the game. Another of Prescott's called runs was a quarterback sneak that punched the ball in the end zone to give Dallas a 10-point lead with a little over two minutes to go.

The other two Prescott called runs made up just under three percent of Dallas' total plays; however, their importance cannot be understated, as both put Dallas in prime position to put the ball in the end zone against a team that was allowing just 49 percent of red zone trips to end in a touchdown (fourth best in the NFL).

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, instead of using a zone read to get Prescott's feet involved, the Cowboys opted to break out a quarterback sweep to take advantage of Prescott's running abilities:

Dak showin us Russ isn't the only QB with wheels tonight 💨 @dak pic.twitter.com/9Hx5is2hHK — The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 6, 2019

Here, Prescott gets great first-level blocks from Connor Williams, who does an excellent job of reaching-and-running the three-technique defensive tackle, Shamar Stephen, and Dalton Schultz controls the defensive end, giving Prescott a cutback lane to pick up the first down and come up just short of the end zone.

Center Joe Looney also did an excellent job of leaking out to the second level early to cut off All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner and inhibit his ability to affect the play - something we mentioned would be incredibly important Saturday night.

Prescott did an excellent job of reading the leverage of his blocks and cutting back inside to take advantage of the alley created by Williams and Looney.

Elliott profited from Prescott coming up just short of the end zone, as he was able to punch the ball in two plays later for the touchdown to give Dallas the lead.

The quarterback sweep was a great call to even up the numbers inside the box for the Cowboys offense. When Dallas lined up to run the sweep, Seattle had seven defenders in the box while Dallas had just six blockers (five offensive linemen plus Schultz), meaning that if Dallas gave the ball to Elliott on a traditional run, there would be one unblocked defender in the box.

However, by calling the quarterback sweep, it turns Elliott from the ball carrier into an extra blocker, evening up the box for Dallas and allowing them to account for each box defender with a blocker.

That wasn't the only wrinkle Dallas introduced Saturday, as the Cowboys used a quarterback draw to pick up a first down on third-and-14 with just over two minutes remaining:

Here, the Cowboys are running a quarterback draw concept, and Prescott does an excellent job of selling pass before tucking the ball to run between the tackles.

Because the Seahawks expect a pass, they play soft coverage while running a twist with their defensive tackles up front, which played right into Dallas' hands. Williams and Zack Martin do an excellent job of pushing the defensive tackles out of the play, giving Prescott a giant alley into the second level of Seattle's defense.

From there, Prescott's burst takes over as he's able to split two Seattle defenders (one being Wagner) before being stopped just a few inches from the end zone. Looney did an excellent job cutting off linebacker KJ Wright, which gave Prescott the sliver of space he needed to pick up the first down.

It was a gutsy move by the Cowboys' offensive staff to call a quarterback draw on third-and-long, but it paid off, as Seattle was caught off guard and unprepared to defend something Dallas has seldom used in recent years.

Prescott's feet plus the red zone equals prosperity for the Cowboys. Hopefully the success of the quarterback draw and sweep lead to Dallas calling a wider variety of QB runs for Prescott in the future.

Ezekiel Elliott is the engine that makes the Cowboys offense go

In a tight game where every yard would be hard to come by, Elliott's outstanding performance helped fuel the Cowboys victory, as he finished with 26 carries for 137 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with four catches for 32 receiving yards.

Elliott was able to show off many of the traits that make him one of the best running backs in the NFL.

Elliott's vision was on full display against Seattle, as he did an excellent job of reading his blocks to find open running lanes all night. Elliott's 41-yard run in the second quarter was a great example:

ZEKE!



41 yard run to help set up a Cowboys touchdown! #SEAvsDAL pic.twitter.com/rydALn4Yib — FOX Sports (@FOXSports) January 6, 2019

Here, the Cowboys are running a duo concept, where Williams and Looney double team the nose tackle (one-technique defensive tackle) while Martin and La'el Collins double team the under tackle (three-technique defensive tackle) -- hence the term 'Duo' for the two double teams.

Elliott's job is to read the middle linebacker to determine his path, which he does perfectly here. With the middle linebacker attacking forward toward the line of scrimmage, Elliott makes the right decision to bounce the ball outside after pressing the line of scrimmage.

On top of the decision to bounce the ball outside, Elliott pressing the line of scrimmage was key, as it sucked up Seattle's second-level defenders and allowed Elliott the space necessary to get to the corner and accelerate upfield for the big gain.

On top of his vision, Elliott also showed off his ability to make defenders miss in the hole. Elliott is often lauded for his power and ability to churn out the 'dirty yards' but rarely receives praise for his elusiveness, which is excellent.

His touchdown run was a great example:

Here, the Cowboys are in a jumbo set with offensive tackle Cameron Fleming in as Dallas' sixth offensive lineman. Dallas is looking to hit this run in between Martin's pull and Jamize Olawale's lead block; however, Dalton Schultz is tossed aside by defensive end Dion Jordan, putting him in prime position to ruin Dallas' goal-line run.

Elliott had other plans, however, as he was able to receive the ball, put his outside foot in the turf and cut inside to find the open crease for the touchdown, showing off his nimble feet to elude Jordan on his way to the end zone.

Elliott's compact running style gives him the ability to make late-second cuts and alterations in his path to elude penetrating defenders. Because Elliott runs with a low pad level, he's always in an optimal position to change direction without losing speed. Running backs who have a more upright running style (such as DeMarco Murray) can't make those kinds of cuts because they are forced to gear down to get their body in position to adequately change directions at tight angles.

Elliott picked a good day for reports to surface about him seeking a contract extension this offseason, as he made his immense value to the Dallas offense apparent tonight.

Maliek Collins and Antwaun Woods are a sneaky-good DT duo

Coming into this season, the biggest hole on the Cowboys roster was believed to be defensive tackle, and for good reason, as Dallas was hampered by poor defensive tackle play throughout 2017.

That hasn't been the case this year, however, as Maliek Collins and Antwaun Woods have both made major strides in their development. Outside of a forgettable performance in Indianapolis, Woods and Collins have performed admirably this season, and it continued against Seattle.

Woods has been an excellent addition to the Cowboys defense this season, and he continued to show his value against Seattle, accumulating three tackles while doing a great job of occupying blocks to keep the linebacker clean to flow to the ball.

He did most of his dirty work against the run, but Woods was able to make his presence felt against the pass, as he sniffed out a first-quarter screen that led to a three-and-out for the Seahawks offense.

Collins has also taken great strides in his development this season, as he has become much more of an asset against the run. Last season, Collins was one of Dallas' worst run defenders, as he was easily displaced out of his gap all too frequently. This season, Collins has been much better against the run, playing with more strength and better hand usage at the point-of-attack.

Collins continued his improved play against Seattle, as he was able to clog running lanes and affect plays when he was in, finishing with five tackles and a sack Saturday night.

Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch were excellent against the Seahawks, and they were a large reason why Dallas was able to stymie Seattle's offense for most of the game; however, Dallas' dynamic linebacker duo wouldn't be able to flourish if Woods and Collins weren't doing their job up front (as the Colts game showed).

Smith and Vander Esch will receive the lion's share of the credit, but it's important to remember Collins and Woods' contributions as well.

Twitter: @JohnOwning