Getty Images

The Cowboys looked like the better team Thursday night. They looked nothing like the team that started 3-5, with Jason Garrett’s head on the chopping block.

Owner Jerry Jones said the Cowboys aren’t the same team: They aren’t the same team they were at 3-5, and they aren’t even the same team they were before the 13-10 victory over the Saints.

“This bunch, this team won’t be the same again,” Jones said. “I’m serious. You win something like this against a team that well-coached, those kind of players, a caliber of team like that, and you know you’ve done it; the mirror knows you’ve done it. You change. This is a changer in here. These guys, they’re different cats now as they go forward.”

No one likely looks at the Cowboys the same now.

The outcome reminded many veteran Cowboys’ observers of 2009.

The Saints had won 10 games in row before losing to the Cowboys on Thursday. In 2009, the Cowboys beat the then-13-0 Saints 24-17, which started a three-game winning streak to end the regular season. Dallas won the NFC East and beat the Eagles in a wild-card playoff game.

“Well, I was of course thinking about the ’09 game before we played this game and knew that it’s possible to have a team that becomes better if they win a big game,” Jones said. “Certainly, that made us a better team to win that game in New Orleans for the ensuing games and for the year. Make no mistake, this game made us better. . . . We’re a better team having come out of here [with a win].”