They traveled different paths to reach the same place. Uncharted courses had to be discovered in order for the Cowboys and Seahawks to find their way to 10-6 records and a Saturday night showdown at AT&T Stadium.
Meet the Cowboys, a team that relies on defense more heavily than any Dallas playoff team since Bill Parcells' first club. Meet the Seahawks, who averaged 30 points per game in the second half of the season to put together a 6-2 run that landed them a wild-card spot.
These are not the clubs with which we are familiar. In 2016, Dak Prescott's and Ezekiel Elliott's rookie season, and in all four of Tony Romo's playoff campaigns, the Cowboys ranked at least six spots higher in total offense than total defense.