ARLINGTON, Texas — The blood began running early. On one of his first carries, DeMarco Murray skinned his elbows and stained his uniform, sending red streaks across the white numbers of his blue jersey and white pants.

By the end — when Murray was grinding out yard after yard and burning off precious time — the look fit him and the Dallas Cowboys quite nicely.

Murray churned out 27 yards on five straight carries in the final 2:41, setting up fellow rookie Dan Bailey for a 28-yard field goal as time expired that gave the Cowboys a 20-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday.

The win was Dallas' fourth straight and it guaranteed the Cowboys (7-4) would be atop the NFC East at the start of December. They're a half-game ahead of the New York Giants, who play at New Orleans on Monday night. If New York wins, the clubs would be tied. A Saints win would keep Dallas on top alone.

“There is no favorite,” Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman said. “I'll tell you what happens at the end of the season. We just have to keep on plugging and get some wins.”

Murray's evolvement from backup to featured back has transformed the Dallas offense. He's mostly been a breakaway threat who has kept defenses from loading up to stop Romo. This late-game performance showed what a fully developed player he may be. He gained between 3 and 9 yards on five straight carries, taking the clock from 2:41 to :17 while forcing the Dolphins to burn their last two timeouts.

He showed his awareness best when he broke to the outside and fell rather than try gaining a few more yards and risking getting pushed out of bounds.

“I definitely knew what to do,” Murray said. “It was an awesome way to finish the game.”

The Dolphins (3-8) had four drives that got within 10 yards of the end zone, yet settled for field goals every time. Their only touchdown came on a 35-yard pass from Matt Moore to Brandon Marshall.

However, Miami still nearly pulled it out. In the second half, the Dolphins scored on all but their final drive, and that was all it took to end a three-game winning streak.

“When you come into somebody else's place, those (deep drives) have got to be touchdowns,”