The Dallas Cowboys defense is now a month into the NFL season. They are no longer terrible on the defensive side. The way they do it is even more shocking. The Cowboys defense is creating turnovers like we haven't seen in quite some time. Cowboys fans, I will warn you. Don't fall for the same mistake every season when they have a strong start to the season. This is how it always ends: in the divisional round.
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Yes, Dan Quinn's defense has been very good through the first four games. They managed to get a record of 3-1. They are still a great team and I want to see more of them.
The Cowboys' defense has shown Quinn is still a competent football coach. However, he isn't yet a head coach. Not right now, at least. Through four games, the Cowboys rank second in the NFL for takeaways (10), and Trevon Diggs has really stood out with five interceptions.
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I am still not ready to believe in this Cowboys defense. They are giving up so many yards. Until it fails, the bend but don't break strategy works. Three consecutive wins for the Cowboys have been against young quarterbacks. Justin Herbert (23), Jalen HUTTS (23), Sam Darnold (24) Darnold is in his fourth season, but he was with the Jets for the last three years, so he could as well be considered a rookie. Both Herbert and Hurts have entered year two of their NFL careers. Although Herbert has been a great player for the Chargers there are still moments when he seems like a rookie quarterback still trying to figure out certain things on the field.
This Cowboys defense allowed 379 yards of passing in the season opener against veteran Tom Brady. This is the highest total so far this season. It was against a more skilled QB. They did manage to force two Brady INTs. They still lost the game by 29 points. They will have to face Tampa Bay and Brady in the playoffs. We all know that the Cowboys will find a way for them to lose these important games. Brady was told by Dak Prescott that they would see them after the game. I'm not sure if Dallas is interested in this.
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Perhaps Dak was referring to seeing them on the course later. We may never know. It's still a long season, but I have to see the Cowboys defense against two more established QBs in this league before my eyes go crazy about how much better they are. In Week 11, the Cowboys will travel to Kansas City to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. They host the Raiders in Kansas City and Derek Carr in Dallas the following week. To see the true strength of this Dallas defense, I'll be watching closely those games against veteran quarterbacks. The Cowboys don't have many of these QBs. They get to play six times with young, inexperienced QBs in their division. They play the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. Kirk Cousins is doing well but they are only 1-3. This is the kind of game that I can see the Cowboys losing and goingofing around in. For the Cowboys, the path to a title in division seems straight.
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Dallas is a great team, even when nobody expects much from them. The Cowboys of the last two decades have done just fine. They fold like lawn chairs the second they are subject to any expectation. While the regular season is important, the Cowboys will only be able to prove their doubters wrong by winning the playoffs. By that I mean reaching at least the NFC championship. This is the first time that the Cowboys have done it in this millennium.
