After an incredibly shaky start to the season, the Cowboys have rebounded, winning three straight games to sit at 3-1 and with a share of the NFC East lead after one quarter of the NFL season.
Those quick to jump on the hate-filled bandwagon after that disappointing opening loss to the 49ers are now the first to switch wagons and leap into the wagon of love and applause after Monday’s rout of the Saints.
Much of this applause has been heaped on the Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, who is the league’s leading rusher in terms of total yards and tenth ranked running back in yards per attempt.
I know I said two weeks ago that teams that win run, not teams that run win (http://www.theroar.com.au/2014/09/16/the-running-game-gains-momentum-in-nfl/). Murray has been able to do what so many other running backs have failed to do in Dallas over the past five plus years – provide the offense with a more balanced attack.
He picked up over 80 running yards in the first half alone against New Orleans, yes he picked up some meaningless garbage time yards but nowhere near as many as he has in the past.
By finally having a running back that can actually run, the Cowboys have been able to take pressure off Tony Romo. For so long now, Romo has shouldered the burden off the Cowboys offense (cue endless jokes linking his back injury to this), but finally the ability for Murray to run the football has opened up throwing lanes for Romo.
Defences who typically predicted the Cowboys would throw the ball are now in two minds, unsure about whether to defend the run or the pass. This was really evident against the Saints defence, admittedly not one of the best in the league, who were unable to stop the run or the pass.
With linebackers creeping into the box to stop Murray, Romo was able to find Jason Witten for five receptions and 61 yards, he was able to hit Terrance Williams six times for 77 yards and two touchdowns because the Saints directed much of their attention to Murray and number one wide-out Dez Bryant, who was restricted to just three receptions.
The one common denominator in all of this is the Cowboys’ offensive line. It has been simply brilliant in the past few weeks, after starting slow in week one. Tony Romo has been sacked just four times over the last three weeks and the offensive line has provided Murray with many of the running lanes required to pick up big games.
Entering Monday’s match, according to Football Outsiders, the Cowboys had the eighth best run blocking offensive line in the league. The Cowboys have highlighted the offensive line as an area requiring improvement in recent years, recognising that the team must keep Tony Romo healthy in order to win, and drafted with this goal in mind.
As a result, after having never drafted an offensive lineman in the first round in the Jerry Jones era until 2011, the Cowboys have now drafted offensive linemen in the first round in three of the last four drafts, the only exception being Morris Claiborne in 2012 and we all know how that’s gone.
Those three players are now Cowboys starters and the Dallas offensive line is not only one of the youngest in the league, but one of the best.
Heading into the season, many experts projected the Cowboys defence to be one of the worst defences in NFL history. As we all know, Dallas found themselves in serious cap trouble entering the season, at one point it seemed as if the only way the Cowboys could get under the cap would be to sell AT&T Stadium.
Unfortunately this is not allowed and instead Dallas was forced to release stars DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher, who recorded half of the teams 34 sacks in 2013. While Zack Martin has contributed greatly to the Cowboys offensive line this season, they already had a strong offensive line entering the season, they should have drafted a defensive player in the first round.
The thinking behind taking Martin is that he was the best player left on the board, they didn’t expect him to still be there and jumped at the opportunity to draft a versatile lineman, but the Cowboys had a need at defence and they didn’t fill it.
The return of Orlando Scandrick from suspension is a huge upgrade on Claiborne, who it is now reported has torn his ACL and is out for the season. The front seven performed admirably on Monday and the secondary was outstanding in the first half, restricting the Saints to just 84 passing yards.
However, questions still remain, Dallas gave up over 300 yards to a third string quarterback last weekend and Brees threw for over 250 yards in the second half alone.
The Cowboys won’t continue to win this season if their defence drops to predicted levels, instead they need it to continue to perform at a relatively high level, by Dallas standards, and perform enough support for Tony Romo.
No one is expecting the defence to replicate the Seattle Seahawks, all Romo and Dallas fans ask is that they provide enough support for Romo to enable him to win games without putting huge amounts of pressure on him.
Twitter: @fromthesheds
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