We didn't have the #1 offense in scoring. We were #6
There was some of that, although the way you express it makes it sound as if there was an intentional effort to "pad stats". But we also had 475 yards against the Rams, and 443 yard against the Vikings, and 563 yards against the Packers, and 426 yards against the Bills. Plus, there were also early games where we got a big lead and went ultra conservative on offense much of the 2nd half in an effort to just run down the clock. Ultimately a team doesn't put up the numbers the Cowboys did solely on stat padding, plus, let's not forget that other teams have games like that from time to time too.
The problem was more slow starts, and lack of consistency in getting the ball in the end zone through the middle part of the season. Moving the ball is well and good, but it still has to result in TDs to matter.