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The New Orleans Saints are probably the best team the Cowboys have beaten since they took down the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 of the 2011 season. I know, New Orleans is just 1-3, but we're talking about a team that won its division with an 11-5 record and had the league's fourth-rated offense in 2013.
Since the start of that 2011 season, Dallas has just four victories against teams that finished the season with a winning record. Those wins came against San Francisco in 2011, the Giants and Bengals in 2012 and Philadelphia in 2013. But New York didn't make the playoffs that year, and Cincinnati and Philly didn't win playoff games. The 'Niners went 13-3 and made the NFC Championship game in 2011. And since 2006, the Saints have won six playoff games and a Super Bowl.
So really, you could argue that this was Dallas' most impressive win in at least three years.
And while the offense had a near-flawless night both through the air and on the ground against the Saints, that's sort of the expectation when you've got a jacked-up line along with stars like quarterback Tony Romo, wide receiver Dez Bryant, tight end Jason Witten and running back DeMarco Murray.
The Dallas offense put up 38 points Sunday night against the Saints and has now scored 72 points in two weeks. Cool beans, but not surprising—not when you consider that they were one of only five teams to average more than 27 points per game last season.
The real takeaway of note here is that the defense no longer appears to be tearing that talented offense down. Suddenly, despite all of the injuries and all of the losses, that unit has become something other than an utter liability.
For the second time in three weeks Sunday, the Dallas defense pitched a first-half shutout, giving Romo and Co. a chance to open up a double-digit lead by halftime. That's something they managed to do only three times in 64 games between the start of 2010 and the end of 2013. They also had three takeaways for the second week in a row, giving them eight on the season.
Without stud middle linebacker Sean Lee (torn ACL) and star defensive linemen DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher (offseason departures), a defense that ranked dead last in 2013 while surrendering the third-highest yardage total in NFL history can't possibly be expected to carry this team.
They won't win you many games, but with talented dudes like defensive backs Barry Church, Orlando Scandrick and Brandon Carr, linebackers Bruce Carter and Justin Durant and defensive linemen Henry Melton, George Selvie and Anthony Spencer, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has shown the magician-like ability to get this unit to a point at which it is no longer losing games.
By giving up only 17 points to an offense that had torched them in each of their last two meetings, the defense made a statement Sunday night. For the second time in three weeks, they put Dallas in a position to win the game.
Prior to Sunday night, this Saints team had been held to fewer than 18 points only seven times in their last 51 regular-season games, dating back to the start of 2011. And in their last two matchups with Dallas, Drew Brees and Co. averaged a comical 41.5 points and 593 yards per game.
Yardage-wise, two of the top six offensive performances in Saints history came in 2012 and 2013 against Dallas. And by the same measure, two of the five worst defensive performances in Cowboys history came in 2012 and 2013 against New Orleans. Brees simply had their number.
Not anymore.
Marinelli, who has a reputation for having a Midas touch when dealing with seemingly ordinary defensive players, has Carter, Durant and Rolando McClain looking like Pro Bowlers.
Carter, who was creeping up on bust territory entering this season, has suddenly become a crackerjack in coverage with a nose for the ball. McClain, who was a first-round-pick-turned-washout but has revived his career as Lee's replacement, forced a fumble Sunday night. He's already got a sack, an interception, a forced fumble and 17 tackles through three games.
And they should only get stronger. The Saints were a litmus test. Aside from a pair of late-season matchups with the Philadelphia Eagles, they won't likely face another offense this talented for the remainder of the regular season.
Melton and Spencer are still being eased back from injuries. They should only get better, as should Scandrick, who returned from a shortened suspension in Week 3. Those three are key cogs in the pass defense, which had just a single sack Sunday night and has just four in as many games this season.
Think how much better the Cowboys can be on the defensive side of the ball if they start getting more pressure.
But they're already getting the job done anyway, having given up just 17 points per game during this three-game winning streak (a defensive touchdown from the St. Louis Rams in Week 3 notwithstanding). So there's little reason to believe this defense can't at least do enough to keep the Cowboys offense from having to do the impossible on a weekly basis.
The Eagles lost in messy fashion Sunday, dropping to 3-1. With their offensive line in shambles, they aren't running away with anything. The Washington Commanders are yet again a disaster at 1-3, and the Giants appear to be a work in progress.
Point being, the NFC East is—once again—wide freakin' open.
Dallas is 3-1 for the first time since 2008, and the 'Boys will undoubtedly open as favorites for a Week 5 home game against Houston. Seattle will be tough in Week 6, but the schedule lightens up from that point until the end of November.
The top story in Dallas is the offense. Suddenly, they're balanced, and Murray's got a sizable lead over the rest of the league when it comes to rushing yards. He's hit the century mark four straight weeks to kick off the season.
But the Cowboys wouldn't have as many wins as anyone in football right now if it wasn't for the suddenly respectable defense.
"I think we're a different team this year than we were last year," Romo said after the game on NBC. "Not everyone knows a lot of the guys' names but they play hard, they play aggressive and they work their butts off every day. As hard as I've ever seen it."
He's right, this team has a different feel. This D isn't about to collapse, and the offense is rolling so don't expect the Cowboys to fall out of this race until at least the bitter end.
You know, the usual. Compared to what many dreaded this season would turn into just a few weeks ago, that worst-case scenario isn't too shabby.
Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.
Follow @Brad_Gagnon
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