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What's most shocking, though, is the fact that Sunday's shoddy performance from the offense and—despite insurmountable obstacles—a half-decent showing from the D indicates that defensive unit might not actually single-handedly sink this franchise in 2014.
We've all been assuming that'll be the case. It's only natural. We're talking about a D that is without its top four players from last season, at least based on grades provided by Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
But Sunday's embarrassing loss had little if anything to do with the defense.
Mind you, the defense hardly was given a chance to suck. Thanks mainly to offensive mistakes, the Cowboys trailed the 49ers by a score of 21-3 only 10 minutes and 35 seconds into the game, despite the fact the D had only been on the field 94 seconds.
Quarterback Tony Romo had one of the worst games of his career, throwing three interceptions and misfiring in uncharacteristic fashion on a consistent basis. An offense that is loaded with talent in all spots was completely out of sync from start to finish, despite relatively strong pass protection.
Against a D that was missing four defensive starters from last year, including Pro Bowlers Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman, it was baffling.
"It’s a simple game," said head coach Jason Garrett, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Those (turnovers) were the difference-making plays. You can’t do that against anybody in the NFL."
The D was by no means good. There were some glaring lapses in coverage, and they were bullied far too often by San Francisco's two-headed backfield monster comprised of veteran Frank Gore and rookie backup Carlos Hyde.
But San Francisco had just 316 yards of total offense, which is respectable, regardless of how many opportunities it had. The Niners still controlled the ball for 28:36, but Dallas shut San Fran out on five second-half possessions.
Even the pass rush was OK, despite the loss of star defensive linemen DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher, who accounted for half of the team's 34 sacks last season.
A Bruce Carter sighting? I say, Bruce Carter sighting!
And Rolando McClain, too...
They were just feisty:
Was the half-decent showing an anomaly? Was it the result of a small sample size against an offense that is good, not great, and was on cruise control for much of the afternoon? Maybe. And that's what's really scary about what happened at AT&T Stadium Sunday.
With Ware and Hatcher gone and stud linebacker Sean Lee on injured reserve, there's a chance this defense will get worse before it gets better. Dallas managed to win eight games last season because it somehow pulled a plus-eight turnover differential out of its hat, while ranking fifth in the NFL with 27.4 points per game.
But this doesn't look like an offense that can again save the day. Coming off a tough offseason that featured a second back procedure in less than a year, the 34-year-old Romo looked lost Sunday. His only receiver with significant starting experience, Dez Bryant, is already hurt. It's a bad omen.
This was a winnable game against a limping opponent, and the Cowboys were manhandled, despite the fact their presumed Achilles' heel wasn't even much of a factor. Eventually, that'll change. And if by then Romo and Co. haven't completely executed a 180, this'll become a train wreck of a season.
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