I suspect that the defense would have been more successful if all four of their rotational DE's were not injured for the majority of the season. They participated in a combined 28 games out of a possible 68.
It is just a sure that the defensive backfield would have made more plays if our two former 1st Team All-Pro CBs had ever been given the opportunity to be on the field at the same time more than once. They combined for 16 games missed. It didn't help that the primary backup, rookie Caelon Carson, was lost after 5 games.
And then there was Overshown getting better every week only to be lost for the final games. I think he was a true difference maker and his injury nailed the coffin shut.
The Cowboys combined offensive rank for 2000-2024 in points scored is 6th. For points against, they are ranked 20th
interestingly, in terms of yardage, the Cowboys offense was ranked 9th and the defense was ranked 10th.
Typically, when there is a large difference in ranking between points allowed and yardage allowed, it is the result of opponents scoring TD's with their defense.
This is true in the Cowboys case. They are ranked 28th in allowing opponents to score on interception and fumble returns. \
From 2000-2024, opponents scored a total of 69 TD's when it was the Cowboys offense and not their defense that was on the field. When we adjust points against the defense by subtracting these return numbers from all team's PF numbers we find that the Cowboys offense and defense had similar ranking as is the case in yardage.
