4. This scrappy defense has been an upgrade
The starless Dallas defense doesn’t have mind-numbing numbers through the first month of the season, and ranks 26th in terms of total defense. So far, however, the unit has performed better than playoff contenders such as Green Bay, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Atlanta.
The much-maligned Cowboys secondary has limited opposing teams to 271 yards through the air per game, which is on par with other good secondaries like the Browns, the Ravens and the Broncos. And allowing 21.5 points per game — which excluding the blowout against the 49ers is now 19. 3 points per game — is a major improvement as opposed to year’s past.
Finally, the most telling stat in football: turnover to takeaway ratio. Dallas is ranked 16th in the league with a +1 turnover differential, and as we mentioned earlier it’s been skewed since Week 2 when Romo began to turn a corner. Still, contenders like Denver and Baltimore have a +1 turnover differential, which is superior to Detroit, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Philadelphia and New Orleans.
