The 2021 Dallas Cowboys have come out of the gate fast with a 4-1 start to the season. They could have easily been 5-0 right now had a few penalty calls went their way or a field goal or two were made in the opener VS the Bucs. The 2021 Dallas Cowboys have won four consecutive games after losing that opening game to the Bucs and currently sit atop the NFC East, two games ahead of both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Football Team. Only the Arizona Cardinals, who are 5-0, have a better record in the NFC than the Cowboys right now. In Cowboys-land, media and fans alike like are already getting ahead of themselves. Many already believe that winning the NFC East is a foregone conclusion and that the Cowboys should start thinking about the #1 seed and reaching the NFC Championship. Those are both lofty goals and nothing can be taken for granted in the NFL. The Cowboys must take it one game at a time, day by day, week by week.
The hot start to the 2021 Dallas Cowboys season is a far cry from last season’s slow start amid a slew of crushing injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Mainly, the loss of starting quarterback Dak Prescott which effectively ended all hope for the 2020 Dallas Cowboys. This season, things are looking up. There are several reasons for this incredible turn around from last season but there are two that stick out the most:
1. DOMINATING THE RUN GAME
What a difference a year makes. Last year the Cowboys were 31st against the run defensively, giving up almost 160 yards game. Some of that can be attributed to the team falling behind in games early which allowed opponents to milk the clock against them. Through five games so far this year the Cowboys defense is fifth against the run, giving up only 79 yards a game. This year, it is the Cowboys who have been playing with the big lead forcing other teams to throw to try and catch up to them. On the opposite side of the ball, last season the Cowboys were 17th in overall rushing offense while average 4.2 yards/att, which ranked 20th in the league. The Cowboys were the ones forced to throw the ball while playing from behind for much of last season. This year, the Cowboys rank 2nd in overall rushing offense and their average yards/att has shot up to 5.3! Over their current 4 game winning streak, they have averaged over 200 rushing yards/game and 5.5 yards per carry! Those numbers are phenomenal. The success in the running game can be attributed to the effectiveness of both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard but more so to the Cowboys controlling the line of scrimmage against their opponents.
2. WINNNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
The Cowboys finished last season with a minus-3 in turnover differential, 23 takeaways to 26 giveaways. The inability to create turnovers has defined the Dallas Cowboys defense for many years now. Since before the Rod Marinelli era, all throughout it, and then last season during the brief tenure of Mike Nolan as DC. This offseason, the Cowboys invested in Dan Quinn as their new defensive coordinator and it has paid off in dividends so far. After just five games this year, the Cowboys have already accumulated 12 takeaways. They currently rank second in the NFL with a plus-7 differential as they have only turned the ball over themselves 5 times. The apparent fumbling issues that plagued Ezekiel Elliott last season appear to have been resolved. So far this season, no player other than Dak Prescott has turned the ball over. Dak has been charged with three interceptions and two lost fumbles. As great as Dak has played this season, he must absolutely reduce that high frequency of turning the ball over if the Cowboys hope to accomplish something special this season. The biggest reason that the Cowboys have been winning the turnover battle has been the stellar play of Second year corner Trevon Diggs. Diggs’ league leading six interceptions are more than 27 teams have totaled so far. Diggs is also running away with the interception race since he has twice as many picks (6) as the next closest player, Arizona cornerback Byron Murphy (3).
There is no doubt that the 2021 Dallas Cowboys are for real and off to a great start. They just can’t afford to get too far ahead of themselves. Injuries can change fortunes in the blink of an eye and a 17 game season will be a war of attrition. The Cowboys must continue to do the things that have gotten them this far and they must clean up some of their mistakes going forward. The 2021 Dallas Cowboys must keep their eyes on the prize if the hope to achieve their ultimate goal of a Super Bowl victory.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
**All Data and statistics obtained and verified from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/