National Football League

5 thoughts: Dallas Cowboys show they're better than previous 8-8 teams

Published Sep. 29, 2014 2:18 a.m. ET

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ARLINGTON -- The Dallas Cowboys had a chance Sunday night to prove that this team is different from the ones that have finished .500 over the previous three seasons. Surprisingly, they took that opportunity and ran with it, impressively defeating New Orleans 38-17 at AT&T Stadium.

Here are my thoughts on how the Cowboys improved to 3-1 on the season.

1.) Who was that and what have you done with the Cowboys? Not many can say they predicted things would go anything like they did Sunday night. The Saints and their high-powered offense were completely taken out of the game by a Cowboys defense that played better than expected and an offense that did an outstanding job controlling the clock. Dallas had the ball for nearly 11 minutes in the opening quarter as it built a 7-0 lead. That snowballed into a 24-0 halftime advantage and a completely stunned group of 91,176 inside AT&T Stadium. The Eagles are still the favorite to win the division, but the Cowboys made a statement Sunday night. Don't confuse this group with the .500 squads of year's past.

2.) If the offensive line keeps playing like that and DeMarco Murray stays healthy, Rob Ryan is correct, Murray will win the NFL rushing title. The Cowboys made significant investments in their offensive line and it was on full display against New Orleans. Murray, who finished with 149 yards and two touchdowns, is running as hard as any back in the league. Tyron Smith, Ron Leary, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Doug Free are doing the rest. It's tough for teams to come back on you when your running game is that effective. That was the difference Sunday night. Tony Romo didn't have to risk throwing an interception late because the Cowboys didn't need his arm to convert on every critical down.

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3.) Speaking of Romo, he shouldn't practice on Wednesday's for the rest of the season. Romo didn't practice this Wednesday for a second consecutive week and he looked his best, particularly in the first half. In the first quarter, Romo completed all nine of his pass attempts. Six different receivers had a catch and none were named Dez Bryant. That's impressive. Romo also benefited from that improved line play. He only took one sack on the night.

4.) That Dallas defense continues to surprise. It's obvious that they're at their best when Rolando McClain is out there. And he made a noticeable impact against the Saints. No one will confuse this group with one of the better defenses in the league, but even without consistent pressure on an eight-time Pro Bowl QB, they found ways to get stops. Anthony Spencer returned Sunday night and played well at times. Add DeMarcus Lawrence to the mix in a few weeks, get a few others healthy and this group could be solid enough to not force the offense to win every game.

5.) Let's go ahead and give a gameball to Jason Garrett. This is a game the Cowboys have typically lost under Garrett. Every time they've taken a 2-1 record into Week 4 they've left with a loss. Not this time. Garrett has this team believing they are much better than their record has shown. The early part of Dallas' schedule is where it can really take advantage of some favorable matchups. Garrett is coaching for his job this year. So far, he's been pretty impressive.

Follow Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota

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