NFL: Separating the contenders from the pretenders
Dallas Cowboys (3-1): Pretenders
This is the most surprising team in the NFL. Not many people expected the Cowboys to do much this season. They had a historically bad defense last year, THEN LOST THEIR BEST PLAYERS! Then their best player left, Sean Lee, gets hurt and is lost for the season. Then add suspensions and a lot of Cowboys fans were looking for the end of the season even before it started.
The season started and some kind of light switch was flipped on. The Cowboys defense now ranks tenth in points allowed. Yes, that is correct. Even after getting killed by San Francisco in Week 1, they are a top ten defense, at least in points allowed.
The worrisome item for Dallas is that they are still giving up a lot of yards. Yes, I know teams win by points and not by yards, but the schedule will get more difficult, and if they continue to give up a ton of yards like they currently are, things will go south for them. They rank 23rd in total yards allowed, 14th in rushing yards allowed and 26th in passing yards allowed. That must be fixed before they face the top teams.
Tony Romo has been playing pretty well so far. His back has held up so far. He has completed almost 70 percent of his passes (69.5). He has been sacked eight times, but seven of those came in the first two weeks. He has been sacked just one time in the last two weeks.
Of course, the thing with Romo is his penchant for throwing boneheaded interceptions. After doing it so many times, you come to expect it. Until Romo finally comes through, that reputation will continue to haunt him.