Are The Dallas Cowboys Legit?

After winning four straight games, are the Cowboys really a threat in the NFC?

Before answering this question, let's take a look at the 4 consecutive teams they won against:

Eagles: Carson Wentz coming off a blowout loss to the Saints, looking to rebound at home.

Falcons: An inconsistent team that had just got run over by the Browns a week earlier, but still provide some threat through Julio Jones and Matt Ryan.

Redskins: An injury-riddled team with Colt McCoy leading the way.

Saints: An explosive offense led by Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and the RB duo of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.

Now, all these teams have their own pros and cons, but it's quite impressive to note that the Cowboys have won 4 straight games against teams that are eligible for playoff contention, and the Saints as well, who were initially in driver's position for home-field advantage. Eagles had a chance to take the division with Alex Smith injured for the Redskins but the Redskins could have won with the likes of their smothering defense.

However, that has all changed. And the common factor is the Dallas Cowboys. They haven't been winning games because of their offense, but really because of their defense. Demarcus Lawrence, Tyrone Crawford, Randy Gregory, and Antwaun Woods have all been wrecking O-Lines. Their Line backers in Leighton Vander-Esch and Jaylon Smith have been all over the place. The secondary has been locking down top-notch WRs so far. Byron Jones, Chidobe Awuzie, Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Jeff Heath, and Xavier Woods, have led the Cowboys secondary to 7th in passing defense. It may seem like there is no star player on this secondary, but they play so well together as a team, many don't see it. And this is all without Sean Lee, arguably one of the best defensive players on the team, aside from Demarcus Lawrence.

Furthermore, hats off to Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard, the defensive leaders of this team, who have essentially carried this team to a 6-5 record. Even with Ezekiel Elliott carrying most of the shoulder load on the offense, it hasn't been enough to win games. However, their defense has been more than enough, allowing the fewest points off turnovers. They have been very well against the pass and even better against the run. Their LBs have been making the tackles. They have been fierce and fast on the ball, making it impossible to protect against.

Another thing is that their offense isn't as bad as it once used to be. Dak Prescott has been sharp these past few games and if he continues to be sharp, that could be dangerous for other teams. Their offensive line hasn't been as "magical", as Jason Garrett once denoted, but this is a line missing their best player in Travis Frederick. Ezekiel Elliot has been playing up to his usual great standards too. They also made a late trade acquisition for Amari Cooper. It may have come with a risk or overpay, as they returned the first rounder in return. But Cooper is young and runs his route very well. He will become a major weapon for Dak in the future.

Overall, the final verdict is that, despite the low number of wins they have this year, the Cowboys are back this year, after being bounced out of the divisional playoffs in 2014 and 2016, the Cowboys now are in the sole position to once again take the division. With their solid defense and above average offense, the Cowboys are now a team to be taken note of by other playoff teams in the NFC.