Dallas has to enter week 7 feeling pretty good about themselves.
4-2 is about as well as anyone could have hoped facing a front-loaded schedule and losing the QB week 1.
But let's break down a few key areas………
Offense: The offense ranks 6th from the bottom in yards and is similarly soft in points and most other metrics. The offense hasn't really gotten going but has also played a style to limit output on both sides. The obvious question will be how this offense looks with Dak back. Very definite ceiling on a team that's scoring 18 a game. But the WRs have been soldi enough, the OL has cobbled together a workable group with room to grow into a plus unit, and the RB room is still a plus. As with most things this will come down to the QB over the next 11+ plus weeks.
Defense: Better than even the rosiest projections. Unit is so dangerous that the opposing teams aren't sure they want the ball. Micah's health will be key and he badly needs the upcoming bye week. But this defense is good on all 3 levels and great up front. Diggs has stepped forward in technique and now teams are avoiding him altogether. Just keep these guys healthy and let's roll. Really hard to argue about averaging the 3rd fewest points allowed per game given the schedule.
ST: Maher has been fine or better on the season. Losing his snapper probably wasn't ideal but a miss so recently bears watching. Turpin looks like a legit return specialist who could possibly grow into more. Overall, a winning unit.
Coaching: This is an all-star coaching staff. Was shocked everyone returned this year and would be even more shocked if they do next. Kellen has to be getting calls from Boise and every team in need of a Head Coach that wants to play solid defense has to be buzzing about Dan Quinn. Even Bones is a ST guru. Not enough is made about the advantage coaching gives us weekly.
Roster: Can argue as you like about roster building but what Dallas does has really worked. They are young, improving and deep. The very few forays into free agency have looked better this year. Peters is rock solid and can line up a lot of places. Fowler brings juice off the edge in the Randy Gregory role. Maher has been a good add who easily outdistanced the initial kickers.
Schedule: After a fairly rough early sled Dallas falls into easy mode. It's a bottom 5 strength of schedule going forward. Really hard to see more than 3 losses at most in this final 11 regular season games. Wade into the NFC North for the next month but who scares you? Rodgers has the WR corps people pretended Dallas did entering the year. Minny is a solid 5-1 but that record is a bit of fools gold getting Miami without Tua and facing New Orleans with Andy Dalton. Detroit has the leagues softest defense and the Bears are scoring 15 points per game. Dallas is currently sitting 3rd in it's own division but looks like it might be the NFC's second-best team on paper. Which leads to the biggest sched break. AFC opponents are AFC Soutth which is abysmal. Indy, Jax and Tenn all look like food right now.
Work to do: Dallas has to clean up penalties. Philly looks like a lot like San Fran. Defense plays with so much juice that it boils over at times. Have got to protect Dak. Can't have completely free blitzers just get ignored. Every week should be about playing clean football and tweaking the offense. Rest guys when needed. This is a deep team and injuries are already besetting it. Lean on the full roster and let guys get healthy. Define the offensive identity. Are we a power running team that will bash you. Are we a play-action attack deep team? A spread it out and pick you apart then hammer the run once ahead team? Kellen has to decide and build that into an unstoppable force.
