Why the Dallas Cowboys Are the Team to Beat in the NFC

Strait to the point, at the present moment, they are the best team in the NFC. How one could attempt to argue that, I really don't know. The supposed dominate bears, the same team that before the season said they were going back to the super bowl, got dismantled. In the battle of the immovable object vs. the unstoppable force, the latter won this one.

Recently the Cowboys have taken a few quarters to get on track, or simply wear down the defense. However once they achieve that, look out. They are lighting up the scoreboard in the second half and if they can start doing that in the first half consistently, then look out NFC. Averaging 38 points a game, it'll be interesting to see if they can keep it up. The running back committee of Julius Jones and Marion Barber seems to be working to perfection, even if Marion is getting most of the credit, as he is getting the big plays and touchdowns. The offensive line is playing physical, giving Tony Romo all the time he needs to find an open Terrell Owens or Jason Witten. Even more encouraging is that they are still without Terry Glenn, with Patrick Clayton filling in quite nicely.

The defense seems to be getting better and better with less and less points being scored every game. The big play is still there for the other team and that is something they must fix if they plan to do anything in the postseason. Something that should get more limited once Terrance Newman is back in the lineup. While the Cowboys haven't exactly played many "offensive-minded" teams lately, they will in time and should be a good measuring stick for the defense.

Something often overlooked yet very valuable is the special teams, which is doing excellent if you ask me. They kept Devin Hester' name from being mentioned all night against the bears; limiting him to just 86 yards on five kickoffs and one yard on two punt returns. They also forced two fumbles, helping with field position and definitely quieting the crowd. The Cowboys special teams had been saying all week how they wanted to kick the ball to Devin and show that they were indeed capable of containing him. After watching Nick Folk's opening kickoff roll out of bounds, special teams captain Keith Davis could not take it and had a word with the coach. "I go straight to the sideline and say, 'Coach, we kick the ball to him and we'll cover,'" Davis recalled his conversation with Cowboys special teams coach Bruce Read. "He said, 'Alright.' We started kicking it and we made some great plays."

Looking elsewhere around the NFC, it's hard to find a second best team. The packers are a strong possibility at number 2 and I'd have to give them the nod. They are the only other team at 3-0 and playing good football. While the AFC is clearly the dominate conference, and it may be a while before parity is achieved within the two, the Cowboys luckily reside within the lesser half making their job to get to and win in the postseason that much easier. Something they haven't done in a decade. Should they keep up this pace, they may make Jerry Jones quite a happy man come January.