Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys offense is their best defense

In 2020, the Dallas Cowboys fielded their worst defense in franchise history. The Cowboys defense was so abhorrent, on so many levels, they were compelled to spend the majority of their free agent dollars and draft capital on defensive players to fix this chronic issue.

In other words, the Dallas Cowboys front office took this very seriously and covered all their bases in regard to their defense and left nothing to chance. The Cowboys did the right thing in addressing their defensive woes. And even though addressing the defense was the right move, the Cowboys offense is actually their best defense, and the most critical factor in team success in 2021.

The Dallas Cowboys will go as far as their offense takes them

Yes, I know that’s not what Cowboys Nation wants to hear after witnessing their favorite team give up over 30 plus points a game. But since the Cowboys have a high powered offense, it is their best defense by default and the only thing that can carry them into and through the postseason.

I’ll explain why in the simplest way possible.

Dallas can spread out opposing defenses and kill opponents a variety of ways: pick them apart with the best WR corps in the NFL, lean on the running game to beat them up, or hit them with the TEs who are criminally underrated.

Before Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury, Dallas was averaging over 30 points a game, Dak was setting all types of passing records, and Dallas boasted one of the best (if not the best) receiving corps in the league with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, Cedrick Wilson, Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz.

Despite Dallas’ defense giving up just as many points as its high-flying offense, the Dak driven offense could out score any team on any given Sunday. It didn’t even matter if they were facing a top-10 ranked defense. The offense dominated.

If Dallas’ offense could put up those gaudy numbers with a patched up training camp (because of Covid-19), imagine the numbers this offense is going to put up with a full off-season of OTA’s (organized training activities) and training camp under its belt.

Dak led Dallas back from a 41-14 deficit against the Cleveland Browns, only to lose 49-38 in dramatic fashion. That’s because Dak had the weapons at his disposable and threw for 502 yards and four touchdowns.

Yes, a top-ranked defenses like the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Football Team have the defenses to slow down an offense like Dallas, but it can’t stop all of Dallas’ playmakers. For example, an All Pro corner like Jalen Ramsey can only cover Cooper, but who accounts for Gallup, Lamb, Wilson, or Jarwin? That leaves single coverage for those talented receivers.

And I didn’t even mention the tandem of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. At least one of them will be on the field at any given time to give opposing defensive coordinators headaches, and you can expect an offensive package that features both of them on the field at the same time.

So many offensive weapons cause defenses to make major adjustments to stop an offense like Dallas’, not the other way around. This is the main reason why Dallas’ offense is its best defense, because defenses can’t cover everyone.

Most of the NFL rules favors the offense anyway, and the more offensive playmakers a team features the better odds of them getting calls in their favor- like defensive pass interference. Even elite corners like Ramsey get penalized for holding because he accidentally touched a wideout on a fly route.

In the 2020 season opener, Ramsey didn’t called for a pass interference, but Gallup had Ramsey beat and Gallup was called for offensive pass interference because Ramsey sold it to the refs.

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The NFL wants to see high scoring games, and the only way to see that happen is to give leeway to an offense like Dallas that airs it out on the regular. When a team passes a lot, good things happen in their favor, like pass interference calls or an illegal hit on a quarterback.

I’m not saying Dak is going to throw 60 passes a game, but Dak is going to throw the ball an awful lot to his ultra-talented receivers to win some games. More proof Dallas is committed to passing is that Pollard has taken snaps playing in the slot.

Contrary to popular belief, defenses don’t win championships. In today’s pass-happy league, high scoring offenses with talented quarterbacks win championships. Period. Offenses are supposed to score points while its defense stop the opposing team from scoring. It’s that simple.

Sure, a defense that can create turnovers and give the ball back to its offense is a premium, but how many teams that are defensive driven but offensively challenged win Super Bowls? That short list consists of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and 1985 Chicago Bears.

Just ask the Washington Football Team and New York Giants would they rather keep their top-ranked defenses or have Dallas’ high scoring offense. They’ll jump on the latter option quicker than the disappearance of my hairline.

There are several Super Bowl winning teams that had top-five offenses and middle of the pack defenses. The 2009 New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl with the number one offense and the 20th ranked defense (Dallas beat them that year, too).

To be fair, the Saints defense led the league in takeaways with 39, but they gave the ball right back to Drew Brees and the offense scored points.