Dallas Cowboys: Stats That Matter Headed into Week 8

Stats don't often tell the whole story, but most are relevant when put into context. Here are three stats related to the Dallas Cowboys that help explain why they stand where they do heading into Week 8 of the 2012 NFL regular season.

25: That's how many defensive stops Sean Lee has recorded through six games, which leads the entire team by five. Lee also leads the team in cumulative PFF rating and is the team's top pass defender and cover guy, according to Pro Football Focus. But now Lee's been lost for the season, so it's safe to say the 'Boys will miss him greatly. 

68.8: That's the Cowboys' completion percentage through seven weeks, which ranks third in football. That's not shocking because Tony Romo always has a high completion percentage, but what's interesting is that the offense is averaging 7.5 yards per carry, which ranks 11th.

That's not bad, but it indicates that Romo's having trouble finding receivers deep. Dallas has just 17 20-plus-yard completions, which ranks 24th, and two of 40 yards or more, which ranks 22nd. They were ranked in the top 11 in both categories last year.

2.2: That was Morris Claiborne's cumulative PFF rating Sunday against the Panthers, marking his best game thus far in his rookie season. With fellow starter Brandon Carr earning the worst rating on the defense, Clairborne appears to be in the process of taking over as the Cowboys' top cornerback already. 

3.8: That's how many yards per attempt the Cowboys are averaging on the ground after a rough outing for the running game in Carolina. Not having DeMarco Murray hurts, but they didn't have him for large chunks last year, and still ended up averaging 4.4 yards per attempt. The running game just hasn't been right this season.