Cowboys Are Making the Leap from Underachievers to Super Bowl Contenders in 2021

With a big blue star in the middle of their field, an outspoken owner in Jerry Jones and a rich history, the Dallas Cowboys command the spotlight. They're referred to as "America's Team."

Fair or not, all that flash raises expectations. This franchise has fallen short of the hype in recent seasons, but they're a team of substance in 2021.

This roster is built to dominate the NFC East, host a playoff game and challenge contenders in the conference. 

In Week 1, Dallas went down to the wire with the defending Super Bowl champions. Despite a 31-29 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys' performance set the tone for the early part of the season. Their stars performed at a high level, new acquisitions provided an impact and role players on both sides of the ball made contributions.

The Cowboys then won three consecutive games, racking up victories against the Los Angeles Chargers—who look like the best team in the AFC West—the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles and the undefeated Carolina Panthers. Over the last two weeks, Dallas has outscored opponents 77-49. 

While many would expect the Cowboys to field a high-powered offense with a healthy Dak Prescott and a talented wide receiver group that features Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has put together a multilayered, balanced attack. 

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Prescott doesn't rank in the top five in a bunch of passing categories, but he's efficient, ranking second in completion rate (75.2) and tying for third with Tom Brady in touchdown passes (10). With Gallup on injured reserve because of a calf injury, tight end Dalton Schultz has carried over some of his momentum from the previous campaign, hauling in 20 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns.

Dallas isn't overly reliant on Prescott to move the ball and score points, though. In his worst outing, he didn't throw or rush for a touchdown against the Chargers, but the Cowboys pulled out a victory with an effective ground game and a stout defensive performance. They ran for 198 yards and two scores while holding Los Angeles to a season-low 17 points.

Behind a relatively healthy offensive line, running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard have become a viable two-man backfield that leads the Cowboys' second-ranked rushing attack. Right guard Zack Martin only missed one contest while on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Looking ahead to Week 8, the five-man unit could take the field at full strength once right tackle La'el Collins serves his five-game suspension for trying to bribe a drug-test collector, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

We've seen the Cowboys disappoint their fanbase with a top-notch offense before. In 2019, they accumulated the most yards with the sixth-ranked scoring attack but missed the playoffs at 8-8.

This year's squad can top that record with an aggressive defensive style that should help them beat quality opponents—something the team struggled to do two years ago. Keep in mind for the 2019 campaign, Dallas fielded the 11th-ranked scoring defense but ranked 25th in takeaways and 19th in sacks.

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The Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan after his unit gave up a franchise-worst 473 points in 2020, and new play-caller Dan Quinn has already made a notable impact.

While Quinn's unit has to work through some red-zone issues (19th), Dallas has forced the second-most turnovers (10) and ranks 11th in third-down conversions allowed (37.5 percent). Last year, the defense ranked 26th (46.9 percent) in the latter stat category.

Quinn has tapped into cornerback Trevon Diggs' ball-hawking tendencies, as he leads the league in interceptions (five) and pass breakups (eight). Rookies Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa have become immediate key contributors, logging 27 tackles, five for loss and 4.5 sacks combined.

Because of Parsons' ability to play linebacker and rush the passer, he should be a front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year. His presence in the front seven has changed the complexion of the Cowboys defense.

Dallas' depth has paid dividends on defense as well.

Tarell Basham and rookie third-rounder Chauncey Golston have logged quality snaps on the defensive line while edge-rusher DeMarcus Lawrence recovers from foot surgery.

Though Keanu Neal has missed two games while on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Quinn still has Leighton Vander Esch and a versatile safety in Jayron Kearse, who can line up in the box. According to Schefter, the Cowboys released 2019 Pro Bowler Jaylon Smith, which shows their confidence in the linebacker group.

Roger Steinman/Associated Press

Overall, the defense literally plays at a different speed compared to last year's group. According to Next Gen Stats (h/t Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News), 10 Cowboys defenders have played at a speed above 19 miles per hour; only three players reached that threshold through Week 3 of the 2020 campaign.

In other words, Quinn has players closing passing windows, swarming the ball and making stops, which has resulted in shorter drives for the opposition (third-down stops) and a high rate of takeaways.

With all the plaudits for the Cowboys' electric offense and much-improved defense, Elliott thinks this team can put forth a better effort to close out opponents. He shared some candid thoughts with reporters following last week's 36-28 victory over the Panthers:

"I think we're good enough where, we shouldn't, but we get up and I think we kind of let our foot off the gas pedal. I think our next step as a football team is going out there and choking a team out. I think last week and this week we had opportunities to end the game early, but we kind of let them hang around. I understand this is the NFL, but I want to see us as a team take that next step.”

If the Cowboys develop that killer instinct late in games, they'll have the recipe for decisive wins.

With only one double-digit win season since the 2017 term, the Cowboys have the overall talent to rack up 10 or more victories as the top team in their division. They have arguably a top-10 quarterback in Prescott, an offense that averages 31.5 points per game and a defense that can chase down premier quarterbacks or force turnovers downfield.

America's Team looks more like a complete club ready to step back into the contender circle after consecutive non-winning seasons.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @MoeMoton.