IRVING, Texas - Maybe it's a product of the Cowboys 6-4 record, and the fact they were on the wrong side of a couple of blowout losses recently, but there's been a trend developing over the last three games that seems to have gone mostly unnoticed.
There is still room for growth, but the Cowboys defense has quietly begun to show the potential to dominate. If it hasn't been unnoticed, then underappreciated, or taken for granted or mislabeled. And it's still early, but the fact is this under-the-radar unit might have saved the Cowboys season with their performances against Tampa Bay and Washington.
At the beginning of the season, the common belief was the Cowboys fate would be decided by their offense - that Tony Romo and Co. would be able to outscore the opponent on most Sundays. The defense's only job, it appeared, would be to provide a safety net, playing a bend-but-don't-break style that, while it might allow some points, would be able to slow down teams enough to win, providing the Cowboys offense did its thing.
In allowing just three field goals to the Buccaneers in a win the Cowboys had to have, and 10 whole points to the Redskins in another crucial game, the defense has shown the ability to dominate games of late. Other than the losses to St. Louis and New York, when the defense often had to defend short fields and an inept Cowboys offense made things tougher because they couldn't sustain drives or hold onto the ball.
"In a lot of ways we played well against the Giants, but they did have the ball quite a bit," Phillips said on his weekly radio show. "So I think the last three games we've shown a lot of strength, defensively . . . We obviously had some other good games. I thought we played really well at Green Bay. Mostly the games we won, we played well, and the games we lost, we didn't."
Looking back at the loss to the Giants, the Cowboys defense really did do some good things, including sack Eli Manning four times. In nine other games this year, Manning has been sacked only eight times. They also intercepted Manning once, with Mike Jenkins returning the pick for a touchdown to put the Cowboys back in the game.
The problem that game was run defense. In fact, it's been the problem for the defense in three of the four losses this year - every one of them except the overtime debacle in Arizona. They allowed 161 yards to Washington in Week 4, then St. Louis racked up 190. After the 200-yard day enjoyed by Brandon Jacobs and the Giants, the Cowboys decided to make a change, with Anthony Spencer taking over most of the first and second down duties for outside linebacker Greg Ellis, the belief being that Spencer would hold up better against the run.
"That's the key to everybody's defense, stopping the run on first and second down and giving them third and long," Spencer said. "We just know everybody has got to do their job, and that's basically what we did this last weekend. Everybody did their job and focused on the little things."
And with the San Francisco 49ers due up Sunday for the noon (CST) kickoff at Texas Stadium, the emphasis on stopping the run should be even greater than usual. The 49ers offense is lacking at every skill position but running back, where Frank Gore is sixth in the league in rushing with 834 yards, and averaging 4.7 yards per carry. And judging by the way San Francisco offensive coordinator Mike Martz gouged the Cowboys with the run when he was choreographing the Lions last year, it would seem a good bet that Gore will figure heavily into the 49ers game plan.
The good news, of course, is that the Cowboys have been pretty good against the run the last couple years when they had some help from their offense. The only back to run for over 100 yards against them when Romo played this year is Clinton Portis, and though the Cowboys did score 24 points in their Week 4 loss, the offense wasn't able to sustain drives to give their own defense a break.
Phillips has also said Romo's presence affects the game in unseen ways, and teams may play differently knowing they could be in for a shootout.
So long as the Cowboys can keep their opponents from controlling the clock by running the ball well, there's reason to believe the defense may be able to build some consistency heading into the final month of the season. While there have been patches of defensive success sprinkled throughout the season, it's amazing what peace of mind can be added by stringing together a few solid performances.
"If you ask all our guys what our goals are week-in and week-out, it's to stop the run," said defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. "And that comes with playing one play, one game, not worrying about this team does this, but just playing one game, one play."
To Stewart, there isn't much difference between what the Cowboys have to do to beat the 49ers and what they were able to accomplish in Washington Sunday, when they limited Portis to just 68 yards. It's the same as wins against Cleveland, Philadelphia, Green Bay, Cincinnati and Tampa. In those five games, opposing offenses combined for just 363 yards, and never more than the 91 Cleveland had in the opener.
"I think San Francisco, as well as when we played against Portis, when you stop their running game you have the opportunity to make them one dimensional," Stewart said. "And that's what you want. There's two ways you stop the run. One is you go out there and load up. You have more people in the box, and they can't block everybody. You have an extra defender and you tackle the guy.
"The other way is your offense stays on track and scoring, whether it's field goals or touchdowns, so they're pressing their offense where they have to abandon the run, so they can try to pass to match what we're doing."
It's the same script for the Cowboys every week now. Try to sustain drives on offense as long as possible so the defense can stay fresh. And for the defense, shut down the running game so guys like DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis can make plays against the pass.
It probably doesn't help that cornerback Terence Newman missed practice with a groin pull Friday, putting his status for Sunday's game in doubt. Officially Newman is listed as questionable, but coming off his shutdown performance against Santana Moss and the Redskins, it's clear the Cowboys need his coverage ability.
If he can't play, then the emphasis will be even greater on the run-stop defense to make third downs easier on the team's rookie cornerbacks who will have to replace Newman. So long as teams can't run on the Cowboys, their passing offense will suffer too.
All that is easier said than done, but it's a proven recipe for not only wins, but consistent defensive excellence.
"I hope so, but it all could change in a week, and that's what we're going to find out on Sunday," said linebacker Zach Thomas. "We can't have any lapse right now. We've got to get this thing going and put it together and keep rising and building and getting better."
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