Dallas has already rewritten the history books in some interesting ways through their first five weeks of the season. This week, they have the chance to continue that trend by mending some long streaks with their trip to take on the New England Patriots.
More importantly, the Cowboys have an opportunity to increase their two-game lead in the NFC East with a tough road win.
Here are 12 additional 'big facts' to note ahead of Sunday's matchup with New England at 3:25pm CT on CBS.
This week's facts include the Cowboys having the best offensive game since 1983, what category Dak Prescott and Mac Jones are ranked at the top of the league and much more.
Ground is Lava
Through the first five games of the year, Dak Prescott (73.9) and Mac Jones (71.1) each rank in the top 5 of completion percentage among qualifying quarterbacks. Prescott trails only Kyler Murray among the league leaders while Jones ranks fifth in the NFL and holds the best mark by a rookie in his first five starts since 1950. The player who held that same title before Jones? Dak Prescott in 2016.
The Men to beat Man
According to PFF, Amari Cooper and Dalton Shultz are top 10 receivers in the NFL against man coverage. Both pass catchers are top two at their position for receiving touchdowns, but it's their consistency against man coverage that has been their calling card this season. Schultz ranks first among tight ends with a 91.9 receiving grade and Cooper is 9th in receivers with at least five targets with an 85.0 grade.
Offense Rolling Like Staubach
Dallas is just the 4th team in the Super Bowl Era to tally 800-plus rushing yards and a 115-plus team passer rating in their first five games. Oddly enough, two of the previous three offenses to hit that mark were also Cowboys teams. The most recent instance was the Roger Staubach led Cowboys in 1976 that finished the year with an 11-3 record and outscored opponents 296-194. Prior to that, the 1973 Rams and the 1969 Cowboys were the other two teams to achieve the feat.
No Fly Zone
There are just two teams to not allow a 100.0 passer rating through five games this season, the Buffalo Bills, and the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas is allowing 266.8 passing yards per game, good enough for 11th-best in the NFL and is even more impressive when reading the list of quarterbacks they've faced so far. Tom Brady and Justin Herbert are each in the top 10 for passer rating, while Jalen Hurts and Sam Darnold are both in the top 15 for passing yards this season.
Pair of Air Benders
Trevon Diggs is off to such a strong start, that only two players had more interceptions in all of 2020 than Diggs (6) has entering Week 6. One of those two is the Patriot's J.C. Jackson who the Cowboys will face on Sunday. Jackson, like Diggs also had an interception streak of five games, except his string of games came between Week 6 and 10 of the 2020 campaign. He finished the year with nine interceptions which was second behind Xavien Howard (10) for the most picks last season.
One Cowboys Player Was Alive
The last time the Cowboys won a game in New England, the only player on the current roster that was alive was 35-year-old tackle Ty Nsekhe. That's right, it has been 34 years since Herschel Walker ran up the gut for a 60-yard touchdown on the second play of overtime for a 23-17 win over the Patriots. Since then, the Cowboys have lost games in New England in 1999, 2003, 2011 and 2019.
Grade-A Linemen
To no surprise really, the Cowboys have two of the NFL's top individually-graded players so far this year, according to the analysis website Profootballfocus.com. Zack Martin and Tyron Smith are ranked fourth and seventh respectively so far this year. Martin (92.3) has the No. 4 ranking, just ahead of Smith at 91.2. Martin has twice led the entire NFL in the highest grade of the week, and don't forget, he missed Week 1 in Tampa Bay, the Cowboys' only loss of the season.
No Return Policy
One way to keep the field position in your favor is to keep teams from having short fields. Kicker Greg Zuerlein leads the NFL in touchbacks with 29. That's a stat that is probably more of a product of an offense that is averaging 33.8 points a game.
Last 4 Rookie Pro Bowlers
Rookies don't make the Pro Bowl too often, especially for the Cowboys. But oddly enough, the last four rookies who were selected to the Pro Bowl will be on the field together Sunday, but only three from the Cowboys' side. Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliott both made the Pro Bowl as rookies in 2016 and Zack Martin did in 2014. But before that, the last Cowboys rookie Pro Bowler was kicker Nick Folk, who made it in 2007. He's now in his 14th season, and third with the Patriots.
Only Beating Rooks
While the Patriots are playing a rookie QB of their own in Mac Jones, their only success this season has also occurred when facing opposing rookie quarterbacks. The 2-3 Patriots have only beaten the Jets (Zach Wilson) and the Texans (Davis Mills) this year. Of course, they lost to their former QB Tom Brady, who is now a member of the Bucs. Other losses occurred against Miami (Tua Tagovailoa) and New Orleans (Jaemis Winston).
First Time in 38 Years
The Cowboys had a balanced win last Sunday against the Giants, but it was more historic than one might realize. By passing for 314 yards and rushed for 201 yards against the Giants, it marked the first time the Cowboys have accomplished that feat since 1983. In a win over the Eagles, the Danny White-led Cowboys also surpassed over 200 rushing yards and 300 passing yards in a 37-7 win over the Eagles. That day, the Cowboys passed for 310 yards and rushed for 212.
One TD vs. Patriots since 2007
It's not like the Cowboys and Patriots are constant rivals that face each other every year. But in the last three meetings – 2019, 2015 and 2011 – the Cowboys not only lost every game but only scored a single touchdown in the three games combined. The Cowboys lost 20-16 with a last-minute touchdown in 2011 against the Pats, and then 34-6 in 2015 and 13-9 in 2019.
