FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys' offensive line was the highlight of Dallas' 38-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, paving the way for 204 yards on the ground and keeping Dak Prescott off the ground the entire night.
Now, All-Pro guard Tyler Smith and the rest of the front five are looking to stack those kinds of performances, as well as wins alongside them.
"I think it's extremely important for us just to establish that consistency week in and week out," Smith said. "We've been talking about it all season, but we feel that's the most important thing for us. Just being consistent with our preparation, being consistent with the way we play so we can start stringing together wins. At this juncture in the season, that's extremely important. 'They're always going to remember November' is something my old coach used to say."
Going into the Monday night game, the Cowboys had yet to have Javonte Williams rush for over 100 yards in a game, and Dallas' rushing offense ranked 31st in yards per game with 76. What changed?
"I just thought we were getting great movement this past Monday in the run game," Smith said. "I felt like our communication was on point. I felt like we were handling live movement well, we were seeing things before they were happening. Just understanding what the defense was trying to accomplish. I really feel like that contributed a lot to our success."
When asked how early in the game Smith and his offensive line recognize that they're in a rhythm and getting push up front, he pointed to the communication being a big thing that he looks for.
"There are ebbs and flows, but I feel like when the communication is great and we're on the same page, I feel like that's really that's when you're really like 'Okay, we got a great plan, we're executing at a high level, we're communicating well. We're doing the basic things right,'" Smith said. "And if you do the basic things right and just pick up and make the plays you're supposed to make, over the course of the game, it gives you all the confidence in the world."
Even though there was plenty of confidence to be gained from their performance, Smith felt watching the tape back that the Cowboys still left opportunities on the table for more offensively.
"I definitely went back and I saw a lot of great things, but I also saw where we could've possibly ran for 300 yards," Smith said. "I saw those things as well. I'm sure the other guys saw that too. As good as we did, I still feel like there's a lot to improve upon and that was a flash of what we could be."
What they could be is a dominant offensive line that can pave the way for big days on the ground and give Prescott enough time to hit big plays to wide receivers like CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Part of what it will take to reach that point consistently is mental, which Smith believes the Cowboys offensive line has taken care of.
"We're just competitors, bro," Smith said of the offensive line's mentality. "We got dogs in the room. Every play, we want to win. I know people will tell you you can't win every play, you can't win every block, that's our goal. We're going out there, we're trying to do things the right way. We want to win every block, we want to dominate every single block. Pass, run, screen, whatever it is, we want to win. It's something that's echoed in our room, it's a sentiment that everyone understands, the standard is the standard."
Sitting at 3-4 and going into a game against the Cardinals, who have beaten the Cowboys in eight of their last nine matchups, Sunday afternoon's game serves as an opportunity for Smith and the offensive line to build that consistency while also ending a long drought against Arizona.
"I definitely think us learning from the games that we did lose against them, us just understanding why we lost those games," Smith said. "What they did to put themselves in a position to be successful, and what we have to do to be successful is extremely important. I definitely feel like with the win this past Monday, the sense of urgency is there to win every single week."
