Dallas Cowboys: Is the sky really falling? Grounds for optimism

Grounds for optimism

• America’s Team was in it until the end, competing for the W in all three games against very good teams, despite all the adversity they’ve been facing. They were within a few breaks of a win in both losses.

• Dak Prescott – Sure, he’s made some mistakes. But he’s also played very tough, and very well most of the time. And it’s not just statistics (though his numbers are huge). Prescott has rallied the team and brought the team back in all three games.

• Aldon Smith – What can you say about this guy? At 31-years old, out of the game for four years, he’s made four sacks in three games, which makes him the NFL sack leader. Smith is easily the best feel-good story in the league so far this season.

• The O-Line – I know what you’re thinking. They’ve been terrible, right? But considering they’ve been without their two starting tackles (again, two of the best in the league), and working with a new coach, and two UDFA tackles … Let’s say things could have been a lot worse.

• The rookies:

 – CeeDee Lamb – I knew he’d be very good, eventually, but I didn’t expect him to be this good right out of the gate. He’s got the surest hands on the receiving corps and has 230 yards receiving in his first three games. Those are his first three games as a pro!

– Trevon Diggs – Although he’s made some rookie mistakes, Diggs been Dallas’s best cornerback so far. (How about that forced fumble on Sunday?) By the end of the season, I expect Diggs to be a very good and solid player, Dallas’s best CB even with starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie back in the lineup.

– Tyler Biadasz – Did you notice him playing center and guard on the offensive line this Sunday? He played the entire second half and was very good.

• The receivers & tight ends – When starting tight end Blake Jarwin went out for the season in the first game, I’m sure many fans were sick to their stomachs. But backups Dalton Schultz and Blake Bell (the Belldozer!) have performed better than expected.

Schultz caught nine passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in week two. Down-roster receivers Noah Brown and Cedrick Wilson (two touchdowns on Sunday) have also been excellent.

Obviously, the starters have been great. But the other pass catchers have really stepped up and it’s made an incredible difference. That’s how Prescott’s been able to throw for 922 yards over the last few weeks.