The Dallas Cowboys haven't faced any adversity over the first two weeks of season. That's an extreme rarity in the NFL, but the Cowboys have announced themselves as Super Bowl contenders by pummeling both the Giants and Jets.
Dak Prescott is back to being an efficient quarterback, the defense is on an historic pace and showing no signs of slowing down, CeeDee Lamb looks like a top-five WR, and Micah Parsons might force himself into the MVP conversation.
It's been nothing but sunshine and rainbows in Dallas thus far, and the front office deserves a lot of the credit for that. Some of their moves this offseason were criticized, but these three in particular are already paying off.
NOTE: The trades for Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks are obvious hits, so we'll focus our attention on other decisions.
3. Signing Brandon Aubrey to replace Brett Maher
Who would've thought, right? Maher's fate was sealed before Dallas was eliminated from the postseason last year. Signing Aubrey didn't move the needle for the fan base, the majority of which wanted the front office to target a veteran with playoff experience.
The Cowboys bypassed multiple opportunities to do just that. Brandon McManus was traded from Denver to Jacksonville, while Robbie Gould and Mason Crosby are still free agents, and vets Nick Folk, Dustin Hopkins and Wil Lutz were all traded to new teams.
And yet, Aubrey is outperforming all of them. The former Birmingham Stallion leads all kickers in points and touchbacks. His seven field goals are the most in the NFL, and his range seemingly is unlimited after he made a 55-yarder with plenty of room to spare against the Jets.
In doing so, Aubrey became the first kicker in Cowboys history to make his first seven field goal attempts. Panic undoubtedly settled in after Aubrey missed his first extra point, but he hasn't put a foot wrong since.
It's a long season, but Aubrey has earned our trust and looks like a great find.
2. Releasing Ezekiel Elliott, trusting young RBs
Any Elliott discourse is not meant as a shot to the former Cowboys star. It was time to move on, but fans had reservations about how the RB room would perform in his wake. Is Tony Pollard a true bell-cow? Can one of Rico Dowdle or Malik Davis be trusted as RB2? These are just some of the questions that were thrown around.
Remember the Bijan Robinson discourse leading up to the draft? Remember the calls for the Cowboys to sign a veteran to deploy behind Pollard?
It's early, but Pollard looks the part of a workhorse, and Dowdle's rigorous rushing style is perfect for short-yardage situations and the second half of games when Dallas wants to control time of possession and wear down defenses.
Additionally, sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn has 40 scrimmage yards in two games and undrafted free agent Hunter Luepke has delivered some big blocks in the red zone and in 12-man personnel.
Again, none of this is a shot at Elliott, but his Patriots tenure isn't off to the best start, as he's been given 12 carries in two games. We're hoping he gets it turned around, but the Cowboys made out like bandits here.
1. Firing Kellen Moore, promoting Mike McCarthy
In two games, the list of examples of Mike McCarthy scheming easy throws and catches for his top playmakers are endless. Week 1 notwithstanding (when Dallas was milking the clock by halftime), CeeDee Lamb lined up everywhere against the Jets' zone coverage and caught 11 passes on 13 targets for 143 yards.
Beyond Lamb, Prescott has been highly efficient under pressure. He's admittedly always been prolific against the blitz, but his newfound composure can be attributed to McCarthy's Texas Coast offense, which emphasizes a quarterback's footwork being timed up with his receiver's routes.
As a result, Prescott is completing 70% of his passes (would be higher if not for four drops in the opener) and is tied for first in QBR.
McCarthy also has KaVontae Turpin involved on offense. Last season, Kellen Moore had Turpin restricted to special teams. Turpin's impact has been minimal, but he has eight touches and is tied for fourth on the team in scrimmage yards.
In a vacuum, McCarthy's offense caters to his QB's strengths. Prescott is getting the ball out much quicker relative to last season, which will help reduce turnovers, and he's throwing to open receivers. In other words, McCarthy dissected the Jets' weaknesses and installed a game plan that allowed Dak to carve up a defense that made Josh Allen look like a middle-school QB the week prior.
Kellen Moore will likely achieve great things with the Chargers, but it's OK to admit McCarthy is a better fit with this version of the Cowboys.