3 Cowboys who are breaking out of early-season slumps at the perfect time

The Dallas Cowboys were never going to win anybody over during this favorable stretch of their schedule, but they've taken care of business and there's something to be said that they continue to pummel lesser teams.

The most important thing is that the Cowboys have avoided another trap game and have seen continued strong play from their best players -- Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and DaRon Bland chief among them.

That said, fans expect Prescott and the team's other stars to play at a high level. What can't be denied, though, is that multiple Cowboys who were expected to contribute in a big way endured slow starts to the campaign.

Following Sunday's win against the Carolina Panthers, however, it's fair to say these players have busted out of their early-season slumps.

3. S Jayron Kearse

How pronounced was Kearse's uncharacteristically sloppy start to the year? Cowboys fans wanted more of fellow safeties Juanyeh Thomas and even Israel Mukuamu at Kearse's expense.

The normally-steady veteran missed multiple open-field tackles and was flagged for some boneheaded penalties in big moments against the 49ers and Rams in consecutive weeks (four combined in those games), including ones of the unncessary roughness and offsides variety.

Recently, though, Kearse has turned a corner. He's been a force against the run and has even made an impact as a pass rusher. In coverage, Kearse hasn't allowed more than 20 yards since Week 5 against the 49ers. He still hasn't allowed a touchdown all year and is third on the team with 47 tackles.

The Cowboys need Kearse to be playing at a high level once the schedule gets more difficult after Thanksgiving. If the last couple games are any indicator, it's that Kearse is finally rounding into form after a poor start to the season.