The Dallas Cowboys throttled the New York Jets 30-10 on Sunday, bringing their point differential to an impossible +60 after two games. No team has higher than a +30 differential, so Dallas is lapping the field in that department.
That's a true testament of a team's dominance and the Cowboys have looked the part of a championship contender through two weeks.
While the Giants didn't offer much resistance in the opener, folks were eager to see how Mike McCarthy's side would fare against the Jets, who boast a top-five defense and scary playmakers on offense.
Expectations for the game obviously changed after Aaron Rodgers' injury, but we're not sure anyone expected a 20-point margin of victory even with Zach Wilson under center.
As always, overreactions follow a dominant win, so let's underline three truths and one lie from the game.
Truth: Tony Pollard is a workhorse running back
A big question mark heading into 2023 was whether Tony Pollard could handle the workload of a featured back. Before this season, Pollard had one career game with more than 20 carries and only four games with 15 or more carries.
Through two games, Pollard has 48 touches. Against the Jets, Pollard was fed a career-high 25 rushes. He was also targeted eight times (seven catches) in the passing game, which is tied for the second-most in his career. That's 32 touches, which he turned into 109 yards.
Pollard only averaged 2.9 yards per carry in Week 2, which brought his season average to 3.6 yards per attempt. Not the efficiency we've grown accustomed to, but game script didn't play into the Pro Bowler's favor.
Nursing a big lead and dominating time of possession, Mike McCarthy called a conservative game and leaned on his run game. Pollard faced stacked boxes on numerous occasions and the Jets' defensive front is a handful to begin with.
Nevertheless, it's clear Pollard is a workhorse back. Through two games, his 39 carries rank third among running backs.
Truth: Tyron Smith is still a upper-echelon LT
Some fans have tried spinning Smith's durability concerns into a narrative that Smith is no longer capable of playing at a high level. We get it: the best ability is availability and Smith has had trouble staying healthy the last handful of years, but the 32-year-old is proving he's still one of the NFL's best left tackles.
According to Pro Football Focus, Smith allowed just one pressure on 43 pass-blocking snaps against the Jets' vaunted defensive front. He posted a 87.5 pass block grade for the game and now has a 88.6 pass-block grade after two weeks.
Jermaine Johnson, Carl Lawson and John Franklin-Myers couldn't hold a candle to Smith's blocking technique and grizzly bear strength.
Mind you, this came after Smith held Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux to zero pressures in Week 1. The No. 5 overall pick in 2022, Thibodeaux had zero games as a rookie where he didn't register a single QB pressure.
Reports of Smith's demise were greatly exaggerated. He's still elite when healthy.
Lie: Cowboys are the best team in the NFL
Before you overreact, we fully recognize the Cowboys' greatness. They're knocking on the door of being the NFL's best team, if not knocking it down. Their +60 point differential is by far the best in the league and the defense has just as many sacks (10) as points allowed after two games.
All that said, we need to see how Dallas stacks up against better teams.
The Giants are 1-1 and were lucky to beat the tanking Cardinals in Week 2. They trailed 28-7 and rallied in the second half for a 31-28 win. The Jets, meanwhile, had the makings of a Super Bowl contender before Aaron Rodgers' injury. Now, they're just a talented defense, which Dallas had no trouble with.
The three best teams in the NFL all might reside in the NFC. The Cowboys look better than the undefeated Eagles, but the 49ers once again look elite. The Week 5 matchup between Dallas and San Francisco will determine which team deserves to wear the crown.
Speaking of crowns ...
Truth: Micah Parsons is the best defensive player in the NFL
Many folks -- including us -- believed this coming into the new season, but Parsons proved in Sunday's win that he's the best defender in the NFL. Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Fred Warner and Chris Jones all deserve recognition, but Parsons continues to prove he's a unicorn on that side of the ball.
It's so obvious that folks are posing whether Parsons is the best player in the NFL regardless of position. That might be a tough sell as long as Patrick Mahomes is playing, but Parsons is undoubtedly top-five in that regard (if not higher) and is well on his way to earning MVP votes if he maintains his current pace.
With two sacks on Sunday, Parsons now has the most games with two sacks (10) of any defensive player since he entered the league. He logged the best PFF grade in his NFL career against the Jets with a 94.4 and through two games has three sacks, 12 pressures, six QB hits, four tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown?" Not when Parsons is wearing it.