The Dallas Cowboys have now lost six straight games after falling to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, dropping them to an ineviable 2-6 record on the season. Here are three things we know about the Cowboys at the halfway point of the season:
3) The running game hasn't been as good as we thought
This one part running backs and one part offensive line. Darren McFadden is the new starting running back after he took the job from the now-released Joseph Randle. The offensive line has been good, but Cowboys' fans are expecting more than that. The O-Line is supposed to the best in the league, but they've barely been a Top 10 unit. The line must start improving, and if that happens, the Cowboys might be able to win a game before quarterback Tony Romo is back.
2) The defense has just been average despite the improved pass rush
The Cowboys' defense has been roughly a league average unit this year, which is good enough to win games with Romo running the show, but the defense must step up with Romo out. That hasn't been the case despite the play of defensive ends Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory, two additions that were thought to take the Cowboys to the next level. Instead of being a top 10 unit, they rank 14th in yards allowed per game and 21st in points allowed per game - neither of which is condusive of success.
1) The Cowboys can't do anything offensively without Tony Romo
We knew that Romo was an extremely vital part of the Cowboys' offense, but this stretch has shown just how valuable he is. Dallas is 0-6 without him compared to 2-0 with him starting under center. Romo is expected to return from a broken clavicle on Nov. 22 against the Miami Dolphins, but they might be in too big a hole for them to recover and make the playoffs.