IRVING, Texas (AP) -Two games into the season, the Dallas Cowboys defense had allowed nearly 900 yards and 54 points while creating plenty of concern. They were the only team in the league without a sack or a forced turnover.
Cowboys linebacker Bradie James was already talking about an ``adverse situation'' and what a shame it would be to ``just fall apart.''
Well, take a look at them now.
The NFC East-leading Cowboys (8-3) have become one of the NFL's top defenses, and their play will be important heading into the crucial December stretch that begins Sunday in New York against a Giants team that was one of the two that torched them in September.
``We're just a better defensive unit right now. We're all on one string playing together, everything's flowing together, everybody's buying into the system and everybody's just having fun,'' safety Gerald Sensabaugh said Monday, when Dallas returned to practice after it extended weekend after beating Oakland on Thanksgiving. ``Guys are out there playing with a lot of passion and there's a lot of excitement out there.''
Back in Week 2, the Giants spoiled the first game in new Cowboys Stadium, scoring on all three of their offensive possessions in the fourth quarter, piling up 427 yards and winning 33-31 after a field goal on the final play of the game.
Since then, Dallas has given up only 303 yards per game, with no team getting more than 337 and four held under 300. The Cowboys have allowed only 128 points since Week 2 - and the only team stingier in that stretch was New England with 124, before the Patriots played at the high-scoring New Orleans Saints on Monday night.
``The defense is great. They have been playing some outstanding football,'' quarterback Tony Romo said. ``I expect that to continue. We're coming into a tough stretch of games and we are going to need to rely on them in different situations. I'm excited about them.''
Only three teams have more than the 28 sacks the Cowboys have the past nine games. They have had at least three sacks in all but one of those games.
``Right now, we're just playing as a unit,'' nose tackle Jay Ratliff said. ``We're playing together, we all understand each other, trust each other and we're all buying into the system.''
There were changes in the starting lineup after the offseason departures of linebackers Greg Ellis and Zach Thomas, safety Roy Williams, cornerback Anthony Henry and defensive end Chris Canty. Plus, head coach Wade Phillips fully took on the additional role as defensive coordinator after firing Brian Stewart.
``We've just been more consistent, went back to basics,'' Phillips said, explaining the improvement since the early problems. ``Just melding the defense together. No excuses, but we did have new guys. Those guys playing together, it's a little bit different. ... (we) found a niche to what we can play defensively and what we can't play, what our strengths and weaknesses are.''
Dallas has won six of its last seven games, the lone loss being 17-7 at Green Bay. The Cowboys were 2-2 before that, including a 17-10 loss at then-undefeated Denver, which had a three-play, 73-yard game-winning drive for a TD with 1:01 left.
``The first few weeks of the season, we would play really good football for 3 1/2 quarters and it seemed like for a half a quarter, all hell would break loose. We're a lot more consistent in our play,'' linebacker Keith Brooking said. ``We want to be the best. We're not there yet, we're not even close to being there yet. ... We can't take any steps back at this point. We've got to keep moving forward.''
After the Giants, Dallas plays consecutive high-scoring division leaders, San Diego and then New Orleans. The Cowboys close the regular season against NFC East foes Washington and Philadelphia.
``Everything in the beginning is a filling-out process, and I think everybody now is totally understanding how our defense works, and we're just playing with so much confidence,'' defensive tackle Stephen Bowen said. ``We all know we have the ability to stop somebody, just stifle a team whenever we want to.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
