Clarence Hill: Why this 6-2 Dallas Cowboys team is different from last season’s 6-2 team

When is 6-2 not like 6-2?

That’s the question facing the Dallas Cowboys eight games into the 2022 season.

After enjoying their bye week, the Cowboys return to the practice field Wednesday as they prep for their Nov. 13 game at Green Bay as they continue a season they hope will lead to a Super Bowl berth for the first time since 1995.

The Cowboys had the same aspirations in 2021 when a 6-2 start turned into a 12-5 finish that ended with a disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild card playoffs.

The Cowboys believe this season’s 6-2 start is not like last year because of how they got here and also because of last year’s painful postseason experience.

Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said this team has more character than a year ago to finish what they started and to hopefully end the 27-year Super Bowl drought.

“I think being humbled the first playoff game last year really changed a lot of perspectives about you know, how easily it comes that’s how easily it can go,” Lawrence said. “We don’t take one day for granted. We are always here working and trying to improve.

“When you have a band of brothers that felt the same pain it’s easier to commit to the journey. We have dealt with our pain and suffering. We are blessed with another opportunity this year. We are not going to take it for granted.”

That the Cowboys made the most out of what could have been a disastrous start is also something they are not taking for granted.

When quarterback Dak Prescott went down with a fractured thumb in the 19-3 season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was sidelined for the next five games, most thought the Cowboys were done.

But the Cowboys, who adopted resiliency as a theme before the season in a bit of foreshadowing by coach Mike McCarthy, won four of the next five games behind the surprising play of backup quarterback Cooper Rush and a stingy defense that allowed no more than one touchdown a game through the first five weeks of the seasons and leads in the NFL in sacks after eight games.

Prescott returned for the final two games before the bye, a 24-6 win over the Detroit Lions and then had a season-best performance in a 49-29 win over the Chicago Bears.

“I think it just speaks on the resiliency again,” Prescott said. “I’ve talked to y’all about that over and over about it just being our mantra of this team. How ironic that it’s what [Coach McCarthy] chose for the mantra this year. We’ve had enough things to be resilient about earlier this year. We are just going to stay focused as long as we can keep our culture, our brotherhood, and our unity like that. If we can trust on one another, this team can be dangerous.”

“You have to stay in the moment,” Prescott added. “When you play for this organization, you know what the ultimate goal is so let’s not be mistaken about that. We are going to continue to grow and take it one game at a time and stay within the moment. I know we can get to where we want as long as we do that.”

That the Cowboys have been led by the defense, which ranks seventh overall, third against the pass, third in points and first in sacks while the offense remains a developmental work in progress is another key difference between last year’s 6-2 and this year’s 6-2.

The Cowboys are 24th in total offense, 27th in passing and 14th in points scored. The latter was boosted from 22nd after a 49-point output against the Bears.

In 2021, the Cowboys ranked No. 1 in offense and third in scoring while the defense ranked 21st after eight games and they were coming off a blowout loss to Denver Broncos, who also offered a blue print on how to stop them.

The Cowboys have a better chance at success because this defense is more sustainable.

There is no blueprint to stop superstar linebacker Micah Parsons, who is already a front runner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, ranking third in the league in sacks with eight and proving to by cheat code every week by the plays he makes and/or creates for others.

Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn continues to confound opposing offenses by how he uses Parsons. He has line up at both ends spots, outside and middle linebacker as well as defensive tackle.

“I know Micah gets a lot of ‘Where is he going to play? What is he going to do?’” Quinn said. “I would recommend that anybody enjoys how he plays, not where he plays, because it’s not going to be the same. It’s not going to be the same the next week and the week after that. We can do the dance every week, but I’d say (it’s) more fun to watch how we attack and how we deploy guys as opposed to predicting where they’re going to be coming from because I don’t even know yet.”

What the Cowboys do know is that the offense will improve over the second half of the season.

Prescott, who has played in only three games, will get more comfortable.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who missed the Bears game with a knee injury, should be refreshed and rejoin Tony Pollard as part of two-headed rushing attack that ranks 11th in the league.

The Cowboys should get some reinforcements on offense.

Receiver James Washington, sidelined since training camp with a fractured foot, should be back in late November to help supplement a thin receivers corps.

And eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith, who has been out since the preseason with an avulsion fracture, expected back in December to bolster what has been a better-than-expected offensive line.

It all has the Cowboys excited about a future that is now.

“The challenge is now,” Lawrence said. “We can get a whole lot better. The sky is the limit. It’s going to be a helluva season boys.”

And it’s one that has last year firmly in mind.

The Cowboys didn’t react well to last year’s 6-1 start, which became 6-2 and featured loses in three of four games before falling for fools gold again off a soft late season schedule only to suffer the bitter disappointment of the quick playoff exit.

“It was the first message and it’s a continuous message,” McCarthy said. “Handling success is the biggest challenge in this business. I think it’s the biggest challenge in life. So it’s up on the wall in the team meeting room for a reason. You got to find ways to win every week. But our job as coaches is to make sure we continue to grow the football team. That’s a part of growing into November. November is a huge month. I mean this is where teams, things really start to shape up.”

The time is now to make sure this 6-2 is one with an arrow pointing up all the way to the Super Bowl.