Here’s where the Cowboys stand at the halfway point in the 2022 season

With Prescott hurt, the Cowboys needed to find other ways to win games. The NFL’s No. 1 offense in 2021 wasn’t going to be able to lead the league again without the starting QB, Cooper, Collins, a less than healthy Gallup, Cedrick Wilson, or Tyron Smith.

To expect offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s unit to do that again even with those pieces would’ve been silly. Defenses had started to figure Dallas’ scheme out in the second half of the 2021 season even with all those players.

The defense, on the other hand, was set up for success. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn returned, and so too did perhaps the league’s best defensive player, Micah Parsons. The Cowboys returned almost their entire starting 11 on defense, including the interception king of the NFL, cornerback Trevon Diggs, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, and both unheralded safeties Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker. Those veteran safeties paired with Donovan Wilson has made for a top trio of safeties, something foreign in Dallas for a long time.

No one expected the defense to cause turnovers at the same rate as they did last year, but the Cowboys have been better defensively than they were in 2021. This season, the Cowboys lead the league in sacks with 33, seven more than the next team, rank third against the pass, and have given up the third-fewest points in the league. Only two offenses have scored more than one touchdown against Dallas’ defense through eight games.

That’s an impressive unit that plays with speed, hustle and comes at offenses with a deep rotation. It’s all led by Parsons, who dominates on a weekly basis.

Fact of the day: @MicahhParsons11 was a running back in high school. And you can tell from this touchdown return! 😤

📺: @NFLonFOX | #CHIvsDAL pic.twitter.com/6l8EU3vHwU

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 30, 2022

Looking forward, however, the Cowboys need to be better at stopping the run. It’s the Achilles heel of the defense, and the team. The unit is allowing over 135 yards a game on the ground, a rough number for a defense that’s so good everywhere else.

Dallas addressed some of the problem by bringing in space eater and run-stuffing defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins. The veteran DT needs to help to keep this defense on track and slow opposing rushing attacks to ensure the Cowboys make a real run at a Super Bowl.

The remainder of the schedule features some heavy running teams who will challenge the…