Cowboys Defense: A Tale of 2 Terrible Halves?

Inside The Star writer Cody Warren argues that while the Dallas Cowboys defense shows slight statistical improvement in second halves, it remains deeply flawed overall. Through seven games, Dallas allowed 95 first-half points compared to 85 in the second half, frequently hurting itself by committing costly penalties that repeatedly extend opponents' offensive drives.

Warren notes that opponents converted 16 first downs via penalties against Dallas before halftime, compared to only four afterward. Despite minor defensive improvements in recent games against Green Bay and Philadelphia, Warren asserts that even if the Cowboys sustained their second-half performance across entire games, the defense would still rank near the bottom of the league.