Through four weeks, the #Cowboys have the No. 1 offense in the NFL entering MNF at 404.3 yards per game.

They have the No. 32 defense at 420.5 yards given up per game.

— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) September 29, 2025

Many people believe a well-balanced team is the secret to NFL success. Without any weaknesses, opponents must matchup honestly. Strategies are minimized and execution becomes king. Based on the roster today, the Dallas Cowboys are clearly not “many people.”

The Cowboys appear to value some areas more than others. In 2025 that means they value offense above all, and hope that the weakness that is their defense can stay out of their way. So far, that hasn’t exactly worked.

Sitting at 1-2-1 at roughly the quarter point of the NFL season, the Cowboys are a tale of two extremes. Based on traditional yardage measurements, the Cowboys not only have the distinction of being the NFL’s No. 1 offense, but they are also the NFL’s worst defense. Offensively they’ve averaged 404.3 yards per game. Defensively they’re allowing 420.5 yards per game.

The extremes don’t end there.

The Cowboys are also extreme in the way they look against different opponents. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers are widely regarded as Super Bowl favorites from the NFC. Against them the Cowboys have played their best ball, averaging 30 points against and falling just six combined points from beating them both. They ultimately lost to the Eagles and tied the Packers but at various points of each game Dallas looked like the better team.

The New York Giants and Chicago Bears are widely regarded as non-playoff teams. Against them the Cowboys struggled mightily, losing horrifically to the Bears and just barely squeaking out a win against the Giants. Dallas’ Jekyll and Hyde nature clearly isn’t just reserved for their offense and defense but also in the way to rise to challenges on their schedule.

Entering Week 5 with a losing record, something has got to give. The Cowboys can’t keep operating in extremes or the season will be over by Thanksgiving. They need to treat inferior opponents as inferior and they need to elevate their defense to something other than worst in the NFL. Keep in mind, they aren’t just barely the worst in the NFL, they’re obnoxiously the worst. Only one of other team has even allowed over 400 yards each game and the third worst this season is sitting at a distant average of 388.5 yards on average.

The Cowboys have to round out the edges without stepping back on offense. They need to get consistent both mentally and physically and they need to improve overall on defense, or they won’t be going anywhere but home in the postseason.

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