Cowboys After Two Weeks: Third-Down Cooking, Interior Muscle, and Aubrey Time is Very Real

Two weeks in, the Cowboys feel different: less flash, more finish. They split a 24–20 opener in Philly and a 40–37 OT classic over the Giants, and the box scores tell the tale of a team that can win in a couple of different ways.

What the numbers say

This offense is living on money downs. Dallas has converted 13 of 25 third downs (52%) and sits at 785 total yards—392.5 per game with 6.2 yards per snap (team page). Compared to the rest of the league, they’re tracking top-tier on third-down rate right now. Under the hood, the efficiency checks out: +0.10 EPA/play with a 46% success rate through two games, i.e., above-water offense while the passing game finds its ceiling (SumerSports dashboard).

The trenches are the identity shift. ESPN’s tracking has the team 12th in pass-block win rate (67%), 14th in run-block (72%), a strong 4th in run-stop (36%), but only 20th in pass-rush win rate (33%)—translation: the interior is sturdy, the OL is holding up, and the edge rush needs to hit the gas. Individually, the new Kenny Clark–Osa Odighizuwa pairing shows up among DT pass-rush winners (Clark tied 6th at 13%, Osa 8th at 12%) on that same board. It's great to see at least some positive return from the Micah trade with Green Bay..

The Aubrey factor

Brandon Aubrey has basically become a closer. He’s 6-for-6 on field goals and 6-for-6 on PATs with a long of 64, scoring 24 points in two games. If you somehow missed it, he drilled a 64-yarder to force OT and the 46-yard winner vs. the Giants, and Jerry has already hinted at an extension after that performance.

What needs fixing next

There’s free improvement on the table: turnover margin sits at –1, which has already swung high-leverage moments . Edge pressure needs a jump to match the interior’s level of success.

Your move

What’s the bigger Week 3 swing factor—flipping the turnover math or jump-starting the edge rush? Drop a comment, share this with your Cowboys group chat, and let’s argue it out before kickoff.