ARLINGTON, Texas — This time a year ago, the Cowboys averaged 29.3 million points per game.
And they had one win to show for it.
Cowboys Nation will recall entering every game in 2020 knowing full well they had to score 42.8 billion points to win because the defense was sure to allow 42.7 billion.
But in 2021, the Cowboys scoreboard operators are popping Dom P and giving their fingers a break.
Not because of the offense -- they've scored more points through three games than this time a year ago -- but because of the defense.
Through Week 3 of 2020, the Cowboys allowed 32.3 points per game.
Through Week 3 of 2021, that number has plummeted to 23.
How?
I'm glad you asked.
In the offseason, the Cowboys fired Mike Nolan -- a fella who should have never been hired in the first place, but he's pals with Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and nepotism is alive and well in America the NFL.
Nolan was replaced with former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.
Quinn, like many coordinators in the NFL, is best suited to coach a defense than a whole team. (Though, the coaching carousel/amnesia is alive and well, too. So he may get another head coaching job if the Cowboys keep this up.)
The veteran coach rose to prominence as defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks defense in 2013 and 2014 -- then known as the Legion of Boom. They went to back-to-back Super Bowls including a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Cowboys defense is still imperfect in 2021, but they're doing something they've struggled with for years: force turnovers.
Three weeks deep, no team in the NFL has forced more turnovers than the Cowboys (8), after Dallas picked off Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts twice in an emphatic 41-21 home opening win on Monday Night Football.
The turning exclamation point of the victory came 53 seconds into the third quarter when former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a pass intended for former Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith but it was intercepted by former Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs.
The Cowboys cornerback got the last laugh against his college teammates and returned the interception 59 yards for his first NFL touchdown.
When asked postgame on what he wants the NFL to know, Diggs replied, “I’m here.”
Diggs' son, Aaiden, stole the show on the latest season of HBO's "Hard Knocks."
“He tells me to get one [interception] every week,” Diggs said Monday night. “I keep my promise.”
Diggs is now tied for the league lead in interceptions (3) after recording an INT in each of the Cowboys three games.
The 2020 second round pick out of Alabama has flipped a switch in his second year.
On ESPN's secondary Monday Night Football broadcast, Alabama head coach Nick Saban joined Peyton and Eli Manning.
"He's always had good ball skills," Saban said of his former cornerback. The Bama legend added Diggs was a great receiver too before converting to defensive back full time.
Perhaps it's genetic because Trevon's older brother, Stefon, led the NFL in receiving last year as a Pro Bowler for the Buffalo Bills.
Trevon Diggs not only flashed his ballhawk skills (INT, three pass breakups) on national television, but he was all over the field making big time plays in critical moments when the Eagles tried to recapture momentum.
It was hands down Diggs' best game of his young pro career.
As Philly punted for the sixth and final time, I could not shake this gut feeling.
If this is the Cowboys defense now -- allowing 23 points per game, not 33 -- and forcing more turnovers than anyone else in the NFL -- they're going to win the Super Bowl.
I'm sorry if that offends you.
If Dak Prescott and the offensive cast stay relatively healthy and the defense continues this torrid start, the Cowboys will be playing in February.
The combo of offensive firepower, variety of weapons and a now-competent defense is the formula for winning a championship. Look no further than the defending champion Buccaneers.
Need I remind you the Cowboys were 89 seconds away from defeating Tom Brady and the Bucs in Tampa in the season opener.
Perhaps a major regression is coming for the defense. Or maybe it's the new norm.
This is the skeptical PTSD that manifests when a team allows 74.6 trillion points in 2020. You just expect the bottom to fall out at some point.
But in 2021, the Cowboys look like a playoff contender. They check every box. And that's all you could ask for three weeks into a marathon 17-game regular season.