Do the Cowboys' defensive prowess against the Giants reflect reality? It pays off to start early Dallas

The Cowboys romped to a record-setting 40-0 victory in their season opener despite playing in soggy New Jersey

No longer is Dallas's 38-0 victory over the Baltimore Colts in 1978 the most lopsided shutout in franchise history. Two "what if"

situations can be derived from playing this game. Let's get the easy one out of the way first.

After Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley led the Giants to more than 50 yards rushing on their first possession, 

what if Graham Gano had kicked a 45-yard field goal? Would the Giants' pounding offense have been enough to tie the game? Let the bruised and wounded Giants supporters 

play with that one; I think there's a poor argument to be made that New York's 

one-dimensional club could have hung around for a half. There's a bigger picture at play because...

Suppose the Cowboys' defense is as good as everyone says it is. What if Dallas once again boasts the strongest defense in the NFL

like it did during its 1970s and 1990s Super Bowl runs? What does that portend for the first two months of the new year? "The focus was to take the first step,

" coach Mike McCarthy said after Dallas finally won its season opener. We were able to do it tonight.

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