It came down to the last second. The Dallas Cowboys won their game over the Detroit Lions on a come-from-behind Brett Maher field goal as time ran out. It was glorious.More importantly http://www.cowboyscheapauthenticstore.com/geoff-swaim-jersey-cheap , after some real offensive struggles in the first three weeks of the season, that winning kick came after a truly clutch two minute (and seventeen second) drive led by Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.This capped the best offensive performance of the season to date, where Prescott was able to move the ball and get a couple of touchdown passes and Elliott was simply on fire. Along with their contributions, the offensive line was generally very good, several receivers came through in the passing game, and there was not much to criticize about Scott Linehan’s game plan or play calling.So rejoice! The offense is fixed!Is it really fixed, though?Maybe something is missing... focusing specifically on that “maybe”. The truth is that the offense worked well for one game but with the exception of Elliott, who has been playing better every game of the year, none of the other elements listed above are exactly a given going forward.It was, after all, a game that seemed tailor-made for the Cowboys to win. The Lions came in with the unusual combination of being the best pass defense in the league and the worst at stopping the run. That plays right into the very identity of the Dallas offense. It is no surprise that Zeke would gain 152 yards running the ball or that the team would total 183 yards on the ground as a whole. What was a pleasant surprise was Dak having his best game of the year against what was the toughest pass defense he has faced. He was more decisive and accurate with his throws and took more shots downfield that were met with real success. After a marked lack of long plays in the first three games, the Cowboys had five that went over 30 yards. Four of them were passes with two covering most of the distance in the air. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY SportsIf you were among those condemning Linehan for the failures of the first few games of the season, you have to give him credit for what he did in this one. He was throwing out of running sets, using a lot more motion and play action to give Prescott better situations and clearer reads, and he threw in some plays that have not been seen before... including the crucial 34 yard pass completion to Elliott to set up that winning FG. Elliott split out as a slot receiver and went deep, where Prescott delivered perhaps his best throw of the afternoon. Using Elliott like that is something armchair critics and the media alike have been demanding. Linehan delivered, and he did so when it had the biggest impact. The question of the season is whether or not Dallas can do it consistentlyIt’s all good. Now let’s see if Dallas can do it again against the Houston Texans. Like the Lions, the Texans enter the game as a one-win team that is fighting to keep shrinking hopes alive. They consider the Cowboys a big rival (largely a one-sided affair, to be honest) Cheap Tyron Smith Jersey , and have them at home for a Sunday night national game. They want this bad. At this time of year, every NFL team should feel that way about every game, of course.Here, courtesy of our old friend Patrick Conn, is a look at how the teams match up statistically.In a sense, this is a mirror image of the Lions game. The Cowboys were strongest on offense where they were weakest, and vice versa. But facing the Texans, it is strength against strength... and weakness against weakness.That means Dallas cannot rely on Elliott carrying them on his (quite capable) shoulders. They have to see a continuation of the offensive performance from last game, particularly on the passing side of things. It is a good test that they really need to pass.So will they? One good game is not really important. Being able to string them together is vital. The Lions game presented evidence that the passing game can be effective, the running game is one of the best (with a league leading 5.8 yards per attempt), the offensive coordinator is not the incompetent that so many believe he is, and the team is getting better at putting points on the board. They still need to improve on third down conversions and red zone efficiency, but there was even some progress there. So what is it exactly that the Cowboys have to do more consistently?All of this brings us to a point of trying to figure out what the team did differently in week four from what they’d done prior to. It seems to come down to one simple thing. Allow me to present the explanation as given by someone whose football analysis and acumen far, far exceeds my own.This debate is far from over, but the Lions game looked like a very good argument for the previous offensive problems stemming from poor execution rather than coaching or even the talent level. Go back to that list of things that went right in the opening paragraph:Prescott’s execution was markedly better. Elliott’s level of performance was arguably the best for any player at any position in the league for this week. The offensive line was working well together with few missed blocks or assignments. The receivers mostly had a much better day catching the ball. There were still some drops, but they were not as egregious and fortunately did not turn into interceptions. A few of the catches were clutch.This recipe makes play-calling a lot simpler. It may be a mistake in the literal sense of the word, but it does not seem very likely that a long-time coach and offensive coordinator like Linehan would undergo a significant change to his style and approach in just one week. “Wrinkles”, maybe, but not anything pervasive. What can change quickly is player performance Cheap Dak Prescott Jersey , especially when they have been making mistakes and missing assignments the way the Cowboys offense was the first three games. That can be cleaned up. The coaches can help both in practices and in what plays they call (such as how the inclusion of more motion aided Prescott), but most of that has to come from within the players. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesThe Cowboys got it mostly right for one week. Now they need to show they can do the same or even improve next week. It’s also worth noting that some of the members of the secondary need to make some improvements themselves after some errors cropped up in what had been a real strength for the defense. If they fail, the plays will start to go wrong. It is very difficult for the offensive coordinator to fix things during a game when the root is one or more players not doing their job. So the offense isn’t fixed, exactly. The solution is there, it just has to be carried through by the players. The running back and offensive line are talented enough to do a good job against just about anyone in the league. The quarterback is far less reliable, but can be very effective if he keeps his mind and mechanics all straight. The tight ends and wide receivers are the key, though. They are an unproven group outside of Cole Beasley. The rest of them have to be able to carry the load to keep the opposition from taking Beas out of the equation with double teams and stacking the box to limit Zeke’s damage. We saw them do that against Detroit.If they can do it again in Houston, we can start talking about a real, sustainable fix to the Dallas offense. And the prospects for the season will be considerably brighter. Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys had another efficient preseason showing.Andy Dalton bogged down a bit with his Cincinnati Bengals.Prescott led a pair of scoring drives in three possessions, capped by a scrambling 6-yard scoring pass to Terrance Williams, before the Bengals rallied after halftime for a 21-13 exhibition victory Saturday night.The Bengals had just two first downs in three Dalton-led possessions a week after he threw for two touchdowns with an offense that was revamped after finishing last in the NFL. One of the first downs was on Dalton's 13-yard scramble after the Bengals (2-0) started with a pair of three-and-outs.A week after throwing a 30-yard touchdown to rookie Michael Gallup on his only drive of the preseason opener in San Francisco, Prescott was 10 of 15 for 86 yards. The TD drive for a 10-0 lead was kept alive by an 8-yard slant to Gallup, who reached out for a nice catch inside the Cincinnati 10.The concern for the Cowboys (0-2) was the status of four-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin, who left early on what would have been his last drive with a knee injury.Owner Jerry Jones said an MRI was planned Sunday and he was optimistic about the outcome. Martin was injured when he bent down to block cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick in the open field on a run by Rod Smith. Martin was on the sideline in street clothes late in the game."I just want to say we've got more to gain from (the MRI), but from what we've seen, I'll sleep good tonight on Martin," Jones said.Dalton finished 5 of 7 for 41 yards, with his final drive stalling near midfield.On Cincinnati's first offensive play after Dalton left, Dallas defensive end Taco Charlton forced a fumble on a short completion to Tyler Boyd Youth Connor Williams Jersey , with cornerback Byron Jones getting the recovery."We've got things we can work on, attacking the football, throwing balls down the field," coach Marvin Lewis said. "We had opportunities. We just missed the timing of it and we've got to be better at those things."The Cowboys forced two turnovers after getting three against the 49ers. The highlight was Chidobe Awuzie's leaping interception , which he tipped to himself along the sideline late in the first half.Cincinnati's first points came on backup kicker Jonathan Brown's 55-yard field goal in the third quarter.The Bengals went ahead 11-10 when Tra Carson scored on a 2-yard run and Jeff Driskel threw a 2-point conversion pass to John Ross. Matt Barkley's 3-yard touchdown pass to Brian Hill wrapped up the scoring midway through the fourth quarter.LONG TIME COMINGDallas defensive end Randy Gregory played for the first time since the finale of the 2016 regular season. He missed all of last season after getting suspended three times in 2016 for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Gregory didn't show up in the defensive stats but pressured Dalton on a third-down misfire to an open A.J. Green on Cincinnati's opening possession.TALE OF TWO WORKLOADSWith star running back Ezekiel Elliott sitting again for Dallas, Smith had 13 carries in the first 18 minutes, finishing with 49 yards. His workload was helped by a nearly nine-minute drive to Williams' touchdown. Bengals starter Joe Mixon got just four carries for 8 yards.O-LINE OVERHAULThe work in progress that is the overhauled offensive line for the Bengals remains that way, this time after fired line coach Paul Alexander was watching from the opposing sideline after getting hired by Dallas. Cedric Ogbuehi was at right tackle to start the second half when gave up a sack to Charlton while getting called for holding. Cincinnati running backs had just 7 yards on six carries before halftime.NATIONAL ANTHEMThe Cowboys were standing for the national anthem in the first preseason home game, "toe on the line" as owner Jerry Jones declared they would be in his opening remarks at training camp last month. The Dallas players, with some coaches sprinkled in, were single file on the sideline, spanning about 50 yards. As usual, all the Bengals were standing.INJURY REPORTBengals: Rookie CB Davontae Harris was ruled out with a knee injury in the first half. ... TE C.J. Uzomah sustained a cut to his face early in the game, but came back with a 23-yard catch in the first half.Cowboys: S Xavier Woods left with a hamstring injury. ... Rookie RB Bo Scarbrough, a seventh-round pick out of Alabama, went to the locker room with a hip injury. ... DE Datone Jones and S Jameill Showers left with knee injuries.UP NEXTFor "dress rehearsal" week, the Bengals will be at Buffalo and the Cowboys will be home against Arizona. Both games are next Sunday.This story has been corrected to reflect that Cincinnati two first downs on three possessions instead of one first down on four possessions with Andy Dalton at quarterback.