The Dallas Cowboys got to 4-1 without Dak Prescott mainly on the strength of their defense. This past Sunday against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys' defense entered the game having not allowed any team to score 20 points all season.

That went away quickly as the Eagles led 20-0 with just under two minutes to go before halftime. This also marked the first time the Cowboys' defense gave up multiple touchdowns in 2022. Although the Eagles only scored six points for the rest of the game, it was enough to hold off the Cowboys 26-17.

One man, in particular, Cowboys' defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, was vocal about his disappointment in how his defense played, and he relayed that his players feel the same.

"We're pissed about it," said Quinn. "We want that ass-kicking performance [the entire time]. … We've got really high standards and we know we can reach them."

The Cowboys' defense did just that in the first five games of the season. Over that span, they racked up 20 sacks, only allowed 33.7% conversions on third down, and just 33.3% of the opposing team's red zone attempts resulted in touchdowns.

Dallas also came up with big plays in key moments on defense during that time. Cornerback Trevon Diggs made back-to-back tackles that forced a punt against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 late in the fourth quarter that led to a game-winning field goal and snagged a game-sealing interception a week later against the New York Giants.

The Cowboys' defense set the tone in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams. On their first defensive possession, Dorance Armstrong recorded a strip sack on Matthew Stafford that was returned 19 yards for a touchdown by DeMarcus Lawrence. With the Rams clinging to hope late in the fourth quarter, Micah Parsons strip-sacked Stafford as well and it was recovered by rookie Sam Williams.

The RPO capabilities of the Eagles' offensive and their quick passing game were a problem for the Cowboys, although it was neutralized in the second half. As is the case with any defense in the NFL, no matter how good it is, there will be games when they don't perform their best.

There's little doubt that this performance against the Eagles is just a bump in the road for the Cowboys defensively and that they will make the necessary adjustments. However, Quinn made it clear that he doesn't like having any slippage when it comes to his unit.

"We're not looking for a pat on the back for something that's halfway done," Quinn said. "We're looking to be the kick-ass crew all the time."

Now is the time for the Cowboys to regroup and get back to their winning ways, and specifically, for their defense to return to its dominance. However, A lot more can be taken from a defeat than a victory, which Quinn touch on Sunday night.

“When you have a win or a loss, you want to take all the lessons from them," Quinn said. "It'd be nice if all the wins, you took all the lessons in the same space. But I’ll tell you, through coaching, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes these lessons like today can go a long way about what we need to do and how we need to play.”

Quinn's reaction to the Cowboys' Week 6 loss is exactly why he's so beloved in Dallas. His expectation is excellence, in every game, and he holds himself and his players to that standard.

Feature image via Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports