The Dallas Cowboys have a good team, everyone knows that. However, they're still searching for a lot more.

Defensively, the Cowboys have led the NFL in turnovers in each of the last two seasons, and also they've finished in the top five in scoring on offense over that span. But it's only produced one playoff win.

Former Cowboys quarterback and Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman, has never been shy about his opinion of his former team, and he's known for being brutally honest. Well, earlier this week, he was very direct about why there's been a lack of postseason success in Dallas lately despite being one of the best teams in the regular season. 

They are really good, and they’ve got really good players,” Aikman said, via The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “The organization has done a fantastic job. I think the coaches have done a great job. The players. All of it. They have won a lot of games. The problem for them, and they don’t need me to tell them this, they just have not played their best football when the games have mattered the most.

Aikman is right in this assessment. 

The Cowboys have had their season ended by the San Francisco 49ers in back-to-back postseasons. In 2021, the 49ers ran through the Cowboys' defense for 169 yards, and the 17 points that Dallas scored were barely over half of their regular season average. Their defense played very well in last year's playoffs, yielding just 19 points, but the offense was pedestrian again with a putrid 12 points. 

Dallas added some offensive firepower in the offseason with veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks and drafting tight end Luke Schoonmaker and running back Deuce Vaughn. Of course, none of that matters without good quarterback play, so Dak Prescott will need to up his game in the biggest moments because his last two playoff performances haven't been good at all.

The two biggest needs for the Cowboys defensively going into the 2023 season were getting more help on their defensive interior and adding cornerback depth. Five-time Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore immediately gives the Cowboys three excellent starters along with All-Pro Trevon Diggs and 2022 rookie sensation DaRon Bland. Also, bringing back nose tackle Johnathan Hankins and drafting Mazi Smith in the first round gives the Cowboys much-needed beef up front to fix their woes against the run.

Dallas has one of the NFL's most talented rosters, but if they don't find a way to perform at their best in the postseason, they'll keep being the subject of a lot of ridicule, and the ghost of guys like Aikman and his three Super Bowl titles will continue to haunt them.

Top NFL analyst shuts down silly narrative about Dak Prescott

It needed to be said.

Feature image via Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports