So the Dallas Cowboys are fresh off of a home opener win against the NFC East division rival Washington Commanders to improve to 1-1. So why are fans finding it so difficult to celebrate or feel better about the team?

The obvious answer is the defense. The Cowboys had several lucky bounces go their way and QB Jayden Daniels was slashing the defense before suffering an elbow injury that knocked him out of the game.

But was it a discouraging showing from the defense? The answer is complicated but I think we saw a lot of improvement for the Cowboys defense despite some ups and downs. Below are three encouraging and three discouraging observations after reviewing the film.

The good from Cowboys defense

1. Jaishawn Barham was very good as the green dot

Going into Week 2, no Cowboys player needed to step up as much as Barham and he sure delivered. It wasn’t a perfect game, but you couldn’t ask for more either. Barham finished with four stops, one pressure, seven tackles, and a forced fumble.

He had no missed tackles. He took good angles and fixed up his mistakes in coverage. Early in the game, he pushed the flat to force a three-and-out to start the game. Quite frankly, he showed enough upside to look like the guy the Cowboys should be starting at middle linebacker even when DeMarvion Overshown returns from a hamstring injury.

2. Coverage was (mostly) better

Commanders quarterbacks left a lot of meat on the bone on Sunday, missing on a few plays that should have been touchdowns. However, I have to point out that the communication improvement showed in the Cowboys coverage throughout the game.

Daniels picked up 69 yards on the ground in only two quarters of play, but many of those were a result of the Cowboys having everything locked up on coverage. That doesn’t erase the reps where that wasn’t the case but it was a new sight compared to Week 1. Many plays in which the Cowboys coverage held up involved defenders passing off assignments in an efficient way.

3. Cowboys generated a lot more pressure

The Cowboys’ pass rush had 20 pressures on Sunday (they had 11 in Week 1). That includes four players who recorded at least three pressures; Quinnen Williams, Malachi Lawrence, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and Rashan Gary.

They should have translated into sacks and it’s a problem they didn’t. But least the pass rush showed some signs of life after a terrible outing in New York. We’ll see if it’s a gradual progression.

3 concerns moving forward

1. Need to play backups

The Cowboys are expected to be down safeties Malik Hooker and P.J. Locke in Week 3, which leaves Markquese Bell left to join Jalen Thompson at safety (while Caleb Downs is at nickel). The Commanders successfully attacked Bell in coverage and I’d expect that to be the case for the Ravens, too.

The Cowboys will also be down CB Cobie Durant and potentially LB Overshown. Injuries are piling up for a defense that was already struggling.

2. Reliance on rookies

Honestly, Barham and Downs might be your best defenders so far this season. That’s exciting for the rookies but you can also see typical Year 1 mistakes on their film. It just feels like the Cowboys need more impact from their veterans.

Offensive coordinators around the league should know how to try and exploit the tendencies of a rookie. Hopefully, the young Cowboys get more help from the vets. Speaking of…

3. DT room needs to do more

Quinnen Williams isn’t playing poorly but he hasn’t lived up to the expectations set on him. Not that they’re the be-all end-all, but Williams currently grades as the 17th best Cowboy on defense. He’s missed three sacks and isn’t quite looking like himself. Similar inconsistencies have been notable in Kenny Clark.

The problem with this is the Cowboys built their defense around a strong DT room. It must be more impactful and the coaching staff must put them in a better situation to do what they do best.