Here's a look at the first half of the season for the Dallas Cowboys and a preview of what to expect in the second half:
Grade: (A) Last season, the Cowboys went 1-11 without Tony Romo. They surpassed that win total after three games in 2016, and they surpassed last season's entire total in the first six games of this season. And the Cowboys have pulled it off without Romo playing a snap. Consider this: Dez Bryant has missed three games, Tyron Smith missed two and Orlando Scandrick four. Offensively, the Cowboys ground and pound teams into submission, and they have a defense that might bend but has yet to break. Jason Garrett has to be considered one of the front-runners for coach of the year.
Midseason MVP: How about MVPs, plural? There is no way to separate Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. That's how important the rookies have been to the Cowboys. Elliott's success was almost expected because he was the fourth overall pick and he was going to run behind the best line in the NFL. He has responded and is threatening to have the best rookie rushing season in NFL history. Prescott, a fourth-round pick, has been a revelation. He entered training camp as the No. 3 quarterback behind Romo and Kellen Moore. Prescott has had choppy moments in the past few games, but the Cowboys sit in first place in the NFC East.
Best moment: It has to be the overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles when Prescott hit Jason Witten with a 5-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the extra session. It touched off a wild celebration that highlighted this team's cohesion. Prescott didn't play well for most of the game, but he was 5-of-5 for 56 yards in overtime. Perhaps more importantly, the win also gave the Cowboys a cushion over the rest of their division. The Cowboys might look back at that game as the one that defines their season.
Worst moment: If you are counting the preseason, then it would be Romo's compression fracture, even with the success the Cowboys have had without him. But since this is a regular-season review, let's go with Terrance Williams' failure to get out of bounds in the final seconds of the Cowboys' only loss. Instead of turning to the sidelines, Williams turned up field and left the Cowboys without the chance to attempt a game-winning field goal. With that being the worst moment of the season, it speaks to how well things have gone for the Cowboys.
Player to watch: At some point, Romo will be completely healthy and ready to play in a game. The Cowboys have not said definitively what they will do when that happens, but the implication has been that they will stick with Prescott and ride the hot hand. Romo has been the team's full-time starter since early in the 2006 season. He has some of the best statistics in franchise history and a 15-4 record in his past 19 games. He will not tear the team apart if he has to be the backup, but don't rule him out of some more magic down the stretch.
Second-half outlook: Given their style of play, it is difficult to see a game that would automatically be called a loss. If Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger plays this week, then the trip to Heinz Field might be the Cowboys' most difficult game. A Dec. 1 trip to Minneapolis would follow as the most difficult, but the Minnesota Vikings are struggling right now. The Cowboys have followed their 2014 blueprint to perfection, even without Romo. In that 12-4 season, they closed the year winning six of their last seven games. There is no reason to believe they can't end 2016 in a similar fashion. And who would have ever thought that after Romo went down Aug. 25?