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FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have had one of the more unique starts to the season through six games on the offensive side of the ball under Mike McCarthy's new Texas Coast system.

While the offense has excelled in areas such as third-down conversions (4th in NFL), scoring offense (6th in NFL) and giveaways (7th in NFL), it has also been inefficient to a fault in other areas such as red zone touchdown rate (26th in NFL) and passing yards per game (19th in NFL).

As the team resets during the bye week, let's take a look at the offensive storylines from the team's first six games.

MVP - CeeDee Lamb – While the offense has had about as roller coaster of a start as it could have, CeeDee Lamb has found success in bunches at times in providing the biggest spark through six games. His 475 receiving yards are 11th in the NFL and his 34 receptions are 16th in the league. When he's on, it's hard to stop the passing game. When he's not, the offense doesn't operate to its fullest potential.

Best Play - Pollard for Sixty – Improvisation hasn't been good to Dak Prescott and the offense since the start of 2022, but when things broke down against the Los Angeles Chargers, QB1 was efficient and surgical. The highlight of his ability outside the pocket came on a fourth quarter 3rd-and-11 when Prescott escaped a broken pocket and found Tony Pollard leaking across the middle of the field. Pollard took the reception, bounced off a pair of tacklers, and accelerated sixty yards downfield before being pulled down deep into Chargers territory. The play would help set up a Brandin Cooks touchdown that gave the Cowboys a 17-10 lead in the final frame. Without that play, the result most likely looks different – as does the Cowboys record going in the bye week.

Worst Play - The Arizona Dagger – Even though the game against Arizona was as ugly as ugly gets (at least at that point of the season), the offense had a chance to make some noise late on a drive that got Dallas down inside the 10-yard line trailing by 12 with less than five minutes to go in the game. However, with red zone execution becoming a louder talking point as the game went on, Dak Prescott threw a third-down interception in the back of the end zone to seal the fate of Dallas' first loss of the season.

Biggest Surprise - Jake Ferguson – It was expected that Jake Ferguson would play a bigger role in 2023 as the starting tight end, but his usage and efficiency within his opportunities has exceeded expectations through six games. His 21 receptions for 190 yards are both third on the team as he's become a safety net in the pass game for Dak Prescott. Even aside from the receiving game, Ferguson has stepped up in a major way with his run blocking ability. What was once a liability in his game, his protection for running lanes has him ranked as one of the top run-blocking tight ends in the NFL.

Key Stat - 0.6 – The Cowboys are ending drives with punts just 0.6 times for every time the offense scores which is fourth in the NFL behind only Miami, Philadelphia and Buffalo. Why is this very specific statistic important? It proves that while the offense has had its struggles, it has still been able to execute with a score on the end of drives. Taking care of the football was a big emphasis for the Texas Coast offense over the offseason, and the Cowboys have done just that with only six giveaways in six games. Even though drives have typically stalled out in the red zone with the offense, Brandon Aubrey's stellar start has kept the Cowboys on the board consistently.

Watch Out For … Brandin Cooks – A case could be made that we saw the tip of the iceberg of what Brandin Cooks can add to the Cowboys offense during the game against the Chargers when he gets the ball in his hands. Even though his production hasn't matched the expectations through six games, there's still a high potential at any moment for Cooks to take the top off a defense and have a big day in the receiving game. His big play ability was the reason he was brought in. Expect that to be utilized in the next ten games.

FRISCO, Texas — About three hours before each game that the Cowboys have played this season, if you look on the field to see the early happenings, you'll see a few things.

You'll see a couple of players doing light stretching and an assistant coach or two running around the field with music in their ears. It's mostly a relaxed time without fans in the stadium and the intercoms silent. That is, until Trey Lance walks out onto the field.

Lance and quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien have integrated an instructed pregame workout that has seen Lance go back to the fundamentals of his game with Tolzien to continue to grow as a young quarterback. The workouts have allowed Lance to pick up unique instruction in what Mike McCarthy has referred to as "QB School" for the former first-round pick.

"Really pleased with Trey so far," QBs coach Scott Tolzien said. "His approach is what stands out more than anything. This guy is willing to improve, he puts in the time in the classroom and on the field. He wants to get better and I'm appreciative of that."

Answering questions correctly in position meetings, always being available during practice and fulfilling his scout team duties have all led towards Lance picking up the weekly instruction that has proven to be invaluable at this point.

"You're really just trying to fight for reps anyway you can get them," Tolzien said. "It's big. You're fighting for reps, and that's one of our opportunities. Fortunately with this new rule to dress three [QBs], you get the opportunity to work these guys out and it allows us to work out the kinks from throughout the week."

The allowance to focus purely on the fundamentals has allowed Lance to improve since arriving in Dallas in late August, as Tolzien has put focus into the footwork and release elements of his throwing fundamentals.

"Trey is young, he's 23 years old," he said. "That's the beauty of it and I appreciate that Coach McCarthy is big on the fundamentals. It is the NFL, but yet there's still a focus on the fundamentals. Sometimes that does get lost, but with Coach he's always fighting for us getting better fundamentally."

That help has extended to everyone in the quarterback room from Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush.

"Everyone has worked well together from Dak to Cooper to Trey," Tolzien said. "They're all in it to help each other out."

There cannot be a Cowboys fan anywhere that is not tired of the abundance of penalties every game. What's the answer? Threats of decreased playing time? Monetary penalties? I'm sure the coaching staff harps on it all the time. What are your feelings on this topic? – Rick Dipasquale/Parkersburg, WV

Nick Harris: Penalties have definitely been a huge hindrance to this team's full potential, and it almost cost them a win in Los Angeles. Everything comes down to discipline at the end of the day. I'm OK with a couple of pass interference, holding, illegal hands to the face penalties during the game; that at least proves that you're playing physical football. But when the defense lines up offsides multiple times every game, 12 men are on the field multiple times in a game and illegal formations all combine with those physical penalties, things start to really compound into a major issue. I'm not sure what needs to happen to correct it other than doing something different than what's already taken place. There has to be an emphasis coming out of the bye week on not being the second-most penalized team in the NFL for the rest of the season.

Patrik: I promise I'm not being snarky when I say the answer is to … just stop committing them. This isn't some deeper issue that requires a lot of analysis into the coaching or locker room culture, or if the recent solar eclipse is causing a shift in the magnetic field that then lends to errors in cerebral judgment. No, no, no. Sure, you can look at benching a guy, and you might have the depth to do it, but that person you're benching would have to be a/the repeat offender but, again, what if you do NOT have the depth (e.g., LB). This is simply about self-discipline of every individual, and some have been better at it than others. Presnap penalties have particularly become a thorn in the side of Mike McCarthy, who has harped heavily on the team's need to correct them. At the end of the day, all penalties are avoidable (or at least most of them, because officials can and will absolutely make a mistake sooner or later) and, as such, the problem doesn't have to persist any longer than the previous game or the one before that. Stay disciplined and don't extend the other team's offensive drives and the Cowboys will put themselves in many more positions to win than not. It's frustrating because it doesn't have to be a thing.

With two potential Hall of famers in Zack Martin and Tyron Smith, and Tyler Smith and Terence Steele considered above average linemen and a Pro Bowl center in Tyler Biadasz, why does the offensive line seem to be struggling? Is it a lack of playing time together? Is it the new offense? Or is age simply becoming a factor? – Andrew Padgett/Evans, GA

Nick Eatman: At this point, I'm going to say it's probably more of a continuity thing than anything else. And not only the fact that they haven't played much together but the reason for that as well - injuries. Sure, some of these players have returned from injury setbacks such as Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith and Zack Martin, but that doesn't mean they're all 100 percent. And Terence Steele is returning from an ACL injury last December and Tyler Biadasz isn't exactly 100 percent as well. That's not an excuse, it's just to say they're all dinged up and trying to piece this thing back together. But the point is, they need to figure it out because it's affecting the team and making them one-dimensional at times. This not the type of offense that can rely solely on the passing game. Let's see what this bye week does for the team health-wise, especially the offensive line that might need the week off more than any other position on the field.

Patrik: Reps matter. The more the merrier. This OL combination is literally only two games in for the Cowboys, and it makes sense they're a bit disjointed at the moment. There's a kind of telepathy that exists for offensive linemen that only comes with more and more reps, an example being the chemistry that's being worked upon in real time by Tyron Smith and Tyler Smith, and between Tyler Smith and Tyler Biadasz. They've also had the unfortunate luck of trying to figure this all out while facing two of the best defensive lines in the entire NFL — first the 49ers and then the Chargers. Maybe they look better if they're tasked with facing lesser defensive fronts in their first two games, but that's not how football goes. You play who you play, so get ready to play. Up next comes the LA Rams, but the Cowboys will have these next two weeks (including the bye) to log more practices with this OL combination and to hopefully use the Rams as a sharpening tool for the dominant Eagles' defensive line. Also, be mindful that this OL isn't completely healthy yet, so the bye week will definitely help in that regard as well.

(Editor's Note: As the Cowboys begin their bye week, the staff writers of DallasCowboys.com have taken a closer look at each phases of the team. Today, we focus on the defense.)

FRISCO, TX — It's been a roller coaster ride for the Dallas Cowboys over these past four weeks, one that's taken them to the highest of highs before dragging them through the lowest of lows, only to return them to middle ground.

That said, and despite the loss of impact players like Trevon Diggs and Leighton Vander Esch to injury, they've mounted up to remain one of the best defenses in the NFL and [still] the calling card for the Cowboys in 2023.

As the team enters its bye week with a promising 4-2 record, it's time to take a look at some of the items that standout the most from the first six weeks of football.

MVP - Micah Parsons — This actually wasn't as easy as you might think. Yes, obviously Parsons is an absolute menace who should be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, but names like Osa Odighizuwa and DeMarcus Lawrence popped up in my head as well. That said, the answer remains Parsons, especially after seeing him pressure Justin Herbert eight times and then overcoming an offsides penalty on the final drive to deliver a sack on the very next play that ultimately helped lead the Cowboys to a 4-2 record.

Best Play - Tip-Six — The Cowboys definitely miss Trevon Diggs both in the locker room and on the field, and his first explosive play of the season is the one that takes the cake for me thus far. For all of those claiming Diggs is an unwilling tackler, he went out in Week 1 on the road against the New York Giants and a blow to Sequan Barkley on a pass attempt that caused the ball to fly into the air and into the hands of DaRon Bland — who took care of the rest. This set the defensive tone for the entire season.

Worst Play - Moore Pain — Heading into their bout with the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys were hot off a stifling effort against Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook, providing more evidence that their run defense had taken a massive leap forward for 2023. Rondale Moore could not have cared less about any of that, though. With the Cardinals nursing a 9-3 lead in the second quarter, Moore took a handoff and exploded through the Cowboys' defense for a 45-yard touchdown. It was easily the most demoralizing play this season for an otherwise stellar unit, and told the tale of that fight in the desert.

Biggest Surprise - Markquese Bell — There was a lot of justifiable hype surrounding rookie linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who was a star in training camp before suffering a torn ACL in the preseason. The loss of the former Longhorn left the Cowboys looking for someone to step into that specific hybrid safety-linebacker role, and Bell was tossed the keys. It's almost like he was born to play it, despite being lighter than traditional LBs. His speed and quickness leaps off of the tape and, as seen in his domination of the Chargers and Austin Ekeler, the former FAMU talent is just getting started.

Key Stat - 10-1 — Resilience, folks. It's something the Mike McCarthy-led Cowboys continue to show over these past two seasons, and no matter how badly they've been beaten the week before. They bounced back from their loss to Arizona by handing Bill Belichick the worst loss of his coaching career and, after suffering an humiliating beatdown by the 49ers, walked back into California one week later and held Kellen Moore's high-powered offense to only 17 points (nearly 10, but punt controversy and whatnot) then closed it out with a sack and an INT — moving to 10-1 since 2021 after taking a loss.

Watch Out For … Osa Odighizuwa — Cowboys defensive line coach Aden Durde had a few tasks to take care of before his bye weekend. One of them was to cut up a video for Odighizuwa, who wanted to spend his "off" time watching more film to correct a few things for the second half of the season. Now, considering that Odighizuwa has been one of the better players on this defense, that's actually a scary thing for his opponents. He's coming off a seven-tackle performance against the Chargers, something that is extremely rare for interior players. Odighizuwa apparently isn't content on what he's done so far, so if he improves his game, it'll be something to watch out for.