Dez Bryant is back.
OK, fine. Sunday's 27-17 win over the Ravens marked the Cowboys' No. 1 wide receiver's fourth game back from his knee injury. Since his return and before Week 11, Bryant had some big moments. But there was still something off. His trademark "X" still didn't mark the sweet spot with Dak Prescott.
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Something changed, however, against Baltimore. Neither the ball nor the connection was forced to Bryant. He was in the natural flow of the Cowboys' balanced and now fully explosive offense. It was their power running game and intermediate passing game opening up things for Dez, instead of the other way around.
The result was the best game Prescott and Bryant have had together. Sure, Bryant has put up more yardage with the rookie quarterback on three occasions, but in catching six of his eight targets for 80 yards and two TDs, Bryant and his quarterback displayed their most efficient collaboration of the season.
Going back to the first three games of 2016, when Bryant was healthy, Prescott didn't throw the ball toward Bryant enough in the right situations. Over the previous three games, he over-targeted Bryant with mixed results, making some victories harder than they needed to be.
Last week in Pittsburgh, it took a brilliant scramble and perfect throw from Prescott to get a 50-yard score from Bryant. On a couple two-point conversion attempts, however, it was clear Prescott and Bryant didn't have the same back-shoulder, short-TD mojo the receiver had established with Tony Romo.
In week 11, the Ravens were ripe for deep shots with their best cornerback, Jimmy Smith, out. But Prescott didn't press. He threw only twice to Bryant on Dallas' first four drives, both resulting in incompletions.
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From there, it was near-perfection from Prescott. With the Cowboys' offense adjusting their personnel, formation and protections, both Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott got going with key chunk runs. Then there were the high-percentage throws underneath to Cole Beasley and Jason Witten, plus a smart single coverage shot to Brice Butler.
The Cowboys are in the unique, enviable position of knowing they'll always have the running game working. They pounded out a difficult 118 yards rushing against the Ravens' No. 1-ranked run defense, which was giving up fewer than 72 yards per game. With that superior line giving Prescott plenty of time, he can consistently progress to his checkdowns when nothing is there downfield.
Like with everything else Prescott has been learning on the fly during his dazzling NFL debut, incorporating Bryant is another challenge the rookie has met.
His first TD to Bryant wasn't back-shoulder, but a straight-up, 4-yard one-on-one throw-it-up. His second TD to Bryant was much like a throw to Beasley — find him going inside out and let him do the rest of the work after the catch.
The Cowboys say it will take a sudden Prescott meltdown and prolonged losing streak for them to turn back to Romo. They require that extreme because Prescott is riding the polar opposite. Sunday marked the ninth consecutive victory for the rookie QB, and the eighth straight game in which Dallas has had 400 or more yards of total offense.
But if there was one lingering question out of the Steelers game, it was whether Prescott could duplicate the great chemistry Romo had with Bryant.
We've seen Dak hit Dez deep, but the short-to-intermediate zip makes them more dangerous together. It's another way for the Cowboys to extend their steady, long drives that have worn down defenses. It gives them another way to finish when its tired opponent puts its remaining energy into trying to contain Elliott in the red zone.
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Prescott has become more impressive at finishing drives as the season has progressed. Bryant adds another feather to that helmet.
It took a while to get here, but the Cowboys have found another dominant element for what looks like an unstoppable machine. At 9-1, they still have work to do to slam the door on tough NFC East competition from New York, Washington and Philadelphia. They have to keep getting better so they're ready for those tougher tests defensively.
Dak and Zeke already formed a dynamic duo. Throw in this version of Dez, and you have terrific triplets.
Given the Cowboys' history with that, you know how Super it can end.
