(My Sportsbook) - Defense may be Wade Phillips' forte, but it's the offense that has gotten just about of all of the attention during the Dallas Cowboys' back-to-back victories to begin the likeable 60-year-old's tenure as the team's head coach.

That's to be expected from a squad that has scored a league-best 82 points over the season's first two contests, leads the NFC with an average of 415 yards per game, and possesses plenty of star power with such larger-than-life personalities as wide receiver Terrell Owens and quarterback Tony Romo. The Cowboys may not have been as dominant on the other side of the ball thus far, but the injury-depleted defense still made its mark in Sunday's 37-20 road victory over the Miami Dolphins.

For the second straight week, the Dallas defense gave up its share of yards through the air. The unit compensated by being opportunistic, as the Cowboys intercepted the Dolphins' Trent Green four times and forced five total turnovers on the afternoon.

Three of those Miami miscues came in a span of four possessions during the second half. The Cowboys took advantage each time, converting them into two field goals by rookie Nick Folk and a back-breaking 34-yard touchdown connection from Romo to Owens that turned a four-point lead into an insurmountable 30-13 advantage with four minutes left to play.

A quarterback's greatest friend is never his (offensive) line or receivers or running backs," said Romo. "It's the defense. When you know that your defense is going to get you the ball back in good field position, that's a huge advantage for the quarterback. I think that they're better than they showed in the first game and they proved that tonight."

The offense did its job as well. Romo tossed a pair of touchdown passes and orchestrated a turnover-free effort, while the Cowboys piled up 166 yards on the ground and held the ball for over 35 minutes. Forty of those rushing yards came on an explosive scoring run from Marion Barber which capped the scoring in the final minutes.

"I think it was a team win," said safety Ken Hamlin, who set up one of Folk's field goals with an interception in the third quarter. "Defense did a good job and so did the offense. We gave them the ball in certain situations and they capitalized on it. They had some long drives as well."

DEFENSE STILL MISSING PIECES

The Cowboys played Sunday's game without three defensive starters, as cornerback Terence Newman (heel) and outside linebacker Greg Ellis (Achilles) sat out for the second straight week and veteran nose tackle Jason Ferguson suffered a season-ending biceps tear in the opener.

Anthony Henry stepped up his play in Newman's absence, as Dallas' other starting corner had two of the team's four picks of Green and was also credited with three passes defensed. Third-year pro Jay Ratliff took over at the nose and finished with two tackles and a fumble recovery, while rookie Anthony Spencer made his second straight start with Ellis again out.

Newman and Ellis were able to participate in practice in a limited capacity during the week, and Phillips is hopeful that both will be available for this Sunday's game at Chicago.

On the offensive side, wide receiver Patrick Crayton started opposite Owens for a second straight time in place of Terry Glenn, who is sidelined indefinitely after undergoing arthrosopic knee surgery last week. Crayton, however, dislocated a finger in the first half of Sunday's game and was held without a catch. The shifty wideout did contribute a key 49-yard punt return in the third quarter which led to a touchdown that gave the Cowboys a 17-13 lead.

QUICK HITS

Dallas has scored 35 or more points in consecutive games for the first time since back-to-back wins over the New York Jets (38-24) and Philadelphia (41-22) during the 1987 season.

Barber continued to split carries in the backfield with starter Julius Jones but was far more productive with his touches. Barber ended with 89 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 14 attempts, while Jones totaled just 32 yards on 15 totes.

Romo's first touchdown pass of the day went to third-string tight end Tony Curtis, who hauled in a two-yard strike in the third quarter for his first career reception and score.

The Cowboys will be shooting for their first 3-0 start to a season since 1999, when the club defeated Washington, Atlanta and Arizona in Chan Gailey's final year as head coach.

SUNDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN

For those who can't get enough of seeing the Cowboys in prime time, Dallas will be involved in the nationally-televised Sunday night game for the second time in three weeks when it visits Chicago's Soldier Field to take on the defending NFC champion Bears. Chicago rebounded from a 14-3 road loss to AFC powerhouse San Diego in Week 1 to post a 20-10 victory over Kansas City in its home opener.

The Cowboys have not played in Chicago since the 1998 season, when the Bears came through with a 13-12 decision on October 18 of that year. Dallas' last victory at Soldier Field came during the 1991 playoffs, a 17-13 triumph in the Wild Card round.