The Dallas Cowboys are welcoming some good news, as the 5-7 team heads into their Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, December 9.

They’ve won the past two of their games with quarterback Cooper Rush playing for an injured Dak Prescott, but they have some work to do if they want to get into the Wild Card playoffs.

Thankfully, the Cowboys are getting some positive news this week, and it could give them a confidence boost going into their Bengals matchup.

Heading into the latter part of their season, some NFL experts and analysts are praising the Cowboys for a turnaround with their defense.

“The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is not perfect, but it is certainly better than it was at the start of the season,” Todd Archer of ESPN stated in a December 2 feature about the Cowboys’ improved defense.

“The Cowboys were on pace to be one of the worst defenses in franchise history,” Archer added, stating that, happily, that’s not the case right now.

In the past five Dallas games, the Cowboys have allowed more than 400 yards once and gave up more than 6.2 yards per play only once. They’ve also not allowed an opponent to convert more than 40% of their third-down chances.

All in all, stats are up, and the defense is looking stronger.

Having edge rusher Micah Parsons back has been a major help. Arches says the improved defense “might be a Parsons’ effect.”

“After missing four games with a high left ankle sprain, Parsons has played in the past four games and has 5.5 sacks,” Archer added. Parsons also leads the Cowboys with 6.5 sacks, even though he’s missed 17 quarters of playtime due to injury. That’s an impressive stat.

In a December 2 feature for the New York Times’ Athletic, NFL analyst and expert Saad Yousuf notes that Parsons “hinted at some breaking news in his postgame interview Thursday, saying that the Cowboys could be getting veteran defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence back from his foot injury for next Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.”

That would mean more good news for the Cowboys. Lawrence hasn’t played since Week 4 against the Giants, so having him back in the fold could be a significant plus.

“The Cowboys’ defense and specifically defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer have been tough to evaluate this season because of the injuries,” Yousuf stated, but adding that, “the Cowboys’ defense could be getting healthier during the home stretch.”

Don’t expect a Lawrence return too soon, though. Seeing him against the Bengals could be a bit premature.

On Monday, December 2, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones dashed hopes of a Lawrence return too soon, saying on 105.3 The Fan that it’s “probably a long shot” for Lawrence to play against Cincinnati, but it’s “not out of the question,” adding that “I certainly expect to see him sooner than later,” per Jon Machota of The Athletic.

The Cowboys are underdogs to the Bengals, as David Halprin of Blogging the Boys points out, so they’ll need solid performances on both offense and defense to snag the win.