The Cowboys are 4-1 and rolling, but for how much longer is the big question.
As good as Dallas has looked in winning four in a row after an ugly opening-day loss to the 49ers, the Cowboys’ hopes for avoiding another 8-8, non-playoff finish rest on the shakiest of foundations — the continued good health of Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray and more turnovers forced by their defense.
Murray, in particular, has been the key to Dallas’ early success and No. 5 spot in The Post’s NFL Power Rankings by averaging an astounding 134 yards rushing through the first five games.
But Murray also has been injury-prone throughout his four-year NFL career, having never played an entire 16-game schedule. That makes his ability to carry the Cowboys into the playoffs after a four-year absence highly suspect.
The same goes for Romo (at least when it comes to staying healthy after back surgery last winter) and the defense, which was one of the league’s worst units in 2013 and can’t be expected to maintain its torrid pace of forcing nine turnovers through five games.
The Cowboys also have to visit Seattle’s 12th Man this week, not the best recipe for extending a win streak.
But after years of frustrating mediocrity, Dallas is going to enjoy this unusual run of success. The Cowboys will always be on the NFL’s must-see franchises. For now, at least, it’s because they’re winning games.
This week’s rankings:
1. Chargers, 4-1 (last week: 3): Philip Rivers’ passer rating is up to 116.3 for the season, which is incredible.
2. Seahawks, 3-1 (4): That’s a 30-point victory Monday night if not for Jeff Triplette’s woeful officiating crew.
3. Broncos, 3-1 (5): Peyton Manning needs just six TD passes to break Brett Favre’s NFL career record and might get them in the first half against the dreadful Jets.
4. Eagles, 4-1 (6): Still winning, and still doing it as ugly as possible.
5. Cowboys, 4-1 (8): They’ve finally learned good things can happen when you run the ball well.
6. Cardinals, 3-1 (1): How many injuries can one team stand? Arizona is about to find out.
7. Bengals, 3-1 (2): A much better team than they showed Sunday night against the Patriots.
8. 49ers, 3-2 (12): Maybe they should start rumors about Jim Harbaugh’s job security every week.
9. Colts, 3-2 (13): Much-improved defense is the biggest reason for their turnaround from 0-2.
10. Packers, 3-2 (14): If Eddie Lacy’s bounce-back game last Thursday night was a sign of things to come, watch out.
11. Giants, 3-2 (15): No team is playing with more (newfound) confidence than Tom Coughlin’s group.
12. Patriots, 3-2 (17)
13. Panthers, 3-2 (19)
14. Bills, 3-2 (20)
15. Steelers, 3-2 (22)
16. Dolphins, 2-2 (16)
17. Browns, 2-2 (24)
18. Ravens, 3-2 (7)
19. Lions, 3-2 (9)
20. Texans, 3-2 (10)
21. Saints, 2-3 (28)
22. Chiefs, 2-3 (11)
23. Vikings, 2-3 (18)
24. Bears, 2-3 (21)
25. Falcons, 2-3 (23)
26. Rams, 1-3 (25)
27. Buccaneers, 1-4 (26)
28. Jets, 1-4 (27): And it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.
29. Redskins, 1-4 (29)
30. Titans, 1-4 (30)
31. Raiders, 0-4 (31)
32. Jaguars, 0-5 (32)