Preseason doesn’t define what a team’s regular season will look like. Exhibition games give teams an opportunity to evaluate their depth and test their roster before the real campaign begins. At the same time, however, they can sometimes offer a glimpse of how a team has developed during the offseason and whether the moves it made during that time are beginning to pay off.

Just last week, the Dallas Cowboys ended their nine-year drought after they won their preseason opener 17-7 against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks. This week, they have done something they last did back in 2007. After defeating the Arizona Cardinals in the second preseason matchup, the Cowboys have gone 2-0 in the exhibition games for the first time in 19 years.

The last time they did it was back in 2007, when the team defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23-10 in the opener, and then the Denver Broncos 31-20 in the second matchup. This year, however, the highlight of the first two exhibition games has been the team’s defense.

Offensively, the Cowboys have scored 51 points, with quarterbacks Joe Milton III and Sam Howell leading the charge. Against the Seahawks a week ago, Milton completed 12-of-15 passes for 107 yards and one touchdown, while Howell went 8-of-12 for 94 yards and another touchdown. The Cowboys, meanwhile, tallied 338 total yards, including 201 passing and 137 rushing yards.

Against the Cardinals this week, Milton once again started, completing 9-of-13 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns, before Howell took over and went 7-of-10 for 65 yards and one interception. Dallas tallied 413 total yards, with 238 yards coming through the air, while 175 came on the ground.

However, it was the defense that actually dominated the first two weeks of the preseason. So far, the Cowboys have allowed just 20 points in the first two games, while preventing the opponents from scoring a touchdown in the first six quarters of football this year.

Considering the Cowboys dominated headlines last season because of their disappointing defense, which eventually led to the firing of Matt Eberflus, the team delivered strong defensive performances against both the Seahawks and Cardinals. Of course, it’s just the preseason we are talking about.

However, the last time the Cowboys went 2-0 in the preseason, the team also enjoyed a strong regular season. It’s worth noting that the 2007 Cowboys’ roster featured the likes of Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, and Marion Barber, among others. Dallas went 13-3 during the regular season and won the NFC East before losing 21-17 to the New York Giants in the Divisional Round.

This year, the Cowboys have already ended their nine-year drought without a preseason-opening win and their 19-year drought of going 2-0 in exhibition games. Whether they can finally end their Super Bowl drought, however, is too early to predict. But it’s safe to say that expectations are now higher for the Cowboys to finish the regular season on a strong note after failing to make the postseason in each of the last two seasons.